The Fly Fishing Blog

Ocean Fishing

Fishing in New Zealand

In the Northern Hemisphere, Britain is an island with land pretty much all around it, but with a swathe of ocean breaking away to the South.

 

In much the same latitude in the Southern Hemisphere lies New Zealand. But she is surrounded by ocean, ocean and more ocean. Add this to the fact that her continental shelf is enormous and what you have is a country with natural resources for fishing that bring her up to having the worlds 4th largest fishing grounds (though some argue it is only the 6th largest). Over 1000 types of fish are found here, but less than a tenth of these are targeted by the commercial fishermen.

 

There is a meeting place here of warm and cool ocean currents – the natural playground for a great variety of fish. The Antarctic Cold Currents bring in blue and red cod, and the hake, while sporting in the warm currents are tuna, marlin, sharks, snapper, trevally and kahawai.

 

Floundering in the tidal mudflats are an abundance of flounder and sole while crayfish proliferate in their normal habitat – the rocky areas. Unlike an exceptional mayor who may be granted 'Freedom of the City' tarakihi, grouper and bass enjoy 'freedom of the entire coastline', earning it simply by being easily pleased by most water conditions It seems to be unnatural then that fish should play such a miniscule role in the diet of people the world over. (1%).

 

These are ocean fish, but the islands themselves have many rivers where fishing as a sport is hugely popular.

 

It was the pelts of seal and the clamor for whaling products that drew attention to the islands, subsequent to Maori settlement.

 

With our bird's-eye view of the world today, it is clear that fishing should always have played a dominant role in New Zealand's industry. In this case in particular, even in hindsight, the obvious should have been clearly visible. In fact, its only been since 1960 that the islands' fishing industry started to fulfill its huge potential and now is valued at around a billion dollars.

 

The Government carefully monitors both inland and offshore fishing in New Zealand. The balance of good will between the Government and the population with regard to inland fishing seems to be positive, but there are voices of strong dissent over its handling of offshore fishing.

 

It costs $65 a year - (Oct l – Sept 31) for an inland fishing license which allows you to fish in any Lake or River in New Zealand except those which are in Taupo catchment area where you need to do a local licensing deal. Licenses can also be bought for shorter periods. If you plan to go fishing in New Zealand, make sure your catch is neither undersized; nor should you have an over full bag. Both these things are frowned upon and come with high penalties plus the possible confiscation of your equipment.

 

Should you wish to do a search on the Internet, there are an abundance of very informative sites which will give you what type of fish you may expect to catch and where to catch them at various times of the year. Use 'Fishing in New Zealand' as your search term.

 

To view boats for fishing go to http://www.theboatingstore.co.cc

 

About the Author

A retired high school teacher of geography and maths.

The-Boating-Store

Free resources like 'Quick Compare 35 Brand Name Kayaks' are available to help you make an informed choice about which small boat to buy. Free ebook on how to identify North American waterfowl.  Free small boat plans and instructions.

What effect does the moon have on ocean fishing?

I live in southern California, and have been out on alot of half day to 2 day trips. I'm planning on going out on a 3/4 day trip out to Catalina Island for calico bass, and yellowtail, as the bite is starting to heat up with the weather. I follow the fish reports, and it's been hit or miss lately(it's a little early in the season). The weather is pretty constant now, so thats not an issue. I was wondering if I could improve my odds of having a good trip by going out on a certain day of the moon cycle.

The moon can affect some fish, but not others. It seems that white seabass bite better for a few days before a full moon, and bluefin tuna seem to, too -- but other fish don't seem to care that much.

One theory I heard was that when the night is dark, gamefish can find baitfish by the disturbances in the plankton at night (they glow when disturbed), so that when the moon is full, the fish have a harder time feeding at night, so they continue to feed into the daytime. Another theory is that when the moon is full, the tides are higher, so the currents are stronger, and it's well known that fish feed better when a current is flowing.

When I was a kid, I actually kept track of the daily fish counts and the moon phases and the water temperature, and I found that (like I said above) the bluefin and white seabass tended to bite better under the full moon.

On the other hand, I've had plenty of good trips when the moon or tide were "no good", and bad ones when everything should have been perfect.

My suggestion is to go whenever you can, a weekday if possible (for less crowding on the boat, as well as fewer weekend warriors in their skiffs following the partyboat around and putting down the fish). Watch the reports and pick a boat which consistently makes good catches -- a good skipper is more important than anything else. (You can get the breakdowns at http://www.sportfishingreport.com/ )

Right now, it seems that an overnight trip to Clemente would give you a better chance at the yellowtail.