Kahawai
Year-round on every coast; most fishing trips happen in summer
Kahawai (Arripis trutta) live right around New Zealand in coastal seas, harbours and estuaries, and run into the brackish lower reaches of rivers. A schooling fish that takes bait readily and eats mostly small fish and krill; MPI notes a second species, the Kermadec kahawai, which turns up seasonally around Northland. The Plenary records kahawai as an important customary food fish for Māori.
Activity by month: J5 F3 M3 A3 M2 J2 J2 A2 S2 O4 N3 D5 (1 slow, 5 peak)
- Hot water
- Look for fish pushing bait to the surface early and late, and cast small metal lures or soft baits at the edge of the school rather than through it.
- Warm water
- Watch for birds working over the water and cast to the edge of the workup, or troll a small lure along it; from the shore, fish river mouths and harbour entrances on the outgoing tide.
- Cool water
- Schools are harder to find, so go to them: river mouths and harbour channels at the turn of the tide, with a strip of fresh bait under a float or a soft bait retrieved slowly.
- Cold water
- Sluggish fish in cold water. A bait on the bottom beside a river mouth or channel, left out through the tide change, is the simplest approach.
Where we cover it: Auckland, Orewa, Cornwallis, Muriwai Beach, Maraetai, Onehunga, Kawakawa Bay, Takapuna, Point Chevalier, Manukau Harbour, Shelly Beach, Bucklands Beach and 100 more.
Red gurnard
Year-round; spawning through spring and summer, peaking in early summer
Kumukumu in te reo Māori. Red gurnard live across harbours and shallow coastal waters, which the Plenary says makes them an important recreational species, often caught by people fishing for snapper and tarakihi. They spawn through spring and summer, and small juveniles shelter in shallow harbours.
Activity by month: J5 F3 M3 A3 M2 J2 J2 A2 S2 O4 N3 D4 (1 slow, 5 peak)
- Hot water
- Drift the sand and mud outside harbour entrances early in the day, with baits kept right on the bottom.
- Warm water
- Drift open sand and mud with a flasher rig or ledger baited with squid or pilchard, keeping the sinker tapping the seabed.
- Cool water
- Fish slower as the water cools: an anchored ledger rig in harbour channels or on the sand off the beaches, with fresh bait.
- Cold water
- Bites come in short bursts on cold days, so anchor rather than drift and give each bait time on the bottom.
Where we cover it: Auckland, Orewa, Cornwallis, Muriwai Beach, Maraetai, Onehunga, Kawakawa Bay, Takapuna, Point Chevalier, Manukau Harbour, Shelly Beach, Bucklands Beach and 87 more.
Snapper
Year-round; spawning schools gather in November and December, and winter fish sit deeper
Tāmure or kouarea in te reo Māori. MPI describes snapper as the dominant fish of northern inshore waters, most common where the sea is warmer and especially in the Hauraki Gulf, at home on reef as well as sand and mud, usually between 15 and 60 metres. The Fisheries Assessment Plenary calls it the largest recreational fishery in New Zealand.
Activity by month: J5 F3 M3 A3 M2 J2 J2 A2 S2 O4 N4 D5 (1 slow, 5 peak)
- Hot water
- Water this warm is unusual on any New Zealand coast: fish first light and dusk in the shallows, then drop to the deeper reef edges once the sun is high.
- Warm water
- After spawning the schools break up and many move inshore to feed. Work the foul edges, channel lips and sand beside reef with lightly weighted baits or soft baits drifted down a berley trail while the tide is running.
- Cool water
- In spring the schools bunch up before moving onto their spawning grounds; in autumn and winter they spread into deeper, more open water. Either way, fish the 15 to 60 metre marks with baits on the bottom and time the session around the tide change.
- Cold water
- Cold water for snapper, whose growth all but stops between June and September: slow, deep and patient through the warmest part of the day.
Where we cover it: Auckland, Orewa, Cornwallis, Muriwai Beach, Maraetai, Onehunga, Kawakawa Bay, Takapuna, Point Chevalier, Manukau Harbour, Shelly Beach, Bucklands Beach and 84 more.
Tarakihi
Year-round on deeper reef; spawning in summer and autumn
Tarakihi are mostly taken on lines, often by people fishing for snapper or blue cod (Plenary). Juveniles grow up in shallow inshore nurseries such as Tasman Bay, the Kaikōura coast, northern Pegasus Bay, the Canterbury Bight and Otago, then move out to 50 to 200 metres at about 25 cm. The minimum fork length is 25 cm in every area.
Activity by month: J5 F3 M3 A3 M2 J2 J2 A2 S2 O4 N3 D4 (1 slow, 5 peak)
- Hot water
- Unusual water over tarakihi grounds: fish deep, 50 metres or more, with small hooks and small baits.
- Warm water
- Hold the boat over deeper reef and foul ground and fish a two-hook ledger with small baits of squid or shellfish.
