Whitebait patties for dinner

It might have only be a handful of whitebait in the bottom of the sieve, but Chris Ashley reckoned it was enough to mix in a beer batter for a few patties.

As each tide creeps in, whitebaiters have been lining the water’s edge by the Rough Island bridge since the season opened on the first day of September.

On his first day out for the season, Chris took home “half a pound” or just over 200gms of the tiny fish and on his second day he had enough for dinner, so in his view, the season has started off well.

“It’s a good sign they’re around. Once people see a pattie or two, they’ll be down here.”

He’s now in his early 70s, but it’s his first year in retirement from a building career so he finally has more time to find a spot beside the water and try his luck with his net.

His first memories of whitebaiting are as a four-year-old beside the remote Paturau River on the West Coast of Golden Bay.

His job was to mind the site.

“I was brought up with whitebaiting with my father – he liked to think he was a whitebaiter.

“As a four-year-old, he used to put me on a spot to stop someone else getting there and then come and lift the net.”

In the past, he has boated up the Aorere River near Collingwood to find a good spot, but now he has the time to “pop out” from Richmond when the tides are right.

Serious whitebaiters arrive early to claim a good place to set up their nets and it’s a matter of finding a space where he can sit and relax while waiting for the current to bring the little critters his way.

As a fan of whitebait, he says a mix of “eggs, a little bit of flour and a bit of beer” makes the best patties, sandwiched between slices of fresh white bread.

The whitebait season ends on 30 October and whitebaiting rules are available on the Department of Conservation website.