When the ODT visited one of the Waitaki district’s most popular whitebaiting spots at the Kakanui River yesterday morning, dozens of hopeful whitebaiters were jockeying on the beach, optimistically trying to haul a feed from murky water augmented by a night of rain and a "fresh" down the river.
But in the best of whitebaiting tradition, no-one was really commenting too much.
A seasoned and anonymous Kakanui whitebaiter of 40 years’ standing said the sensible like herself had called it quits early yesterday as the bait were just that bit too hard to spot, and it was dangerous.
"The river’s in flood ... It was a wee bit brown", she said.
Apart from opening day on September 1, when most who ventured out had some beginner’s luck, "it’s been very quiet", she said.
"I think most people got something on opening day, but nothing since", the longtime whitebaiter said.
Another committed Oamaru whitebaiter had a similar tale to tell.
"Overall, it’s been a little bit patchy but there has been some good runs, here and there", the man said.
While a "fresh" down the Kakanui at this stage could be good, it was generally when the river dropped back that the bait would be visible.
Anyway, it was perhaps too early in the season as warmer water temperatures from mid-October were "sometimes better" for a decent haul.
