NEW ZEALAND FISHING MAP

Fishing Hot Spots

From the Bay of Islands and the Coromandel to the Bay of Plenty, the trout lakes of the Central Plateau, and the South Island's Kaikōura coast, trout rivers and fiords. Tap any star or dot to see what it is and what to fish there.

More map layers

Fishing & access

Marine chart layers

Parks & rules

Data rule: Every hot spot sits on a named, mapped place: a marina or harbor from OpenStreetMap, the nearest point on a Natural Earth river or lake to the town, or a named bay, cape, lake or reservoir looked up through Nominatim. These are general positions, not pinpoints, and each star says which one it is. Boat ramps and marinas come from OpenStreetMap, and parks and reserves come from the World Database on Protected Areas: areas closed to fishing in solid red, other protected areas in dashed red. No hot spot sits inside or right next to a closed area. Every star shows its source when you tap it. BigJoe does not invent coordinates. The exact sources used on this map are listed under Map sources & checks below.
Select a Fishing Hot Spot on the map or from the list below.
★ Fishing Hot SpotBoat rampMarinaWreckObstructionRock (yellow = awash)Coral / rock bottomCanyonWeather/tide stationNo-fishing zone (solid red)Protected area, fishing with rules (dashed red)

Safety: these are planning references. Use current official charts, weather and marine alerts and proper safety equipment before heading out.

Fishing Hot Spots by area

Bays, lakes, rivers and fiords. Tap one to fly to it on the map.

Striped marlin, kingfish and wild trout

New Zealand's north holds striped marlin, giant kingfish and snapper, and the Bay of Islands is one of the most famous billfish grounds in history. Inland, Lake Taupō, Rotorua and the South Island rivers are some of the best wild trout fishing on Earth.

Rules: no sea licence but strict limits; Fish & Game or Taupō licences for fresh water; marine reserves are closed to fishing.

On the bay, in the mangroves or on the ocean, the everyday struggles get left at the dock. For those few hours, it's just you, the water and peace.

BigJoe’s gear for New Zealand

What BigJoe would bring to fish these waters.

Rod7 ft medium-heavy spinning rodShop on Amazon ↗Reel5000 sealed saltwater spinning reelShop on Amazon ↗Line30 lb braidShop on Amazon ↗TrollingSkirted trolling lures for mahi & wahooShop on Amazon ↗Jigs1 oz bucktail jigs for the reefShop on Amazon ↗RigSnapper bottom rigsShop on Amazon ↗TopwaterSaltwater poppers for jacks & barracudaShop on Amazon ↗SunglassesPolarized fishing sunglassesShop on Amazon ↗

As an Amazon Associate, BigJoe earns from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra and helps keep these maps free.

Species GuidesFish found in these waters.Weather & TidesCheck the ocean before you go.All Hot Spots mapsThe Caribbean, the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific.

Map sources & checks

Coverage
New Zealand. Mapped features come from public datasets and can be incomplete or out of date: a missing reef, ramp or wreck does not mean it is not there.
Map data
Hot spots
8 hot spots, each with its own source (tap any star to see it): OpenStreetMap/Nominatim named place (general position, not a pinpoint) (6), OpenStreetMap marina or harbor (2).
Protected areas
27 protected areas from the official list above, drawn in dashed red. Fishing rules inside them are set by the managing agency; check with them before you fish.
Chart layers (Charts button)
GEBCO ocean depth and OpenSeaMap buoys, lights and markers. GEBCO and OpenSeaMap are useful references, not official navigation charts.
Weather & tides
See Weather & Tides for this area: Open-Meteo weather and marine models. Tides here are estimated from a global sea-level model, not official tide tables.
Dates
This page last updated October 15, 2026. Each dataset keeps its own retrieval date, shown above.

⚠️ Planning reference only, not for navigation. Use current official charts, weather and marine alerts, and proper safety gear before heading out.

See something wrong or missing? Tell us and we will check it against the source.