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Two essentials for autumn fly fishing in the central North Island. Cleardrift egg patterns are producing right now at the Tongariro Delta, and breathable waders will keep you comfortable as temperatures drop.

Boaties share their love of fishing and why it’s so important to ‘protect our paradise’. By keeping hulls, anchors, chains and gear clean, we can all do our bit to stop the spread of invasive pests.

Brendan Lockhead never grew up around boats. Then an impulse buy at 30 changed everything. Now he's chasing snapper in the Hauraki Gulf and says NZ fishing is hard to beat.

New ban on gathering shellfish, seaweed and rockpool life now in force on Hauraki Gulf coast north of Auckland. Fines up to $100,000. Check the rules.

Woolly buggers and low-light polarised glasses - Find the promo-code at the bottom of the report.

Auckland boatie David Yeong shares his love of fishing and why NZ's incredible waters are worth protecting.

Fishing rules change often, make sure you know what the current rules are wherever you’re fishing by downloading the NZ Fishing Rules app.

Duncan's curated 100 Fly Selection - 57 nymphs and 43 dry flies chosen for NZ conditions. Perfect timing as dry fly season builds on the Taupo fishery. Promo Code in post

Hauraki Gulf fisheries closure: 2-year ban on seaweed and invertebrate harvesting begins March 2026 across Ōmaha Bay, Kawau Bay, and Whangaparāoa Peninsula.

An amateur fishing charter company that illegally caught crayfish for customers and served it as a meal has been fined $60,000.

Taupō trout fishery sees 4x spike in violations. DOC Rangers issue warning as 40 offences detected, with $400 fines for unlicensed fishing and rule-breaking.

Major changes to NZ's environmental laws could affect fishing access, water quality and coastal areas. Submissions close 13 Feb 2026. Make your voice heard.

Two-year fishing closure off Port Napier aims to restore taonga species and grow a thriving reef ecosystem through community-led conservation.

NZ Government announces major Fisheries Act reforms to boost sustainable growth, improve decision-making, and protect fishers’ privacy.

Purpose-built for serious fishers and offshore adventurers, the Pacific 62 offers true long-range capability, comfort, and control - without compromise.

New biosecurity rules are in place at Hauturu o Toi Little Barrier Island, making it illegal to anchor anywhere around the island.

Discover how matching rod action to your lure and target species can dramatically improve your results—this short intro from Fishing Coach Pro sets the stage for smarter, more effective lure fishing.

A very popular and effective way to catch snapper for many people—especially novice and young anglers. Check out this quick and easy way to improve it, adding a new dimension—who knows where it might lead.

No more chipped rod guides from smacking the swivel yet again! With a small shift, they can still be used to do what they do best. Check this pearl out: To Swivel, or Knot?

Test your dive skills with our two minute test.

The government’s Fisheries Reform 2025 may impact your success as a recreational fisher—have your say before it's too late!

Rod grip is step one and lays the foundation for consistent, productive mechanical jigging.

Here’s a quick free tutorial for you on this important but often overlooked key aspect - get the best from your gear and catch the fish:

NZ Boat Register's NFC Boat ID Tags provide a simple, secure way to identify lost or stolen watercraft without exposing personal details.

Review for jig and soft bait holder from Anchorman

Learn how and where to catch even better fish than ever before from the experts, change your fishing future forever, now! Boat Kayak or PWCs

This could be the winning ticket in so many scenarios, have you tried this? Add a new secret-weapon approach to your fishing armoury for land-based/kayak/ski and boat, worth a quick look.

From the print archives: After a great trip soft baiting on a perfect day at the Graveyard on the Kaipara Harbour, we decided to come back and give it an even better crack.

Trevally are one of the hardest fighting sport fish New Zealand has to offer yet they are surprisingly under-rated by many fishos. It may sound mad to many, but a lot of fishermen still see trevally as nothing more than fresh bait.

Fishery officers will be inspecting catch bags and bins all weekend as the blue cod season opens throughout the Marlborough region.

Fishery officers were called in by Hawkes Bay police yesterday after they stopped a car with a big haul of pāua inside.

Dickey Boats launches the Pacific 62, an equation-changing vessel designed for sportfishers and passage-makers, offering exceptional blue-water capability, versatility, and performance for extended offshore adventures.

Simple tip to keep your phone or camera secure on board

Fisheries New Zealand is seeking your ideas and feedback on proposed changes to the blue cod (rāwaru) seasonal closure in the Marlborough Sounds (Te Tauihu-o-te-waka) to reduce fishing pressure.

