Sunday, October 16, 2011

Catching Whitebait

New Zealand schools are in the middle of a two-week 
spring term break, 
and Mrs McKenzie has been enjoying spending 
some time whitebaiting at one of her favourite places, the 
Fox River.
Some people like to use a long-handled scoop net to catch the little whitebait, as they swim into the river 
on the oncoming tide.

Others prefer to use a set net at the side of the river. 
It pays to have a lot of patience and a good book!






Have you ever been whitebaiting?
Is this an activity you would enjoy?
Do you have a similar type of fish where you live?

How did you spend your holidays?

5 comments:

  1. This looks like delicious fun! Love the photos, and wish I had a holiday planned there. Next week I will be going for a week to sit on the beach at Shoal Bay in Port Stephens. Regards, Trevor

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  2. Dear b4
    i love b4 i am never going to aver schools am going to
    this school all the time.




    by jonathon.

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  3. Dear class,
    I have a similar kind of fish were I live called minnows. There are a lot of them and they look slimy. I have never been whitebaiting , but I think I would enjoy it !

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  4. Dear B4,

    In the community that I live in in British Columbia, Canada, there are 2 large rivers. Every year, we get a lot of salmon swimming down the rivers, headed towards the ocean. Fishing is a very popular activity here. Some people fish for fun, and others fish so they can have salmon to eat.

    Salmon are a lot bigger than your whitebait fish, but the nets we use have a lot in common. Some fishermen fish with a rod and line, but most fish with a large hand-held net called a dip net. Aboriginal people in our community have been using dip nets to catch salmon for thousands of years! People also fish with large nets that they set up across the river. It takes a lot of work to pull these big nets in when they are full of salmon.

    It was really interesting looking at your photos of whitebait fishing. I have never seen that kind of fish before. In your last picture, it looks like you have prepared some whitebait for a snack! Is that a pancake that your whitefish are cooked in?

    Sincerely,

    Miss. OC

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  5. Dear Miss OC
    Thank you for visiting our blog.

    Whitebait are considered a delicacy in New zealand, and lots of people have their own family recipe for preparing them.

    These whitebait patties were prepared and cooked with just some beaten egg. Some people add a little flour and maybe some baking powder which is also tasty.
    The patties are delicious with a little squeeze of lemon.

    regards
    Mrs McKenzie

    ReplyDelete