I bet the adventurer in you is itching to re-discover a wild sport fishing experience which right now seems like a distant memory. As the world slowly re-opens, one destination comes to mind offering wild sport fishing, surrounded by surreal backdrops you’ve likely seen in a number of block buster movies. The shaky isles…you guessed it nicknamed for the prevalence of regular ground shakes, will exceed your wildest expectations. From brutal encounters with trophy sport fish, trekking the wilderness, skiing snow-capped peaks, visiting sparkling coves, coastal glaciers, rain forests and fjords, there’s an adventure in New Zealand with your name on it.
A Spectacular Sport Fishing Destination
New Zealand boasts over 15,000 kilometres of coastline, beaches, clear rivers and lakes. So, no matter what style of fishing you prefer, New Zealand has you covered. Whether its big game fishing offshore, fly fishing rivers and streams or heli fishing remote alpine lakes, you’ll always find a spectacular destination to get your lure or fly wet.
No wonder the locals call this place heaven. The sheer number of sport fishing options is enough proof that it is indeed an anglers paradise. The north island offers anglers the opportunity to target snapper, kingfish and marlin offshore with brown and rainbow trout frequenting the famous Tongariro river system. The spectacular south island offers up Blue cod, trumpeter, grouper, rainbow and brown trout and salmon. Regardless of your angling preference, New Zealand is a destination that has everything.
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The right fishing season for you
Fishing in New Zealand can be enjoyed all year round. But like most destinations, there’s always a perfect time and place. So, we rounded up the most important things to keep in mind when planning to visit New Zealand.
Spring: September – November
The fishing season in the South Westland and Fiordland opens as the first sign of spring starts. Anglers can enjoy the still cold weather while wrestling with the sea-run trout of the south. Going streamer and nymph fishing for late spawning rainbows at Lakes Rotorua and Taupo in the North is also available.
By October, the resident browns join the late spawning rainbows. You’d be interested in fly fishing with weighted nymphs in mountain streams as the fish are already starting to become active with the warming waters. The fishing season for streams and rivers also opens at this time.
As the summer nears and the spring ends, anglers are treated to the best fishing month for browns. Good dry fly and mayflies hatch in both north and south islands, and the trout are very aggressive.
Summer: December – February
December marks the start of the summer season. It is perhaps the best month to fish in New Zealand. December marks the beginning of the big game fishing season, so if you’re up for chasing big fish like marlin, yellowfin tuna or kingfish, your options would either be Russell, Tutukaka or Tauranga. Fishing in lakes, streams and rivers is also perfect since the streamers, nymphs, dries, and trout are pretty active, and the browns are less wary.
As the sun peaks in the summer and fishing starts to get a bit trickier, you have the option to check out backcountry streams or going on float trips or heli fly-outs using big dries for both browns and rainbows. January is the most crowded month of the year. The weather is hot and the streams are at their lowest, too, so stalking small nymphs and dries need extra effort and care.
During February, you’ll be sharing the waterways with our North American friends. US anglers escape their winter and flock to the New Zealand streams and luxury lodges. For our US friends check out Los Angeles based outfitter The Best of NZ Fly Fishing before planning your next trip across the Pacific.
Autumn: March – May
As warm summer days give way to cooler autumn temperatures, the declining noise from the cicadas marks the end of the dry fly fishing season. But don’t go hiding away all your fly rods and waders yet; the adaptive fly fishos can still make this season quite productive.
With the salmon and trout at their finest and mountain streams still fishing well for browns with dries, March is a good month for trophies, though it also marks the last month of fishing in most areas.
The end of autumn also marks the last month for catching marlin. But don’t fret because you can still go and try for a trophy rainbow at either Lake Rotorua or Lake Taupo. As autumn ends in May, the Game Bird season opens, so for those of you keen on combining a fish and duck hunt then this is the time to do it.
Winter: June – August
By June, winter starts for real in all inland areas, leaving only some tributaries and lakes open for both the north and south islands. At this time, anglers into very heavy nymph rigs or sinking lines with egg and streamer patterns are welcome to have fun in New Zealand.
On the North Island, winter trout fishing in the Taupo/Rotorua regions is an option. However, for hardy anglers, the Tongariro River is more appealing as the best fly fishing season for spawning rainbows opens at this time.
By mid-winter (August), anglers are welcome to start planning for great light tackle saltwater fishing. It is also the quietest time of the year, so if you’re up for cooler weather and the waters to yourself, then jump on that plane to New Zealand!
Check out Morning Tide Fishing on their New Zealand Fishing Adventure.
Best NZ Fishing Locations in New Zealand
Fishing in New Zealand is best divided by location from the north to south. Below are some of the hotspots to consider.
North Island
- Northland
- Auckland – Waikato
- Eastern – Rotorua
- Taupo – Turangi
- Hawke’s Bay
- Taranaki
- Wellington
South Island
- Nelson – Marlborough
- West Coast
- North Canterbury
- Central South Island
- Otago
- Southland
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Dos and Don’ts
We rounded up a shortlist of things you need to know before you head on over for some intense NZ sport fishing.
Don’t forget your New Zealand Fishing License
New Zealand has ten different types of fishing licenses, only two of which are available to visiting anglers.
- Non-Resident Whole Season: Adult (18+) $180, Junior (under 18) $34, Child (under 12) $34
New Zealand offers this license to anglers who wish to fish anywhere at any time. A similar version is available for NZ residents, though theirs come with fishing restrictions at Lake Taupo.
- Non-Resident One Day: Adult (18+) $34, Junior (under 18) $20, Child (under 12) $20
Like the first non-resident license, this is also for anglers who are not residents of New Zealand at the time of travel.
Note that all licenses are available for sale at gas/petrol stations, sport stores, fishing tackle stores and via your fishing guide. Licenses are also available online. Details through Fish & Game New Zealand.
Fishing Rules
New Zealand welcomes anglers year round. To ensure that recreational sport fishing remains sustainable, the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) have a few rules designed to maintain New Zealand’s fishery. These include:
- daily bag limits (limits on how many fish you can keep)
- legal size limits (limits on the size of fish you can keep)
- species restrictions (limits on the type of fish you can keep)
- and closed and restricted areas (limits on the areas where you can legally fish)
We also recommend paying close attention to local fishing rules as different areas may have different rules that change over time.
