The 12 New Zealand Fishing Trips That Earn a Whole Day

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 fully covered boat with guide Joe and a maximum of 10 people. Gear, warm refreshments, and toilet facilities are provided. Troll, harl, or spin for trout and wild salmon while passing ancient kahikatea forest and listening for native birds.

“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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2.3 Hour in Wanaka Fishing Charters

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 14 reviews · from $201Top rated

Spend about three hours fishing Lake Wanaka from a guided boat with Ash, also called Ashley in one booking detail. Equipment is provided, and you may target brown trout, rainbow trout, or salmon while enjoying Southern Alps scenery. The trip returns to its Wānaka meeting point.

“We had a great time. Ash is awesome, and we were able to catch our limit. I would definitely recommend.”

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3.Lake Wānaka: 3 hour Fishing Adventure by Boat

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 12 reviews · from $220

Join Ollie from Catch a Fish for a three-hour Lake Wānaka charter limited to six people. Use quality gear, trolling, and downriggers to target trout and salmon beneath Roys Peak, Mount Aspiring, and Treble Cone. Snacks, drinks, and catch cleaning are included.

“Oliver is a Great skipper with a Top water riding boat in a Stabicraft.”

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4.Lake Tekapo Fishing Tour

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

Spend two hours fishing the clear Lake Tekapo Canal with guide Tim or another local expert. Learn practical techniques, use supplied gear, and fish up to three spots for brown trout, rainbow trout, and Chinook salmon. The tour includes a license, warm jacket, and shuttle.

“Tim our guide was super. He was very knowledgeable and friendly. We really enjoyed our outing with him.”

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

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · from $235

Join Olly or the local skipper from Frankton Marina for a three-hour Lake Wakatipu fishing trip. Use downriggers to target trout and salmon while The Remarkables, Cecil Peak, and Walter Peak fill the view. Groups are limited to six, with gear, snacks, drinks, and catch preparation included.

“Olly was great and very professional! He took us to a great fishing spot on Lake Wakatipu and ended up catching quite a few brown and rainbow trouts!!! We kept 1 and he was able to direct us to a place that cooked it for us to eat for lunch. The scenery was beautiful and the experience was fun and relaxing!!”

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6.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. Use premium rods and downriggers to target trout and salmon, enjoy snacks and alpine views, and keep your catch within local limits. Trips run morning and afternoon, with summer evening departures too.

“Pratiquée avec mon fils de 15 ans, nous avons passé 3h sur le lac de Queenstown. le skipper a été fantastique. le bateau tres bien équipé. nous avons fait une belle pêche. et dégusté nos prises le soir même.”

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7.Auckland: Twilight Fishing Charter 5pm – 9:30pm

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

Join The Red Boats from 5:00 to 9:30 pm at Z Pier, Westhaven Marina, and fish Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf for snapper, kahawai, gurnard, and more. The English-speaking crew supplies local guidance, while you bring bait, dinner, drinks, and a chilly bin, or use the shared bin onboard.

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

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

Join an experienced skipper for three hours on Lake Wakatipu, targeting trout and salmon with premium gear and downriggers. Your quiet electric boat carries up to six people past Cecil Peak, Walter Peak, and The Remarkables. Keep legal catch, 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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9.Auckland: Full-Day Fishing Charter (7 am – 4 pm)

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

Join The Red Boats from 7 am to 4 pm for a full day on Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf. You’ll fish for snapper, kahawai, gurnard, and more while the English-speaking crew handles the boat and local fishing knowledge. Bring lunch, bait, and a chilly bin, or hire a rod for $20.

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

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 3 reviews · from $421

Join skipper Olly for six hours of trout and salmon fishing on Lake Wakatipu from Frankton Marina. Try trolling, harling, spinning, jigging, and downriggers while enjoying views of The Remarkables, Walter Peak, and Cecil Peak. The boat holds only six people and includes gear, snacks, drinks, and catch preparation.

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

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11.Private 3-Hour Fishing Charter

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews

Meet your skipper at Wanaka Marina at 7:00 am for a private three-hour fishing trip on Lake Wānaka. All equipment is supplied, and you can fish for brown and rainbow trout while taking in the Southern Alps. The charter suits up to five people and returns to the marina.

“Such a great trip. The lake is absolutely gorgeous and catching rainbow trout was a huge bonus!!! Highly recommend!!!”

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12.Lake Hāwea: 6 hour Fishing Adventure by Boat

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · from $406

Join Ollie for a six-hour fishing charter on Lake Hāwea near Wanaka. Use trolling, spinning, jigging, harling, and downrigging to target trout and salmon, with gear, snacks, drinks, and catch cleaning included. The boat carries up to six people and returns to the Lake Hāwea boat ramp.

“Dad and I had a great day fishing with Ollie on Lake Hawea.”

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