Hi Everyone-
I am a college student sutdying for the semester in Christchurch, New Zealand. REALLY excited for all the fishing and would love to hear any advice or suggestions you have on anything related.
Hey Rcream,I am based in Auckland and I have to say that all of the cities you cite have some great fishing in the general area.
Auckland has some great streams in the Waikato and King country area as well as some fantastic lake fishing in the Waikato and Rotorua areas but if you look at a map Hamilton is even closer to all these areas. If you are solely basing your choice on the fishing then Hamilton has it all, but if you want a great City for night life, shopping and culture then you would be better off in Auckland.
Wellington has some fantastic fishing in the district but a fair bit of it is hard to access or requires a bit of a walk in. The Hut river flows right through Lower Hut and into the Wellington harbour ( this is within a 10 to 15 minute drive of central Wellington) and can produce a few fish if you can put up with the dog walkers and the road noise.
Christchurch has Salmon fishing as well as some great trout fishing, the salmon run in the summer and are mostly fished for with spinners. The trout fishing can be a bit of a drive, and more and more of the water down there is being locked out by Guides buying “exclusive access” from the land owners. However there is some great fishing and even some small alpine lakes. The Hurunui river springs to mind as a great place to fish at any time of year, it has easy access and is a classic New Zealand river with some great trout and even the odd salmon.
Dunedin University has a good reputation as a great place to study but it is a very small city and the winters are harsh.
The fishing in the summer can be fantastic and it is the closest city to the Queenstown Lakes area with some great wilderness fishing on crystal clear streams to some huge trout.
If you time it right and are staying in N.Z. during the summer recess I would sugest you buy and old car and do a tour as there is good trout fishing in every area of N.Z.
If you are going to be in Auckland, let me know and I am sure we will be able to get a day or 2 on the water, iether in the Waikato or the Taupo area.
All the best.
Mike.
Hi RC,
I work at The University of Auckland, and have a lot of colleagues at Otago University. Of the universities in New Zealand, these two are the most well known and respected world wide. Since you would be doing some studing as well, I would suggest you consider those your two options for a “base of operations”.
No matter where you go, you will need a car. From Auckland you would require no more than 2.5 - 3.5 hours easy driving to a lot of fantastic fishing; and there is a lot much closer than that! Just remember that NZ drives on the left hand side of the road!
Anyway, if you’re only comming for one year, and you want to fish while you study, I would recommend Auckland simply because the winters here are mild. I moved here rom Nova Scotia almost 10 years ago and I sort of feel like I’ve been continually going Spring, Summer, Fall, and giving Winter a miss to move right back to Spring again! The South Island gets real winters, with snow and frost and such. That means much of your time here would be less pleasant fishing-wise.
- Jeff
Jeff, Could not agree more! plus the south island has less water open to fish in the winter season.
thanks for the info guys, sounds pretty smart to me. So you would say a car is an absoulte necessity? Is there any public transportation? If you could choose any of those places to fish for two months in the summer, which would it be?
Hi RCream,
There is public transport between towns and such, but without a car you will miss out on a lot of really good spots. You could just rent one, or buy a cheep one then sell it before you left.
Rotorua Lakes fish really well in the summer, and there are some great rivers in that area as well. Taupo region is a world famous fishery, also in the North Island. Both would put you in an area where you could target trophy (10+ lbs) fish if that is what you are looking for. There are also great smaller rivers as well.
The South Island has some fantastic views, and great rivers and lakes, but I’ve not fished there very much myself so I can’t give an informed opinion on which one to go to for just a summer.
However, you couldn’t really go wrong with either choice.
- Jeff
Hi, you may also want to take into account that the majority of the fishing in the south island is for brown trout but the majority of the fishing in the north is for both rainbows and browns.
Jeff is quite right you will need some transport, I would buy an old car or motorbike and sell it when you leave. The public transport in N.Z. is not great and mostly sticks to the main towns.
Do you mostly fish streams or lakes, or are you happy to fish both? In the summer a fair bit of the lake fishing is at the cooler stream mouths and can get a bit crowded.
If you prefer to fish streams you should find some great water without the crowds.
Once again if you decide on Auckland Uni I would be happy to take you for a fish and point you in the right direction with regards to streams and areas to fish.
You should not need to bring too much gear, I would recomend a 6 wgt and perhaps an 8 wgt if fishing in taupo or rotorua.
All the best.
Mike
hi guys,
of course i am happy to fish anywhere, but i do have a strong preference for rivers over lakes. Mike i will definately take you up on your offer to fish if i end up in Auckland, thanks. I had been thinking of a 5wt, do you think that will be enough if i’m mostly fishing rivers? i read it can be pretty windy sometimes.
Hi RCream,
A 5wgt will be plenty. I use a 9’ 5wgt most of the time, though I recently bought a 7’6" 3wgt for some of the smaller streams. There are a few very big rivers that are best fished with 8 or 9 wgts. A 5 or 6 wgt rod is the best “all rounder” though, and a lot of the fishing is suited best to a 5 or 6 wgt.
As for the lake or rivers? There are a really good rivers and lakes in both islands. Rotorua Lakes area has a number of good rivers as well as a number of good lakes (that fish best in our summer). A bit further on from Rotorua there are some fantastic rivers (such as the Rangitaiki) and a bit closer there are some others (Ohinemuri and the Waihou Stream are two that I like).
