Fishing in New Zealand

Fishing

New Zealand, as a tourist is destination is noted for several things apart from Maoris, mudpools and mountains - and fishing is at or near the top of the list.

Striped marlin Big game fish, trout, or salmon . . . this country is known for them among fishermen world wide. With an abundance of lakes and rivers, and relatively few anglers, there is not the pressure on either fish stocks or river positions that one finds overseas.

A new sport, sea angling, is catching on fast. Fish such as yellowtail and tuna provide thrilling sport, but best of all is to take a hit from a big kahawai (sea trout) on light tackle.

A Fishing Tour

Making a fishing tour of this country depends upon several things - the patience and temper of one's partner/navigator not least. But that aside, there are two ways of doing it:

1: By rental car. Pick up a car on arrival, and stay at motels or hotels. Book a guide for your first day in each region to get that oh-so-precious local knowledge, then do your own thing from there on. This option also gives you a choice of fitting some general sightseeing in between the fishing (partner/navigator please note).

2: Fly between locations. You might like to have a guide meet you, take you to the hotel and pick you up each morning ready to fish. This is the expensive way to go, but in terms of time on the line, the most cost efficient. Otherwise make your own way along, hiring whatever equipment necessary.

To really get a fair go at the fish you should allow 14 days. That'll give say 5 days fishing in each island, with the other days taken up getting to and fro and hither and yon.

Hire tackle is not always available is all locations. Waders especially are a problem and you are advised to bring our own. Thigh waders will suffice for most South Island dry fly and nymph fishing, but body waders are best for North Island river and lakes. The stocking type waders are adequate for summer conditions, but thermal underwear would be necessary in autumn.

Rods. A medium weight two piece rod is good - probably with a stiffer action than found in most other countries. Ideally bring two rods - a dry fly rod weight 5/6 for the South Is, and a weight 8/9 for the North. A graphite rod of either weight is best.

Lines and reels. To be ready for anything, bring one reel with a number of replaceable spools, each with about 200m of backing line on it. Lines recommended are: A floating line of 5/6 weight and another of 8/9 weight; A H.D. fast sink line of 8/10 weight; A floating line with sink tip 5/6 weight and another sink tip 8/9 weight.

Leaders. For dry-fly fishing a tapered leader with a 2kg breaking strain (4-5lb) is usual, for streamer flies with wetlines leaders should be 2-4kg (4-9lb).

Flies. Like fish anywhere, the locals have their peculiarities and you are best to take advice from a local expert. Flies are universal so American and English patterns will work well. Streamers or lure flies are best purchased locally so as to replicate the natural diet of the local fish population.

Trout Fishing

All year round is trout fishing season in NZ. Many of the areas have a season which opens on 1 October and extends until late April. Southern lakes have a seven month season, but on Lakes Taupo and Rotorua in the North Island, any time is fishing time.

In the North Island the lakes and river systems of Taupo and Rotorua are the main fishing areas. In the South Island the prime areas are the rivers of Nelson, the West Coast and Southland and the lakes of Central Otago and Fiordland. There is, however, good fishing in most of the river systems of the east coast. Specifics are given below.

Licenses

To save the problem of visitors having to procure a license for each acclimatisation area, the NZ Tourist Office offers overseas visitors a "tourist license".

Size of Fish

The size of fish taken varies from district to district. In most districts any fish under 14in must be returned to the water, though some allow catches over 12ins.

In the Rotorua area the average rainbow is about 1kg, the average brown 2.25kg. Catches of both over 4kg are taken every season. The same applies in Taupo, but the average rainbow is bigger, about 1.8kg.

In south Westland sea-run brown trout average 2.25kg and can go as big as 5kg.

North Island Fishing

Lake Fishing

In both Taupo and Rotorua lakes, brown trout are plentiful but outnumbered by the rainbows.

The rainbows are of steelhead stock, but are prevented from going to sea by the hydro dams along the rivers. They live in the lakes all summer then make spawning runs upstream, returning to the lakes in spring to fatten up again by autumn.

During the summer months there are few fish in the streams. Most are back in the lakes and trolling or harling are the most popular methods of catching them. With a troll, a metal lure is used, sometimes with lead core lines for deep fishing during the hot months when the trout lie deep.