- Cool water
- Anchor or hold over the deeper reef edges with small baits close to the bottom, and move when a mark goes quiet.
- Cold water
- Pick calm days for the deeper grounds; small baits, fished slowly near the bottom.
Where we cover it: Auckland, Orewa, Maraetai, Kawakawa Bay, Takapuna, Point Chevalier, Bucklands Beach, Mission Bay, Devonport, Whangaparāoa, Eastern Beach, Murrays Bay and 78 more.
Kingfish
Year-round in the north, with most trips in summer; MPI sets a 75 cm minimum length
Haku or kahu in te reo Māori. MPI says kingfish are most common in the northern half of the North Island but range from the Kermadec Islands to Foveaux Strait, around reefs, pinnacles and rocky outcrops with strong current or tidal flow. Adults grow past 1.5 metres, and MPI puts the average recreational fish at about 10 kg. The Plenary notes that a high share of the recreational catch is released.
Activity by month: J5 F3 M3 A3 M2 J2 J2 A2 S2 O4 N3 D4 (1 slow, 5 peak)
- Hot water
- Fish the first hours at the pinnacles and current lines with live bait or jigs, and get any fish you plan to release back in the water fast.
- Warm water
- Summer is when most kingfish trips happen. Slow-troll or drift a live bait near reef edges, channel markers and pinnacles where the tide pushes hardest, or drop knife jigs onto deeper structure. Heavy tackle and a firm drag keep fish out of the reef.
- Cool water
- Fewer people chase kingfish in the cooler months. Deep pinnacles and offshore reef are where to look, with jigs or live bait worked through the tide change.
- Cold water
- A cold-water day for kingfish: deep structure, jigs or live bait, and a calm sea to fish them on.
Where we cover it: Auckland, Orewa, Cornwallis, Muriwai Beach, Maraetai, Onehunga, Kawakawa Bay, Takapuna, Point Chevalier, Manukau Harbour, Shelly Beach, Bucklands Beach and 70 more.
Trevally
Year-round, mainly in the north; surface schools show in calm, settled weather
Araara in te reo Māori. Trevally feed both at the surface and on the bottom: schools appear on top, in midwater and over the seabed, often around reef and rough ground and sometimes mixed with kōheru and kahawai. Young fish live in estuaries and harbours. The Plenary notes that surface schools come with settled weather rather than at a set time of year, and that trevally can live beyond 40 years.
Activity by month: J5 F3 M3 A3 M2 J2 J2 A2 S2 O4 N3 D4 (1 slow, 5 peak)
- Hot water
- On flat-calm mornings scan for surface schools feeding on plankton and cast small soft baits ahead of them.
- Warm water
- Settled weather brings fish to the surface; when it does not, anchor over foul ground, berley and fish small baits near the bottom, where trevally feed on a range of small invertebrates.
- Cool water
- Bottom feeding is the likeliest bite: harbour channels and reef edges, small baits in a steady berley trail, through the tide change.
- Cold water
- Slow going. Small baits on the bottom of the deeper harbour channels on the calmest days.
Where we cover it: Auckland, Orewa, Cornwallis, Muriwai Beach, Maraetai, Onehunga, Kawakawa Bay, Takapuna, Point Chevalier, Manukau Harbour, Shelly Beach, Bucklands Beach and 70 more.
Flounder
Year-round in harbours and estuaries; young adults move offshore to spawn in winter and spring
Pātiki in te reo Māori. Four flounder species make up most of the recreational flatfish catch, taken in harbours, estuaries, coastal lakes and inlets around the country (Plenary). Most are netted or speared from the shore rather than caught on a line. Flatfish stay in water shallower than about 50 metres, and juveniles grow up on sheltered mud and sand flats.
Activity by month: J5 F4 M3 A3 M2 J2 J1 A1 S1 O4 N3 D5 (1 slow, 5 peak)
- Hot water
- Wade the shallow flats at night on the flooding tide with a lamp and a spear, or fish small hooks along the channel edges.
- Warm water
- Work the sand and mud flats as the tide floods: spear by lamplight, or fish small hooks with worm or shellfish along the channel edges. Set-net rules differ by area, so check MPI before setting one.
- Cool water
- Fish the deeper harbour channels at low water and the flats as the tide comes back in.
- Cold water
- Fewer flounder in the cold months, when some move offshore to spawn; fish the channels around low tide.
Where we cover it: Auckland, Orewa, Cornwallis, Muriwai Beach, Maraetai, Onehunga, Kawakawa Bay, Takapuna, Point Chevalier, Manukau Harbour, Shelly Beach, Bucklands Beach and 70 more.
John Dory
Year-round in the north; occasional winter feeding schools in the Hauraki Gulf
Kuparu in te reo Māori. John Dory are common inshore in northern New Zealand and, less so, in Tasman Bay, down to about 50 metres; very few are found south of Hawke's Bay on the east coast. The Plenary reports that Hauraki Gulf adults move into deeper water in summer, gather now and then to feed in winter, and spawn between December and April off the north-east coast.
