Fisherman shot in head with bait launcher

Police said the injured man and another man were using the air-powered bait launcher. Photo / File

A 62-year-old Oamaru man remains in a serious condition in Dunedin Hospital after being shot in the head at close range by a fishing line shooting machine.

Police, who assisted St John after the accident on Tuesday night, said the injured man and another man were using the air-powered bait launcher to shoot a line out into the surf south of Cape Wanbrow along Beach Rd.

The machine malfunctioned and the two men were ''trying to get it going again'' when the bait launcher fired, shooting the man in the head about 7.30pm.

He was taken from Oamaru Hospital by the Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter to Dunedin Hospital's intensive care unit.

A hospital spokesperson today said he was in a serious condition.

Little was known yesterday about the incident.

It is understood no stores in Oamaru sell the bait launchers, known by some as spud guns, but they can be bought online.

One website describes the bait launchers, which cast bait attached to fishing lines, using an air compressor, from the beach, as capable of launching the bait and line 300m into the surf.

Yesterday afternoon the section of beach where the incident happened, near the intersection of Beach and Awamoa Rds, between Oamaru and Kakanui, was deserted.