Anglers camping at the Waitaki Waters Holiday Park yesterday said heavy rain over the Christmas period had made river fishing difficult.
Jim O'Connor, from Christchurch, said fast currents meant that the river was hard to fish, but surf-casting had reaped rewards.
''We caught a couple of sharks. We had them for dinner yesterday. They were good sizes, all of them. We got some good-size fillets from them.''
Mr O'Connor said he had caught three sharks, thought to be Spiny Dogfish, on New Year's Eve.
All had weighed about ''eight pounds'' (3.6kg), he said.
Fellow angler Brent Godfery, from Oamaru, had a similar experience at the Waitaki River mouth.
''I have been down half a dozen times, but I haven't caught a trout yet.''
He said the fishing had been ''slow'' compared to previous years.
''Some days you get a bite, some days you don't.
''The way the river is makes it hard to get to where the fish are. Your cast just ends up sideways down the beach.''