The harling method uses normal fly lines rods and reels to troll or "harl" a fly. This is particularly effective when the trout are surface feeding on smelt.

In the summer the best fly fishing is at the river mouths. A radius of 300 m from where the stream enters the lake is designated "fly only". The fish congregate around the river mouths where the colder water flows in, bringing food with it. Fishing is done either by wading out and casting into the rip, or casting from a moored boat. Some of the best streams are often accessible only by boat.

River Fishing

Lake fishing in the North Island has tended to overshadow the considerable possibilities of the rivers. Fishing in streams flowing into lakes is best in winter when the trout run up to spawn. Many wilderness streams, however, have resident populations of browns and rainbows.

Many of the rivers can be reached by road, but some of the best fishing is accessible only by fixed wing aeroplane or helicopter.

There are several fishing guide operations in the area, but Simon Dickie, of South Pacific Sporting Adventures Ltd in Taupo in among the best. Another is Alan Simmons.

South Island

Lake Fishing

Brown trout are the most common sport in the southern lakes, but there are some rainbows and land-locked salmon which, unable to reach the sea, behave like trout and make spawning runs upstream.

As in the North Island the lakes are often barred by hydro dams so the trout run upstream to spawn in winter, dropping down to the lakes again in summer. The fishing pattern is similar to the north with good river fishing as the fish come and go from the lakes. The fish are better taken with a dry fly and floating line from the lake shore. Spinning is popular from the shores, while trolling is best with a weighted line to get well down into these very deep, glacier-carved lakes.

Recommended guides include Paul Miller at Wanaka (Box 20, Wanaka. Ph 7790).

Dick Marquand, Cromwell, Phone/fax 03 445 1745, Mobile 025 344 258. email: dick@troutfishingservices.co.nz

River Fishing

Most of the rivers in the south run directly to the sea without the interference of dams. Thus the trout are sea-run browns. The runs usually start in February/March. South Westland has one of the world's largest sea-runs of brown trout. The come in to spawn in late summer, and chasing the whitebait in spring.

Some of the finest river fishing is on the Mataura River which rightly has a world-wide reputation for its brown trout. It's about 80km long and well stocked over the full length, with the area around Athol and Garston probably being the pick of the stretch. It's reputation has tended to unfairly overshadow that of another great Southland River, the Oreti . . . especially the upper reaches where the browns are big, hard hitting and full of fight. Another excellent river is the Waiau which connects Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri then makes its way to the sea. The twixt-lakes 15km stretch is a must-do for fishermen. I'm told by Ash Clement that the best months are January through April.

Some good local guides:

Jim Gratton 03-236-7496.
Southern Safaris (Ewan Bennie) 03-235-2753.
Riverside Guides (John Hannabus) 03-208-4922.
Bryan (Bunny) Burgess 03-208-0801.
Mataura Valley Guides (Ash Clement) 03-208-9446.

If you're at the other end of the South Island, you'll get good advice from Tony Busch at Sportsgoods (Nelson) Ltd. Get your hands on a copy of his "Sportmans's Guide to South Island Trout Fishing" and you'll have all the information you could need on the main rivers and lakes.

Salmon

In late December fishermen in the South Island (and wider afield too) start getting that faraway, glazy look in their eye. They are lost in a reverie of anticipation of the salmon season which runs January through to the end of March.

The snow-fed, braided rivers of the east coast are the happy hunting ground for quinnat salmon, known in North America and the chinook.

The particularly favoured rivers are the Rakaia, Rangitata, Waimakariri and Waitaki. Runs do occur in other rivers, but they're less reliable.

Generally, fish weigh in at about 4-8kg - say 10 to 20lb - but the old die-hards wistfully recall the season of '78 when the fish were exceptional, with many reports of fish at over 16kg - that's o ver 40lb!

The favoured approach is to line up in the river mouth, in the thick of the river rip and surf. The anglers use heavy gear - surfcasting rods which will take the spoons and ticers down good and deep. They are given extra weight with lead to get them well down - the experts say you you're not deep enough unless the weight and lure are bumping the bottom.

Deep Sea Fishing

You're lolling in the sun on the deck of a boat. The arms of the outriggers lie open unto the sea and the sky. Behind the launch the lures flick and twitch in the water as the troll tugs them gently forward.

