Reel Life March 2023

April is awesome for fishing; if you want to maximise your fishing opportunities, April is right in the Goldilocks zone of angling, not too hot, not too dry, and the fish are active. 

All the regions listed above have some great options for anglers and don’t be afraid to mix up your fishing spots and try somewhere new to challenge yourself.

Our staff around the country have been out in the rivers conducting our annual drift dive programme.

Fish & Game is the only agency that actually gets out there and undertakes this in-depth look at our waterways. 

You can read a bit more about our drift diving programme here. 

Designated Waters 

On March 10, all anglers we have an email address for should have received an email seeking feedback on a proposed new fishing licence category that has been developed to help manage angling pressure on sensitive fisheries – the Designated Waters Licence. 

Under this proposal, a small number of sensitive fisheries would be classified as Designated Waters. 

Any angler wishing to fish these fisheries would be required to hold a Designated Waters Licence. 

The key purpose of the Designated Waters Licence is to reduce overcrowding and improve the angling experience in sensitive fisheries. 

The Designated Waters Licence would affect resident and non-resident anglers differently; you can learn more here. 

Thank you for your feedback if you have already commented on the proposal. 

Please check your spam folder if you haven’t seen our consultation email and survey and would like to comment on the proposal. 

If you still can’t find our survey link, please contact your local Fish & Game office, and they will send you a link directly.   

Ranger recruitment 

Have you ever had a Fish & Game Ranger have a chat with you while you have been fishing or hunting? 

Volunteer Fish & Game Rangers make a significant contribution to the Fish & Game organisation and in managing the resources which hunters and anglers value so much. 

Importantly, our valued rangers provide a public relations face to our licence holders and the general public, as well as an important involvement in compliance work. 

Rangers are carefully selected and trained. From time-to-time vacancies come up for volunteer rangers to join the team, so if you have ever wondered about what it might be like to be a ranger and you have a desire to contribute in this way, contact your local Fish & Game regional office to enquire or to express an interest in becoming a ranger.    

Sea-Run Salmon Harvest Cards - send in your details 

Sea-run salmon anglers who have kept their season bag limit can send in their harvest card data via this page on our website. 

Even if you didn’t end up going sea-run salmon fishing or kept no fish, that data is essential for us to include in our run calculations. 

Anglers have until May 7 to submit their data either by the online or by dropping the card off at your local Fish & Game Office. 

Licence photo competition 

The famous Fish & Game NZ photo competition is underway! 

Thanks to the generosity of our sponsor, Kilwell Sports, you have the chance to not only win a $500 Kilwell Sports Voucher as a monthly winner. 

But to have your winning photo enter the grand final draw to appear on next year's fishing licence AND win the grand prize worth $2000. 

March photo entries are open now – visit our website here to enter and view all of the current entries. 

The public will vote on the March and April winners to be selected to adorn next season’s Fishing Licence card. 

Tight Lines 

The Team at Fish & Game.