Department of Conservation rangers are resigned to the prospect of whitebaiters ignoring the official end of the season tomorrow as the fish continue to stream up some West Coast rivers.
"It's a bit of a nuisance, we normally like them (the bait) to stop coming before November 14," DOC Buller spokesman John Green said. `
"We will have to have our eyes and ears open for a week or so."
Hokitika ranger Ted Brennan was also expecting the temptation to be too great for some.
"The bait are still coming up so that might pose a few poaching problems for us."
As the curtain falls on another bumper West Coast season the debate still rages as to whether whitebait really is under threat from over-fishing and rural development.
Some scientists claim whitebait are a dwindling resource, but the 2008 season defied that, producing huge runs on some rivers.
