Reel Life - November 2023

ReWild yourself this summer

Hundreds of rivers, streams and lakes in New Zealand are just waiting for you this summer. 

Get out in nature, unwind, and reconnect. ReWild yourself! 

This month Fish & Game launched its ReWild campaign to encourage Kiwis to go fishing and hunting, connect with nature, care for our environment, and catch some wild kai. 

The Rewild campaign, launched in Christchurch on November 7 by Fish & Game New Zealand Chief Executive Corina Jordan, alongside keen angler and hunter Dame Lynda Topp, highlights the many benefits of fishing and hunting, including environmental stewardship and conservation, food-gathering and improving mental health and wellbeing.  

The campaign, which will feature stories, social media content, billboards and advertising across the country, will include events and resources to support people wanting to have a go at fishing and hunting.   

Already we’ve had 1.2 million views of our posts around the campaign.

This goes to show fishing and hunting are a way of life for thousands of Kiwis, a tradition of food gathering that bonds us with the land.

You can learn more about our campaign here: rewild.fishandgame.org.nz

Great season ahead 

This season has been going great guns for anglers and bodes well for the coming summer. 

If you check out the regional links above, you’ll see some stunning fish caught around the country like this beauty from Brian O’Keefe, a visiting angler from Idaho, who based himself in the Owen River area. 

There have been some great reports of fish being caught from our lowland fisheries all the way up to our high-country fisheries, many of which opened in November. 

With these great fishing opportunities around and if you haven’t got your licence, get one now so you don’t miss out on all the great fishing to be had around the country. 

The best value licence for people is the Family Licence, especially with the school holidays coming up quickly.

If you know of someone who is an angler or would like to get into angling, why not get them a licence as a Christmas gift so that they can share the experience over the coming summer months?

There are plenty of licence options for you to use to introduce someone to fishing. 

We also have some great online resources to help newbies into angling, you can check out our getting started page here or our helpful how-to guides here. 

Plus as you check out the regional pages above, plenty of them have lots of useful tips for where to go fishing in the coming months.

Salmon on the horizon

The annual run of sea-run salmon in Canterbury will start soon, already anglers are getting some hits but no fish as yet have been caught (that we know about). 

For sea-run salmon waters, it’s not just a case of grabbing your licence and rod and heading down to the river like in the days of old. 

The season bag limit card must be carried, along with a pen, while fishing sea-run salmon waters if you have any intention of catching a sea-run salmon or keep one accidentally caught while targeting other species like trout or kahawai. 

All the information you need to know can be found at our website here including how to purchase your sea-run salmon licence and to receive your season bag limit card. 

Rangers have been checking on sea-run salmon anglers as the season kicks off.

What’s the Hawkes Bay looking like for fishing?

The team at Hawkes Bay Fish & Game have provided an update on their fisheries for this summer. 

If you fish their region be sure to check out their page.

Tight Lines,

The Team at Fish & Game NZ