There's a sudden flash of phosphorescent rainbow colour in the water. A line is snapped from the outrigger. Then . . . nothing. For a few moments.

A big Pacific Blue marlin has spotted the bait and come in for a quick reconnaissance. It's first exploratory whack at the lure dislodged the line from the peg that clipped it to the outrigger.

Now you wait. Wait. Wait to see if the fish will come back and get serious about a meal.

Suddenly the reel screams as line is stripped off it. The deck crew help you strap yourself into the chair. There's no panic, just swift certain action.

"Let it go", yells the skipper. The line whizzes free. "Now strike". You push the brake lever on the reel. The line screams again. Out there, down there, maybe 1000 lbs. of fight and fright has just set the hook.

For a while you can do little but watch it run until the weight of line starts to tell. Out at sea there's a violent burst as the fish breaches, tailwalking on the water.

You settle down for a long battle with one of the world's greatest gamefish. . .

Zane Grey is a name usually mentioned early in any article about deep sea fishing in NZ, and especially about the Bay of Islands. Actually, contrary to most reports, he didn't discover the fishing here . . . but he certainly publicised it in his book "Tales of the Anglers' El Dorado".

In any fishing club in the world, names like Bay of Islands, Mayor Island, Tutukaka are well-known. And for good reason. Some mighty world records have been set in those waters, 18 at last count. Grey, himself, produced a world record catch of ten striped marlin in one day. This country is unique is having set records in four major billfish - broadbill, striped marlin, blue marlin, and black marlin. The other types of game fish taken include thresher, hammerhead and mako sharks as well as yellowtail, kingfish and tuna.

The Fishing Grounds

Game fishing is exclusively a North Island sport. The main bases are at the Bay of Islands, Whangaroa, Tutukaka, Whitianga, Mayor Island and Whakatane. Probably no game fishing area in the world has yielded more fish than the stretch of water that extends from Whangaroa to Whakatane, but especially in the area just off Cape Brett where the marlin feed on the school fish round Dog Rock and Piercy Island.

Each year the billfish swarm along this coast, literally in thousands. The run starts in late December and continues till June, but the best time for marlin is January to the end of April. Yellowfin tuna are taken from December to March, the sharks from November to May, while yellowtail kingfish are there all year round and fished for mainly in the winter when other species are elsewhere.

Costs

The principal beauty of fishing in NZ is the relative low cost. Charter rates overseas run three and four time more per day than the going rate.

Rates vary between the various locations. The Bay of Island is the dearest at around $900-950 per boat per day. If anglers wish to live aboard it's an extra $100 per person per day. At the other centres rates range from $700-$850 a day with live aboard rates around $80 per person per day.

For bookings contact numbers are:

Whangarei Deep Sea Anglers Club: 09-434-3818
Whangaroa: Whangaroa Big Gamefish Club 0-9-405-0399
Tutkaka: Deep Sea Anglers Club Ph 09-434-3818.
Bay of Islands: Game Fishing Charters 09-402-7311
or Lady Doreen Sportfishing Adventures, PO Box 306 Orewa. Ph 09 426 8922; Fax: 09 424 7948; Mobile 025 775 786
Tauranga: Tauranga Gamefishing Club, Ph 0-7-578-6203

New Zealand Fishing Related Sites

Ministry of Fisheries - including recreational fishing rules and regulations

The Frontier Fishing Gazette - N.Z.

NZsouth Troutfishing - If you're considering a visit to Central Otago it's worth a visit before you make too many plans.

Fish New Zealand - a wide range of good fishing info and photos, including articles from New Zealand Fishing News magazine.

www.fishing.net.nz - News, reports, weather, advice, charters, shopping, national organisations, clubs, classifieds and much more.

www.fishingtrout.co.nz - One of Lake Rotorua's top trout fishing guides

www.kilwell.co.nz - Kilwell Sports - Home page for one of New Zealand's leading fishing tackle wholesalers and manufacturers.

Fishing and Hunting NZ - Fishing reports, online shopping, magazine articles, chat rooms, hundreds of links and much more.

www.fishandgame.org.nz - The official site of the Fish and Game organisation responsible for the management of freshwater fisheries in New Zealand. Information on regions, regulations, licences, where to fish and fishing seasons. Also online licence purchasing.

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