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River

LOCAL FISHING

INFORMATION

HUNTING INFO

Fiordland National Park, and surrounding areas provide a wide range of fishing opportunities.

What's out there?

Brown trout, rainbow trout and a few landlocked salmon.

Methods

Artificial fly, spinner and bait.

Season

1st October - 30 April 

Lake Manapouri and Lake Te Anau are open all year round with a limit of 2 fish per day with no fish length restriction.

All Tributary Rivers have a season of November 1-May 31.

A clean gear certificate is mandatory for all Western Tributaries.

Always check your Fish & Game regulations Booklet for further information and conditions on your fishing region.

Brown trout, rainbow trout and a few landlocked salmon.

Do I need a Licence?

Yes. Everyone fishing in fresh water needs a licence. These can be purchased on the Fish and Game New Zealand Website or in store.

 

For more information contact them direct on 0800 LICENCE (0800 542362)

 

Licences

These are categorized into Resident and Non Resident options.

-Non-resident means a person who, on October 1 (in the current season), is NOT ordinarily a resident in New Zealand.

-A Resident is someone who is:

  • A New Zealand citizen, or:

  • holds a residence class, student, or work visa, and

  • has lived in New Zealand for at least six of the 12 months immediately prior to their licence purchase, and

  • has New Zealand as their primary place of established residence.

A Non-Resident Licence (NRL) entitles the holder to fish for sports fish in all Fish & Game regions. It includes a levy used to contribute to fisheries management and habitat protection.

 

For Residents you can choose from the Following:

Whole Season Adult (Offers greatest versatility to most anglers. Fish the full season.)

Whole Season Family (Best option for spouses / partners / grandparents with up to 4 children 17 and under on 1st of October. Secondary licence holder can fish with children without the primary licence holder present but unable to use this licence to fish alone.)

Adult Fishing Loyal Senior (Designed to recognise loyal customers over 65 years of age who have held a Full Season licence for the last 5 seasons. You must be 65 years old or over on the 1st of October AND have held a whole season licence for the last five years consecutively.)

Local Area (Best option for those who wish to fish close to home or in one selected Fish & Game region. Fish the full season but only within your selected region.

Available regions; Auckland/Waikato, Central South Island, Eastern (incl Rotorua Lakes), Hawke's Bay, Nelson/Marlborough, North Canterbury, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Wellington, West Coast)

Junior Fishing Licence Whole Season  (for juniors between the age of 12 and 17. Fish the full season)  (

Child Fishing Licence Whole Season (for children aged 11 and under) 

Non 

Non Residents can choose from the following:

Adult Fishing Licence Whole Season (for adults aged 18 and over on 1 October. Offers greatest versatility to most anglers. Fish the full season. Revenue from the Non-Resident Licence contributes to the management of New Zealand's freshwater angling experiences and sports fish habitats.)

Junior Fishing Licence Whole Season (for juniors between the age of 12 and 17 on  1 October. Offers greatest versatility to most anglers. Fish the full season. Revenue from the Non-Resident Licence contributes to the management of New Zealand's freshwater angling experiences and sports fish habitats)

Child Fishing Licence Whole Season (for children aged 11 and under on 1 October. Offers greatest versatility to most anglers. Fish the full season. Revenue from the Non-Resident Licence contributes to the management of New Zealand's freshwater angling experiences and sports fish habitats.)

Please note: Fishing in New Zealand on the wrong licence is equivalent to the offence of fishing with no licence.

 

Clean gear certificates can be obtained through the Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre or through Fiordland Outdoors Co.

see: https://fishandgame.org.nz/environment/protecting-nz-fish-and-waterways/didymo/

Guides:

Fiordland Fishing Guide: Chris Reygaert Phone: +61 493 762 871 Web: https://www.fiordlandfishingguide.co.nz/

Dean Bell Guided Fly Fishing Phone: 027 538 8897 Web: https://www.deanbellflyfishing.co.nz/

Fishjet NZ Phone: 0210 676 448 Web: https://www.fishjetnz.com/

Be Safe

 

Plan and prepare your trip.

 

 

Tell someone where you are going and when you will be back.

 

 

Take the appropriate gear.

 

 

We have some big remote country here, and the weather can change rapidly. 

 

 

Personal locator beacons are available from; Caltex, Te Anau – 03 249 7140

 

 

We have good maps and equipment in the shop, the same stuff we use when we go fishing, so it's proven in Fiordland. If you need advice just stop in and ask, we are more than happy to help.

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