It is free to drag your net through the water, but the price for a licensed structure, or a stand, has increased from about $160 to $303.
A stand, in comparison to traditional whitebaiting, does not move and can cover a larger surface area than netting for whitebait to be caught.
Avid whitebaiter Allen Herbert, on his site at the Mataura River, said the price increase was fair.
"What do you get for nothing these days?
"The price of things rise all the time. Every week at the shop the price has gone up. It’s just inflation," he said.
For those upset at the prices, there was a far cheaper alternative, he said.
"If you don’t want to pay it, just don’t go."
Mr Herbert bought his stand 10 years ago, and has been there every whitebait season since.
"At the end of the day, I’ve been fishing all my life. You don’t expect to make a fortune ... I wait all year to go whitebaiting," he said.
Salmon farmer Michael Randal has been whitebaiting for three years, and said the first day of the season went well; he caught 4.5kg of whitebait.
"I’m not complaining," he said.
Mr Randal said that the stands were expensive, but agreed with the increase in licensing fees.
"If they’re selling the whitebait they could definitely fork out for it," he said.
Mr Herbert was happy to help those keen to get into whitebaiting.
"You learn by asking ... and then you can help others learn," he said.
Environment Southland said last month the fees for stands had increased because the charge now reflected actual monitoring costs, and had to rise to keep pace with inflation.
