Whenever I got bored with whitbaiting in that area would have a wee stroll yes I admit it would be away from my net more than a few metres but it’s a great place to find stuff after a big swell there’s a guy that goes down there picking up coal off the beach not sure if he was the one that scared the living daylights out of me onetime or some ghosty shipwreck spectre either way always leave before closing time now and no I’m not a sook Lammerlaw!
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Did you say whitebaiting…you miserable sod you for not inviting me. Love my whitebaiting. Used to know the Opihi well but the Waihao was my river until two nasty up wealthy land owners purchased the river and kicked all the whitebaiters off.
Ah yes the old Showgrounds of course! Yeah Lammerlaw it’s been well and truly gone over by a couple of hunters that I know of and myself!! There is a lot of overgrown undetected areas so we just wait for it to be developed…think another supermarket is going there one day.
In fact if you check out my first post on my page you will see some Showground silver!!
I think I am lucky that I was first there. Ii used a Garrett Deepseeker as it was ‘the’ detector of that day and age but terribly heavy.
The A & P showground was a terrific place. I only did a small bit around the curved north railing maybe one third of the railing around the arean in total…for two pocket fulls of silver.
ME TOoo still go to Opihi used to many tides ago be up river we were probably neighbours on it at Waimate the landowner liked the ex so I was sorted!
The ring area is really overgrown now, its pretty much the slope and the centre of the ring thats detectable, the slope was some kind of parking area is that right?
Yes I wish I had been first there must have been a coin heaven!! I thought the early detecting pioneers chucked any thing away that wasnt a gold coin haha
Love ya comment SoilSurfer - yes I generally threw away all the pennies and half pennies unless it was a poor spot and then I took them in order to prevent depression setting in at not getting anything!
Yes the slope might be ok because that is where the cars were park - you hit the nail on the head there.
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Who was the land owner can you remember? Where about on the Waihao did you go. I had the same spot for many years and my family including my extended family were the very first to whitebait that river. In 1918 my grandmother got a horse drawn dray full of whitebait one day so that she could use it as fertilizer in the garden!
The best scene I ever saw whitebaiting was at the Opihi in 1975 when I saw what looked like a black shadow coming in form the sea and it was deep - the water was crystal clear and it was right at the mouth. I never saw it so clear before nor after, ust amazing. Reaching right down with my scoop net I got 51 pounds of Whitebait.
That same season I got my record catch in the Waihao - I filled every container I had PLUS my gumboots and my hat!
The day after I got my record haul in the Waihao I saw the longest shoal I ever saw - one solid mass over 100 yards long - I told an old guy down in the Clutha and he said “Thats nothing, I once saw a solid stream of whitebait come up here (Clutha) It was one hour long!”
Strewth Kazza - whos the woman in your profile - I need a whitebaiting partner!
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Oh yes know exactly what you are describing!! I watched the blackest longest shoal ever for what seemed like an eternity only to see the front of it turn into like an arrow head and dissappear my dad was saying pick it up pick it up err I did but they werent there all I said was they deserve to get past! It was when Murray Bruce had it used to have a bit of trouble with one local family who thought they owned the whole south side even wasting police time thinking they could get rid of us pff. It was opposite where the rocks were at Bradfords. Haven’t been back enjoy the surf now. Yep that ladies going to have more time on her hands for recreation now as the jobs been chucked the Bedford’s getting restored to get out and about to bump into cool prospectors who seem to be half decent oh OK the ones Ive met have been top notch people very genuine a pleasure to meet. HAVE we discussed kauai gum yet?
Blum in auto frogged correct kauri see figgen is frogged
Opposite the rocks at Willowbridge Creek is about 200 metres upstream from my place but I dont remember a family there except two women who were below me.
Murray Bruce actually appointed me to keep an eye on things. When that property was sold I tried to buy it but was a bit tardy in how I went about it. I wanted Ngai Tahu to buy it to protect the rights of all the traditional stand holders there to have a spot into the future whether of Maori descent or European.
I was at the Bruces home other day - onthe first day of Duck Shooting.
My whitebaiting spot.
Nice that you tried to protect it!! We would drive along the stop bank and drop down to the island area …I know the name but better not put it here😶 Geez hope it wasn’t you and here’s us nearly friends🤗
I never said much - what was the intitial of last name - I could probably pick it up. The Island area is part of the Maori fishing easement but I never worried about that. There is Maori land just along from there and I am a shareholder in it but dont really give two iotas about that.
X marks my family whitebaiting spot for well over 100 years
A marks my spot from about 1978 through to two years ago BUT after 1979 I was only ever there for two weeks a year.
Cricky it was the same spot as yours I think going by your photo. Opposite where your family baited was where I watched the massive shoal. Doesn’t doc own a piece close by too? I bet you know Greta
No I dont know Greta but she will be modern there I suppose
No DOC doesnt own - there is a Fenton Reserve there, a Maori fishing easement there and also Maori land there of which I am a shareholder - I suppose each share isnt big enough to stand in haha!
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My thoughts go out to everyone in Timaru that is dealing with the flooding.
Once that is settled, I hope you can have a chance to check that beach spot.
Also the soaked ground will help signals show up, and warm things up for you guys.
Get some entries in for competition, you southerners are lagging a bit.
Well after much thought I’ve decided to put up one off my own secret spots, well it’s not so secret as a lot off people have had a go.
I wasn’t the first there but have found literaly thousands of coins, jewellery and a lot of military stuff in the 4 or 5yrs I’ve been going there. I reckon it rivals the mighty Hagley Park for coins per square meter! I haven’t been back for about a year but it’s always tempting to give it another go for any remaining treasure.
So I’ll do the gradual zoom out thing and see how it goes!
Please note…when I first started going the caretaker didn’t mind anyone having a dig, now he has gone and you require permission to dig there.
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fantastic, nothing like a bit of mystery and intrigue to get the ole detecting juices flowing ! Thanks SS
Yeah I really enjoyed trying to find Lammerlaws spots, thought it only fair to share one of my own…good luck!