There’s a small stream about 40 minutes from where I live (Central Auckland), the Wairoa, which has trout in it. It’s a pretty river, but is very often very discoloured. However, I’ve caught a number of fish there in the 1 lbs range. These are all wild fish, and not large (2 lbs would be a monster from this river I think), but it’s nice to have a fishery so close at hand.
Basically, there’s no lack for choice in NZ! And with relatively easy drives, you can be into some amazing locations.
- Jeff
:lol: New Zealand would be a good choice and I do agree that if you use a vehicle it would be good to travel and fish as much of this country as you can. I am from the Wairarapa which is an hour from Wellington and can assure you that in the lower north island there is excellant fishing to be had. If in Wellington the Hutt River would be your main river and is within 20mins from the city or 10mins in the hutt valley. An hour over the hill you then have not less than a dozen fishing rivers with all types of fishing covered, stalking, blind in larger water and some very good small streams fishing indeed. The South Island has some great fishing and should you decide to go down there you won’t be disappointed particularly if you choose Dunedin as mentioned the winters are cooler and yes winter fishing seems to be very restricted. I have had the pleasure of fishing the Southland area as my daughters live there and my word it is indeed good fishing, mainly browns. Should you decide the Wellington region I too put out the invitation for you to contact us and I would only be too happy to take you out for some local fishing. In fact most Kiwis would be happy to show you around. As for climate that depends on how thick your blood is and the further down you go the tougher the breeding, so i believe, (a bit of tongue-in-cheek for our Aucklander boys ).
Good Luck on your studies
Brian.
thanks for more good advice / info, and thanks Brian for the invite. I will let you know if I am in the area.
Just as an update, I decided on Christchurch, and am there now. Arrived a couple of weeks ago, but haven’t fished yet as I am still getting my bearings and adjusting to the winter climate ( it was in the 90’s when I left home), but I plan to go soon. If anyone is in the area and would like to get out on the water, I’d enjoy the company and the local knowledge.
-RC
Go for it RC and keep us posted please!
Lots of great winter fishing around chch and within a short drive. the hurunui has a lot of water still open for winter sport and some nice browns can be caught. The lagoons etc are fishing well at present, and if you are up for a 2 hour drive or so, the waitaki lakes are producing some very well conditioned rainbows at the moment, particularly the Ahuriri arm of Benmore. Last saturday I hit the ahuriri delta and landed 12 nice fish averaging 4lb, several sight fished, and the others on streamers once the wind came up.
White bait will show up in the coastal rivers shortly and fat esturine browns, and sea runners will follow. Tie up some grey ghosts and hold onto your shorts - It can be a lot of fun!
Coming into summer you have a plethora of rivers in your area in which to spend your weekends. Make the most of October on rivers such as the Hope, Carence, Rakaia and Hurunui - this wil be your best chance for a trophy brown (10lb plus). You should also consider getting in touch with the Canterbury Fly Fishing Club, I believe they meet on the first tuesday of each month. Im doing a casting demo there in October and they seem like really great folk. PM me and I can pass on their contact details.
Chris
tks Chris, great info. 8)
Thanks JC!
RC - when Im up there in October a couple of guys from the Canty club are taking me out to the river as thanks for speaking at their meeting. Drop me an email closer to the time and I’ll see if they dont mind if you tag along. These guys know their fish 8)
How long are you there for?
Thanks for all the great info Cris. And thanks JC for the support. I’ll be in Christchurch until mid November when the semester ends, then somewhere in NZ until the end of January. No set plans, probably just following the fish and seeing as many places as possible.
Cheers,
-RC
I’ll be fishing the Tongariro in second week Nov if you are up that way. (Taupo)
Hi RC,
If you get the chance, fish the Tongariro! The standard technique involves big, heavy, nymphs but before “chuck and duck” nymphing it was sinking lines and streamers. And, when the evening comes on, there can be some great dry fly action around the Major Jones or the Breakfast pool. Also, there are some other nearby rivers that are well worth checking out, and which don’t get nearly so crowded. The TO can get a bit shoulder to shoulder at times.
If you get up there, you will also be within driving distance of Rotorua. There are some great lake fishing (I suggest staying at the Waiteti Trout Stream Camping ground as the Waiteti stream goes right through the camp ground, and in 2 minutes you can be at the river mouth where the night fishing for big browns can be excellent. Nov might be a bit early, but if it is, check out the Ngongataha stream. I’ve found soft hackles and wee wets will often produce well for much of the river, though most people nymph it because there are a fair number of pools that are very deep and short. Once in Rotorua, you are about 40 minutes from Tirau (heading towards Auckland), which has some great fishing in the Waihou and the Waimakariri (sp?). Fish tend to be smaller in these rivers, but there are a lot of them and they are feisty! And, the scenery is as pretty as it comes (but that can be said for most of NZ actually; it’s a beautiful country). Heading the other way, if you get a permit (free), you can go into the forest and fish the Rangitiki river. Here you can fish for days and not see another angler. Beutiful water in there.
Anyway, the south Island fisheries are also fantastic, though I’m not as familear with them. Having seen some of the area on various TV shows, and such, I can say you’ll be in for a treat.
- Jeff