Top 8 Fishing Tours in New Zealand

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 fishing guide Joe or another local skipper. Gear, warm refreshments, and a toilet are provided. Try trolling, harling, or spinning for trout and wild salmon while passing 900-year-old kahikatea trees. No fishing experience is needed, and legal seasonal catches may be kept.

“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 two-hour Lake Tekapo Canal fishing trip in a group of no more than four. Your fee covers gear, license, shuttle, and a warm down jacket. Fish up to three spots for brown and rainbow trout or Chinook salmon, with instruction suited to your skill level.

“Excellent staff very helpful and friendly could not be any better great experience fully recommend”

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3.Lake Wakatipu Queenstown: 3 Hour Fishing Adventure by Boat

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · from $235Top rated

Join Olly or another local skipper at Frankton Marina for a three-hour Lake Wakatipu fishing trip. Fish for brown and rainbow trout, with a chance of salmon, using quality gear and downriggers. Groups are limited to six, and snacks, drinks, catch cleaning, and vacuum packing are included.

“We had an amazing time with Catch a Fish. Olly and Sanne were fantastic with communication, especially when we had to reschedule due to the weather — they went above and beyond to fit us in around our available dates. The trip itself waRead more”

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4.Lake Wānaka: 3 hour Fishing Adventure by Boat

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

Join skipper Olly for three hours on Lake Wānaka, targeting trout and salmon with premium rods, reels, and downriggers. The quiet electric boat carries only 2 to 6 people, with views of Roys Peak, Mount Aspiring, and Treble Cone. Snacks, drinks, catch cleaning, and vacuum packing are included.

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

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

You’ll spend 5:00pm to 9:30pm fishing Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf aboard a Red Boats charter. A local English-speaking crew helps you target snapper, kahawai, gurnard, and more. Bring dinner, bait, and a chilly bin, or hire a rod for $20 per person. Confirm equipment details before departure.

“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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6.Lake Wakatipu: 3 Hour Fishing Adventure by Boat

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

Join an experienced skipper for three hours of trout and salmon fishing on Lake Wakatipu. You’ll use quality rods, reels, and downriggers from a quiet electric boat, with snacks, drinks, and alpine views included. Morning, afternoon, and summer evening departures are available. Keep your catch within local limits, cleaned and vacuum packed.

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

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

Spend 7 am to 4 pm fishing Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf from Red Boats at Westhaven Marina. You can target snapper, kahawai, gurnard, and more while the English-speaking local crew handles the trip. Rod hire costs $20 per person, bait is extra, and you should bring lunch plus a chilly bin.

“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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8.Lake Wakatipu Queenstown: 6 hour Fishing Adventure by Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 3 reviews · from $421

Meet skipper Ollie at Frankton Marina for six hours of trout and salmon fishing on Lake Wakatipu. You’ll try trolling, harling, spinning, jigging, and downriggers from a premium boat limited to six people, with gear, snacks, drinks, and catch cleaning included.

“Very experienced guide with right equipment and landed 3 beautiful trout fish. A unique fishing experience with amazing views”

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