Explore innovative techniques for soft bait fishing and take advantage of quieter weather to refine your skills, as suggested by the latest updates and fishing conditions in the Hauraki Gulf.

Any day now the snapper work up season will be upon us. What condition is you line in?

New Zealand Food Safety has some fast facts to share about toxic shellfish poisoning and how to keep yourself, your whanau and friends safe.

Most fishos only need to know five knots. Here's what we reckon they are...

Surfcasting is an effective and cheap method of fishing that the whole family can enjoy. The beauty is you don’t need a lot of gear to succeed.

Five of Westland’s special protected areas celebrate their 10th anniversary this month.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) appreciates the help of the Kawau community in successfully freeing a juvenile pygmy blue whale that had wedged itself underneath a private wharf on Kawau Island on Monday, and is asking the public for sightings of the whale, approximately 14-15 meters in length - Image credit DOC

Straylining and dropper (ledger) rigs are usually the first methods that people try as they’re easy, relatively cheap and can deliver good results

An Auckland poacher who sold or attempted to sell fish he caught illegally 35 times, has been fined $15,000.

A rare basking shark found at Gillespies Beach has been removed from the beach by DOC for preservation and further study at Auckland War Memorial Museum.

DOC is urging whitebaiters to have fun down at the river, follow the rules, and keep themselves and freshwater habitats safe as the whitebaiting season kicks off.

Kingfish are regarded by many as the Holy Grail of New Zealand sport fish with good reason – they’re stunning, hard-fighting creatures that test the angler and tackle to the extreme.

Fish trading company fined $360,000, employee jailed for 3 years 7 months.

The NZ Fishing World and Angler's Planet team is delighted to have been awarded Best Fishing Website Design by DesignRush

Application for a mātaitai reserve surrounding Moutohorā Island (Whale Island) and the Rurima Island Group, Bay of Plenty

The enigmatic gurnard is never going to win any awards for its fighting skills but when it comes to putting it on to the plate, there’s not many fish that can match it for taste.

Whitebait species inanga/atutahi in the Whanganui River have more space to spawn thanks to restoration at Te Ao Hou marae and neighbouring properties in Aramoho.

The humble kahawai is finally being recognised for the valuable sport fish which it is, and on a trout fly rod it becomes even more exciting. A fly rod will usually outfish traditional spinning tackle every time, and this method of fishing can be applied all around the country where kahawai move into river mouths. But more can be done to protect these wonderful fish.

Jason Dickey's updates the community on the decision process and reasoning for the drivetrain options being fitted to the ultra-long-range Pacific 62 sport-fisher.

In this update we report on the first meeting of the Exotic Caulerpa National Advisory Group; flag time extensions to Controlled Area Notices; and outline the actions in response to a new detection in Omaha Cove/Leigh Harbour.

Grant 'Espresso' Bittle invites the fishing community to provide feedback on his proposed fishing coaching seminar initiative.

Manukau Harbour guru John Moran shares some of his hottest spots on his favourite piece of water.

The cold winter nights bring out a special type of fly fisherman on the Rotorua lakes, one who is dedicated to casting long lines while wading in knee deep water, often shoulder to shoulder with similar keen types – all hoping to feel the tug in the dark that signals a fat, thick bodied rainbow trout.

New product news once again coming out of the Fishbites® Manufacturing Campus in St. Augustine, Florida.

finScribe is a fishing logbook app. Not simply a memory aid and a way to feel the reward of past catches all over again, finScribe has the potential to turn its users into better anglers.

The shredded rubber, vinyl and other material that makes up most of our trolling lure skirts is pretty flimsy and apt to get damaged, torn or simply chopped clean off by our finny friends. Happily though, replacing them is not that difficult.

Fisheries New Zealand invites written submissions in response to the request from anyone who has an interest in the species concerned or in the effects of fishing in the area concerned.

Graeme Paterson is always seeking new fishing experiences and to find out more about the sport. Here he combines two popular methods of targeting kingfish, and got the result he was after.

In this update we look at progress in the Exotic Caulerpa Accelerated Programme and advise on two new locations of exotic caulerpa in the Hauraki Gulf.

The recreational pāua fishery along the Kaikōura coast opens today for a limited 2-month season.

We look back at the arrival of inchiku jigs in New Zealand, and offer a few reasons why you might want to revisit this super reliable technique - plus how-to set up an inchiku out of the packet.

While jigging on the lakes for large rainbows may not appeal to the died-in-the-wool flyfishermen, in the hands of an expert the jigging outfit produces more hookups than any other style of trout fishing.

Famous for its gamefishing history, the Bay of Islands can offer some of best snapper fishing action you'll experience. But there are some tricks to finding the fish and figuring which bait to use to nail the big ones.

