In the first six hours of this year's whitebaiting season, Peter Wild hauled three of the prized fry from Taieri River.
The semiretired Dunedin man said he set his whitebait net at 5am on Saturday and waited on the river bank, near Henley Rd.
He had been fishing the same part of the river for more than 30 years, and the season always started slowly.
''They usually don't start running until late September.''
Most of his catch was usually made in October.
The whitebait had never run on an opening morning, but he kept returning for it, just in case a huge school of whitebait needed a net to swim into, he said.
''You've just gotta be here at the right time.''
His biggest single catch was more than 6kg, about five years ago.
''But I'm still waiting for the big 60 pound (27kg) one, where I can't lift my net.''
A ''60 pound haul'' had happened a few times nearby, he said.
He was always optimistic about what the season would bring.
''I always come out with a good feed.
''Last year I got 46kg and I didn't bother coming out for November. I'd got enough.''
The family ate most of it, and his friends gratefully took the rest, he said.
Essentials for the season were ''plenty of patience'', a deck chair and a radio.
This year, he parked a caravan near his registered site so he could fish every day of the season.
When he waited, he had a fishing line in the river and last season landed six ''good size'' trout.
Whitebaiting season runs until November 30 and fishing is allowed between 5am and 8pm until the start of daylight saving on September 27.
From then, whitebaiting will be allowed between 6am and 9pm.
