Terry Osborne has been putting his net out for as long as he can remember.
He is not about to let the forecast rain put him off securing his stand for whitebaiting at Seaward Downs.
"I had the hut for about 12 years but I’ve been whitebaiting a lot longer than that.
"I can’t tell you about my tricks because it’s a secret and I’d have to kill you if I told you all of them."
The 74-year-old made the annual trek from his home in Bluff to his hut for whitebaiting season on the Mataura River.
A bucket and a-half has been his biggest catch.
He hoped this season would bring him "100 pounds worth".
When quizzed on his stand, he praised his own building skills for constructing one that was solidly built and safe.
He hoped the weather gods and the Mataura River would be kind to him and that they would have a good season.
"The ideal conditions for whitebaiting is a beautiful sunny day, standing here in shorts, and the river’s in perfect condition, nice and still and clear."
The worst whitebaiting day he had was when the weather got so bad he had to pull the net in because the river was going too fast.
"It just drives the net under.
"You’re just wasting your time.
"You’ve got to pull it in.
"I can be out here, there’s no wind, and I can walk back to the hut and there’s wind.
"It’s just the way the weather is."
Stand owners excitement for this weekend’s season start was bittersweet because of the councils increase to fees and the shortening of the season, Mr Osborne said.
"Without any consultation, they just put the fees up
from $184 last year to $303 this year.
"The year before, the government took six weeks off us, which is wrong, now we’ve got two months."
Environment Southland said the increase was to get in line with actual cost.
The season finishes at the end of October.
There are about 660 whitebait stands in Southland.
Despite the fees and the reduced time putting out his net, Mr Osborne looked forward to getting his catch and making his whitebait fritter.
"That secret I can share — just eggs, whitebait and a bit of salt and pepper.
"Don’t put too much in it, you spoil the broth."