When it comes to catching kingfish live bait is undoubtedly the best way to get the biggest fish. Al McGlashan lets us in on a few tricks of the trade to connect you to a big king.

After a memorable summer when the Manukau produced the best fishing in recent memory expectations were high for the coming winter. After a slow start the winter fishing has kicked in, but the gurnard have proved contrary in their taste for baits.

Marlborough writer Tony Orman highlights two summer windfalls of terrestrials that can drive trout to dogged, selective feeding and anglers to despair.

Slow-pitch jigging: If you haven’t tried it, you should; you'll almost certainly will catch fish. Here's how to do it!

The immaculately maintained Dickey Semifly 32 'Dida' is for sale. Supporting our mates at Dickey Boats, we thought we'd let the NZFW community know.

From hook-up to the yak, this was a typically tough battling kingi. Enjoy the video

Some great information, hints and tips from Luke at Yeehaa Fishing if you want to target the great yellowfin tuna run this season.

A 4WD adventure down the remote coast from Dargaville to the Kaipara Harbour entrance showed how good the beach fishing can be when fishermen are prepared to get off the beaten track. But a few tricks can make all the difference when it comes to hooking snapper in the surf.

Free dive eduction platform with gamified quiz and certification for all New Zealand divers.

Stuff you should know about tuna species caught in New Zealand

Make Summer last longer with a Suzuki DF90ATX outboard Fully Fitted for just $15,999!

What does it look like when a mako chases your jighead underwater? This short video from my kayak is a good example.

Are you interested in or keen to host lure fishing workshops?

Multiple kingis chasing our live mullet with eventual hookup and landing on camera.

A serious-sized double of gurnard from my kayak tops off a good day. Yep, those are big carrots!

Keeping bait, food and drinks cold on the boat or in the camp-ground can be a headache but a smart approach with the chilly bin and ice will help and when it comes to turning the catch into freshly smoked dinner there is an answer for that also.

What it looks like when a crayfish is having a crack at your bait. Both from underwater and the rod on the boat...

Heading back to work? Keep Dickey Boats in mind. 2024 is looking huge and we've a number of vital team roles on offer.

Simrad Yachting Introduces the World’s First Fully-Featured Ultrawide Marine Display with the New NSX® ULTRAWIDE

Originally from the Auckland Fish Market Seafood School, this innovative tuna recipe may get you to think more ambitiously about the top blue-water catch.

The adventurous fly fisherman prepared to put on a backpack and hiking boots and head into the hills can find some of the best trout fishing in the country, and there are plenty of opportunities to hunt out hidden places which offer special experiences. But there are some pitfalls and careful preparation and thought should be invested before setting out.

A user review of Tasline Elite Braid, a top choice for anglers seeking more line capacity and reliability for catching a wide range of fish, from kingfish, to hapuka and marlin.

Alert include bivalve shellfish such as mussels, oysters, tuatua, pipi, toheroa, cockles, and scallops, as well as pūpū (cat’s eyes), Cook’s turban and kina (sea urchin)

We are all familiar with the application of braid line for deep water fishing and for casting soft baits and jigs. But this unique line has the potential to revolutionise our approach in many more areas, from live baiting for kingfish to straylining for snapper.

"When he reached the Waitui Bay area, he removed the GPR equipment, placed it in waterproof bags, attaching them to fishing buoys, tied to a rope and anchor. There is no record of where he went to from that point."

There is a lot of blue water out there and one of the best ways of covering the ground is by trolling lures. But there are still a few tricks to getting the bites.

Does light leader catch more fish? Catch Fishing thinks it does. Here's a few reason why Espresso thinks they are right...

Some information from Biosecurity New Zealand on how you can protect the coastal waters we all love from the invasive seaweed exotic caulerpa

A cold morning produced some very nice fish ! With the clean water that often is present near Waimarama, Gurnard push in very close at times, requiring not much of paddle to secure dinner.

A video blog with Jason Dickey of Dickey Boats discussing aspects vessel stabilisation and how it works. Plus options for dynamic stabilisation, how and why they choose a specific system for the new long-range Pacific 62

For those tired of snags when softbaiting, especially in kelpy, weedy areas, the solution is a weedless rig. The Catch LIVIES, for example, have a design feature that helps them glide through such terrain, minimizing snags. The narrow top-slot on the Livies is specifically moulded for this rig, ideal for land-based fishing or in snag-prone areas.

More of a simple epic day out in the kayak near Kapiti Island. And that is a seriously good blue moki.

Part one of a great session on the kayak near Kapiti Island. Plenty of snapper on the chew.