Greymouth whitebaiters taking a nap between tides or waiting in their cars to claim a spot on the river are furious at having been pinged with instant fines for "freedom camping".

One long-time whitebaiter says he was fined as he waited for dawn to claim his position on the Blaketown side of the Grey River.

Council chief executive Paul Pretorius says the ticketing officer gets some weird excuses from people trying to get out of fines, and whitebaiters are able to appeal their tickets.