Reel Life April 2024

Photo competition- vote now

Have your say on what image will be on the 2024 Fishing Licence!

March Winner Cody Brett’s image of fishing the shores of Lake Hāwea on a cold, foggy winter morning is the final of four selected to go forward for voting.

Each monthly winner has won a $250 Voucher from Kilwell sports, and the overall winner will receive an additional $1000 voucher from Kilwell.

Have your say on these stunning images by casting your vote here.

Winter fishing kicks off

Our Winter fishing season kicked off on April 1^st; we have tremendous all-season fishing options nationwide.

Our North Island lakes offer you the chance for some excellent fishing, and you don’t need a boat; the team at Eastern Fish & Game have put together a handy article on shoreline fishing on their regional links above.

In the South Island, many rivers and lakes are open year-round, so there are plenty of options to choose from.

For both islands, please check out the regional links above to check which fisheries are open, or check your regulation guide here.

Designated Waters

Most of our Designated Waters Fisheries close on April 30; we’ll be in touch with all Licence holders who purchased a Designated Waters Licence with a survey about the season.

We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from Kiwi anglers about the system, and our compliance checks indicate that non-resident anglers and Kiwi anglers were following the rules.

This means Kiwi anglers had a lot more opportunity this year to fish these waters and not get displaced by Non-Resident anglers.

Return Your sea-run salmon harvest card data

Anglers who also have a sea-run salmon licence can jump online here to return their harvest card data.

You don’t need to send the physical card; you can fill out the form online and keep your card as a memento of the season.

About 100 anglers fished the Waimakariri River this morning in the annual Rangers Fishing Competition.

With the norwester hitting the Alps and about to dirty up the rivers, Friday was probably the last chance many salmon anglers will get to fish before the season ends on Monday.

John Adams managed to catch a salmon on the day and became the first angler in seven years to be awarded the Rangers trophy in a competition that has been held since 1975.

Because of tides and such, the Rangers Competition is largely a chance for a sausage sizzle and a get-together for the end of the season.

The event was generously sponsored by Hunting and Fishing (Ballinger’s & North Canterbury), Desolve Outdoors, Stoney Creek, Hunters Element, Kilwell and amazing Baits (Tackleman), with just under $3000 in spot prizes drawn.

Next issue – August 2024

This is the last edition of Reel Life till we start again in August, best of luck with your winter fishing experiences, and we’ll see you again in August.

Tight Lines

The team at Fish & Game NZ