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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.

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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...

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.

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.

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.

New Zealand’s largest exhibition organiser, XPO Exhibitions is grabbing the helm and promising a truly revitalised and reinvigorated Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show, 16 - 19 May 2024 at the Auckland Showgrounds

From the Auckland Fish Market Seafood School this recipe is an interesting and delicious twist on pan-fried snapper.

Bluefin tuna spotted feeding off a Wellington wharf is hooked by land-based angling mates - video sent by Fletcher Tornquist via contributor Jason Grimmett.

Meet the Kai Ika Project - A collaborative effort by the Outboard Boating Club of Auckland, Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae, LegaSea, and the NZ Sport Fishing Council, redistributing previously wasted fish parts to appreciative communities, with a recent expansion to Wellington led by Chris Jupp.

Many anglers believe that switch baiting is a technique that is restricted to big game boats, yet as Alistair McGlashan explains with a bit of flexibility it can be just as effective from a trailer boat.

Espresso highlights the Catch Curly Tails as a versatile softbait, emphasising its unique design that attracts fish, ensures a secure fit on the jig head, and comes in various colors and textures to suit different fishing conditions.

Have you ever wondered what's actually below your boats? This is a question I've always wondered. So I decided to drop a camera down and see what fish were down there.

New Zealand Food Safety is advising the public not to collect or consume shellfish gathered from Hawke Bay due to the presence of toxins.

The soft bait revolution changed inshore fishing forever, and as it is still an experience most fishermen apply an individual approach. For one Auckland fisherman it opened up a whole new world.

When fishing for kingfish from the rocks or in the boat, fresh live baits are always welcomed as the best offering for the kings. But the kahawai, piper or mackerel that are favoured do not always play ball and can prove frustrating to catch. There are some tricks that will help put the livie on the end of your kingfish tackle.

Join Catch Fishing for bait-free lure fishing seminars at the Mercury Bay Gamefishing Club and discover the game-changing benefits of using a light leader, enhancing your chances of a successful catch.

Live piper is not commonly associated with catching snapper. But as Geoff Thomas recently found out, they are dynamite and worked a treat when taking a familiar Kiwi face out for a bit of fun.

New Zealand Food Safety is advising the public not to collect or consume shellfish gathered from near Tolaga Bay due to the presence of toxins.

A group of recreational fishers caught with a total of 348 fish, including more than 9 times their collective daily limit for snapper, has been fined $10,500.

Environment court ruling updates no-take/no fishing regulations in Deep Water Cove to Oke Bay, and Mimiwhangata plus trawling and seining bans around Cape Brett

A update from Spearfishing New Zealand, including results from the World Championships in Spain plus upcoming local events.

New Zealand Food Safety has issued a public health warning against collecting shellfish along the Raglan coastline.

GNS Science and Massey University are conducting a study to understand your needs as a watercraft user or sea-goer regarding marine tsunami warnings and advisories in Aotearoa New Zealand

Once again on this episode of The Lateral Line, this is a strictly land-based fishing mission. Watch as the boys tackle New Zealand's toughest fishing month – August. This trip has them hopping from one land-based spot to another by boat, guided by Gene from Strictly Land-Based Fishing who's determined to hook them into some epic fishing encounters.

Effective Monday the 4th of September, MPI has reduced the daily pāua limit to five for the lower and central North Island.

A press release from the Beehive outlining plans to ban bottom trawling from the Hauraki Gulf plus notification of the coming public submissions process.

Here we go... the boys take land-based fishing to new heights - with a helicopter!

For generations the influence of the moon on our fishing success has been debated. Yet as with most things fishing, anecdote can be difficult to discern from evidence. Can the moon's lunar phase truly impact the bite?

If you are interested in going fishing again, even from the shore, here's a few of my top tips for getting your surf cast game on. I'm also selling a few of my GPS and spot marks if you want to take up the offer.

Welcome back to The Lateral Line! In our last epic fishing mission in the stunning landscapes of New Zealand, the boys and girls had a ton of fun soaking up the beautiful scenery, and eating like kings & queens whilst creating some awesome memories. Here's part 2 of that adventure...