planning a trip.. need help

stine1229 · May-12-2009, 02:27 PM

I have never been to new zealand but i'm trying to plan a fishing trip.. i want to fly fish streams and fish saltwater.. im planning on going over there for about a month. any advice would help. i'd love to catch yellow's, tuna, or whatever is biting around january. places to stay/rent.. north island opposed to south.. anything would help. hope to hear back.

PESCADORTICO · May-14-2009, 08:45 AM

hey there bro,
i was just there in january and had a blast. i mainly did saltwater fishing, though one morning i did go and fish freshwater off a river. it was cool to see the fish and trying to cast right around them, water so clear!!!
let me tell you that for saltwater i would give lionel from memorymakers a call, he also took me freshwater fishing. if you want to fish for the fat kingies january was a good time to go and you dont need to worry about doing the mistake i did of taking gear.
lionel has all the top-notch gear you will need to catch them kings!!!
check out his site:

Untitled Document

hope this help, if you have any more questions feel free to p.m. me.

Bouldernz · May-16-2009, 03:01 PM

I agree Lionel is a great fisherman and host.

This guy does a lot of saltwater fly fishing and also has many years of fresh water guiding experience. Drop him a line and I am sure he could put you in touch with the right people
New Zealand Saltwater Fly Fishing

DavidM · May-24-2009, 03:27 AM

As said above, there are some excellent charters/guides around and I would use them, especially to target that big Kingie (get used to the Kiwi terminology:-).
Tuna fishing in NZ has been poor for the past few years, but Jan is a good time to try for one. It is usually reasonably easy to pick up a charter in Jan without booking ahead, but I would allow for a few days of fishing if you really want a tuna. There is probably much better Tuna fishing closer to your home than in NZ at the moment. Having said that, if you are here late Jan, then you will be in the early Striped Marlin season and they are worth putting some effort into. You might even get a tuna while marlin fishing as they are in the same areas. There are also charters that will take you trolling for tuna/marlin and then stop to target Kingies etc, so you could fit all those goals into a single multiday trip.

For January fresh water fishing I would suggest spending as much time as possible in the upper reaches of the back country rivers. If you are reasonably fit, bring a tent and tramp up into the bush (kiwi term for forest or mountains). There are no dangerous animals etc so the only dangers are the weather and the rivers themselves. Most fishing would be with nymph or dry fly. This is the 'real' kiwi freshwater fishing experience and is hard to match anywhere else in the world. Plan to spend a week in Hawkes Bay (Nth Is) and fish a wide range of rivers for Rainbows and Browns. Typical size around 3lb - 5lb. Over 6lb is a 'good fish'. Over 8lb is worth celebrating a little, and over 10lb is easily possible, but unlikely on a short visit unless being guided or helicoptering into remote areas.
I would also plan a week in the Nelson area (top of sth Is) for fresh water fishing.

Timing wise, I would target your trip for as late in Jan as you can. Early Jan is summer holiday season in NZ and the rivers will be busier and fish spookier than they will be a bit later. The saltwater fishing is also usually a bit better later in Jan than earlier as well.

If you want to discuss more detail, feel free to PM me on this forum.