Activity by month: J5 F3 M3 A3 M2 J3 J3 A3 S2 O4 N3 D4 (1 slow, 5 peak)
- Hot water
- Fish deeper water in the heat; in the Gulf the adults move deeper through summer.
- Warm water
- Most John Dory are caught on rod and reel. Fish near structure in deeper water with a slow, natural presentation.
- Cool water
- Winter is when the Hauraki Gulf sees its occasional feeding schools: fish slowly around reef edges and channel structure.
- Cold water
- Little dory fishing in cold water; slow presentations close to structure on calm days.
Where we cover it: Auckland, Orewa, Maraetai, Kawakawa Bay, Takapuna, Point Chevalier, Bucklands Beach, Mission Bay, Devonport, Whangaparāoa, Eastern Beach, Murrays Bay and 42 more.
Blue cod
Year-round; spawning in late winter and spring
Rāwaru or pākirikiri in te reo Māori. A bottom fish found only in New Zealand, living near rough ground to 150 metres and more common south of Cook Strait. The Plenary rates it the most important recreational finfish in Marlborough, Canterbury, Otago and Southland. Blue cod can change sex from female to male, and males grow larger.
Activity by month: J5 F3 M3 A3 M2 J2 J1 A2 S2 O4 N3 D5 (1 slow, 5 peak)
Closed seasons: Marlborough, blue cod closed, marlborough sounds: Blue cod may not be taken or possessed in the Marlborough Sounds area from 1 September to 10 January inclusive; the rest of the year the limit is 2 a day, 33 cm · Canterbury, lyttelton harbour/whakaraupō mātaitai: no blue cod: closed, no reopening date published. Each state hub lists the rule, its source and the dates for this year.
- Hot water
- Warm water for blue cod: fish the deeper foul ground in the early morning and evening.
- Warm water
- Drop baits onto foul ground and rock edges and move if the first fish are small. Blue cod have no swim bladder, so undersized fish released quickly from a large hook (6/0, says the Plenary) survive well.
- Cool water
- The spawning season runs through late winter and spring: fish reef and gravel patches with cut bait on a large hook.
- Cold water
- On cold southern days, anchor up-tide of rough ground and keep baits on the bottom through the tide.
Where we cover it: Christchurch, Lyttelton, Kaikōura, Sumner, Timaru, Akaroa, New Brighton, Kaiapoi, Gisborne, Napier, Māhia, Pourērere and 27 more.
Sea perch
Year-round on reef and foul ground
Pōhuiakaroa in te reo Māori. The Plenary says sea perch are seldom targeted but widely caught, almost all on rod and reel from boats, and are now more often kept as an eating fish. The 2022–23 national survey placed most of the recreational harvest off the east coast of the South Island. The inshore species lives on or near the seafloor, mostly shallower than 250 metres.
Activity by month: J5 F3 M3 A3 M2 J2 J2 A1 S2 O4 N3 D5 (1 slow, 5 peak)
- Hot water
- Sea perch stay on the bottom in any season: small baits on deeper reef in the heat.
- Warm water
- Fish small cut baits on a ledger right on the reef, and move on if the fish are undersized.
- Cool water
- Drop to the bottom over reef and foul ground with cut bait, holding position over the rough patches.
- Cold water
- In cold water, fish slowly over reef with baits held still on the bottom.
Where we cover it: Christchurch, Lyttelton, Kaikōura, Sumner, Timaru, Akaroa, New Brighton, Kaiapoi, Picton, Wairau Bar, Havelock, Dunedin and 6 more.
Red cod
About November to June on the Canterbury coast; the schools leave for deeper water over winter
Hoka in te reo Māori. A fast-growing, short-lived species. The Plenary says feeding schools arrive in the Canterbury Bight and around Banks Peninsula around November and are gone by about June, and that recruitment swings widely, so catches change a lot from year to year. The 2022–23 national survey estimated a recreational harvest of about a tenth of the 2017–18 figure.
Activity by month: J5 F3 M3 A3 M2 J2 J1 A1 S1 O1 N3 D5 (1 slow, 5 peak)
- Hot water
- Red cod rarely meet water this warm; fish late in the day over the deeper ground.
- Warm water
- Summer feeding schools: fish baits on the bottom from wharves, rocks and boats close to the coast, through the tide change.
- Cool water
- Late autumn is the tail of the run and late spring its start; between them the schools are offshore.
- Cold water
- Mid-winter: the inshore schools have moved deeper, and red cod near shore are scarce until about November.
Where we cover it: Christchurch, Lyttelton, Kaikōura, Sumner, Timaru, Akaroa, New Brighton, Kaiapoi, Dunedin, Oamaru, Westport, Greymouth and 1 more.