6 Fishing Trips in New Zealand, Weighed Against Each Other

1.3-Hour Fishing Charter Experience at Franz Josef Glacier

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 25 reviews · from $139Our pick

Spend three quiet hours fishing Lake Mapourika from a covered boat with Franz Josef Wilderness Tours. Your guide, including skipper and fishing guide Joe on some departures, supplies the gear and teaches trolling, harling, and spinning. No experience is needed. You may keep a legal, in-season trout or salmon, or release your catch.

“Very friendly and entertaining guide that knew all the good spots for the best chance of catching fish and we did!”

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2.Lake Tekapo Fishing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 10 reviews · 2 hours · from $196

Join guide Tim for a focused two-hour fishing trip on the Lake Tekapo Canal, where brown trout, rainbow trout, and Chinook salmon swim in clear Mackenzie High Country water. Groups are capped at four. Your guide supplies rods, gear, a license, warm down jackets, and transport from the Kiwi Treasures post office.

“rigtig god guide, meget behjælpelige og god til at forklare, dog lidt krydret på prisen”

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3.Lake Wānaka: 3 hour Fishing Adventure by Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 7 reviews · 3 hours · from $227

Join Olly for a three-hour small-group fishing trip on Lake Wānaka. You’ll troll for trout and salmon with premium rods, reels, and downriggers while an electric motor keeps the boat quiet. Morning and afternoon trips run year-round, with summer evening outings too. Licenses are extra, and you can keep your catch within local limits.

“It was a great morning out with Olly. He is a very efficient skipper and knows all the right spots. Clean and safe boat and provided good equipment, even supplied a sweet treat.”

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4.Twilight Fishing Charter 5pm – 9:30pm

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 6 reviews · 4h 30m · from $40Best value

Fish Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf from 5pm to 9:30pm with The Red Boats Auckland. You’ll target snapper, kahawai, gurnard, and other local fish with help from an English-speaking local crew. Bring dinner and bait, arrange a hire rod for $20 if needed, and pack a chilly bin for your catch.

“The Captain and crew were great, knew the best spot, we caught so many we lost count. Just make sure you take about 3-4 kg of bait, we ran out of bait.”

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5.Lake Wakatipu: 3 Hour Fishing Adventure by Boat

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · 3 hours · from $227Top rated

Join an experienced skipper for three hours of trout and salmon fishing on Lake Wakatipu. Use premium rods, reels, and downriggers from a quiet electric boat, with views of Cecil Peak, Walter Peak, and The Remarkables. Snacks, drinks, fish cleaning, and vacuum packing are included. Groups are limited to six.

“Great morning out ticking off a couple of bucket list fish on a very nice boat with good gear and an excellent skipper Thank you .”

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6.Full-Day Fishing Charter (7 am – 4 pm)

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 3 reviews · 9 hours · from $45

Meet The Red Boats crew at Z Pier Westhaven Marina for a 7 am to 4 pm fishing trip in the Hauraki Gulf. Fish for snapper, kahawai, gurnard, and more while enjoying Auckland’s coast. Bring lunch, drinks, and bait. Rod hire costs $20 per person, and a shared chilly bin is available onboard.

“Great day! Enjoyed fishing, weather was great, and the captain was a lovely gent! Just note there is no bait or fishing tackle supplied with this charter unless you pay an extra fee to borrow tackle, which we gladly did.. but the bait was way trickier. So for others that may struggle as we did, most petrol stations around there carry bait. We bought pilchard and others had squid. Both worked well!”

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