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		Recreational Fishing in Australia and New Zealand
		Australia For the international traveler, Australia and New Zealand off a wealth of recreational fishing opportunities. From some of the most spectacular big game fishing for 1000lb Marlin to dry fly fishing for large brown and rainbow trout in wilderness streams and everything in between - its all here. The first thing to realise is that Australia is a LARGE place. It is as big as the continental USA with a population of less than 20 million. Flying from Sydney (on the east coast) to Perth (on the west coast) is a five hour exercise. And that is just the bit in the air – you still have to get to and from the airports. Sydney to Broom (the heart of the Kimberley wilderness fishing scene) is 7 – 8 hours. Sydney to Cairns (the big game capital of the World) is 4 – 5 hours and the tropical sportfishing prime locations are beyond that. New Zealand does not suffer from the vast distance problem encountered in Australia but the fishing is more limited. This country is famous for its freshwater and sea run trout fishing and has some spectacular game and light game fishing but has no tropical sportfishing oportunities. So unless you have unlimited time and unlimited budget you need to plan your trip carefully, decide what you want to do and factor in the difficulties of travel in this vast country. What this means is that, if you are coming here specifically to fish you need to sort out major destinations and arrange your travel to suit. But it also means that, if you are coming on a family, site seeing holiday, there will be some fishing destinations that are beyond your practical reach (unless you have a very tolerant wife and family). Fortunately there are many really good recreational fishing options close to most of the main tourist destinations. And there is no shortage of professional guiding services available to help you get into some good fishing wherever you holiday in Australia and New Zealand. So lets take some of the highlights as a guide to what is available to the traveler. Big Game Fishing Big Game fishing is centered on the East coast of Australia. While there are marlin and sailfish to be had from locations south of Sydney they are very seasonal and the size of the fish is smaller than those found in tropical destinations. As you move north the fish get bigger and stay around for a larger part of the year. Until you get to Cairns (in the far north of the state of Queensland) which is the big game fishing capital of the world. Cairns probably represents your best chance of that 1,000lb marlin anywhere! Having said that fish of 100 to 500lb frequent the entire eastern coast of the country and are within the reach of the traveling angler. There is no shortage of charter and guiding services to help you to get into such fish. Light Game Fishing The entire coast of this island nation can be considered a light game hot spot. Around the country the species change, the seasonality changes and the number of fish available changes. But, basic light game fishing is possible anywhere on the Australian coastline. In the south, from Sydney to Perth the main species are Tailor, Australian salmon (not a true salmon) and cold water tunas are available. All of these are surface feeders and off outstanding sport. As you travel north from Sydney on the east coast and Perth on the west coast, these cold water species are joined by tropical sportfish including warm water tunas, Spanish Mackerel, Mahi Mahi and others. Once you move into the tropics proper the southern cold water fish are replaced by tropical species including Queenfish, Giant Trevally and other tough customers. Southern light game fishing is seasonal with different species moving in at different times of the year. Northern (tropical) fishing is much less seasonal with many of the species available all the year. The tropical north offers the very best in light game fishing. Much of the coast in the north is completely uninhabited, pristine territory that is very lightly fished. Here the fishing can be spectacular. Freshwater Fishing Freshwater fishing in Australia is split into to two types. There is fishing for native fish and there is fishing for introduced salmonoids. In the southern half of the country native species are represented by Yellowbelly (2lb to 20lb) and Murray Cod (a large fish growing to over 100lb) plus a few other minor species. All these take lures (mainly in the hotter months) or bait when it is cooler and provide excellent sport. In NSW, Victoria and Tasmania there is an established world class salmonoid fishery offering stream and lake fishing for brown, rainbow and a few brook trout. One or two places also have a few Atlantic Salmon. Areas that offer trout fishing opportunities include the New England and Snowy Mountain regions of NSW, virtually all of Victoria and the whole of Tasmania. Although there is good sport to be had in all these regions the pick is the Tasmanian Highlands which offers, probably, the best all round trout fishing experience anywhere in the world. Getting to, and from, all these areas is not difficult. They are all serviced by reliable public transport. All offer a range of accommodation and guiding services. Freshwater fishing in the tropical north of Australia is focussed almost entirely on the famous Barramundi. This fish inhabits the freshwater rivers from the upper reaches down to the open ocean river mouths. Barramundi grow to 100lb and more, accept lures and fly readily and fight on the surface (and for much of the time leaping above it). They represent some of the most exciting sportfishing available and are keenly sought by all Australian anglers. Virtually the entire sportfishing scene in the ‘top end’ is aimed at ‘Barra’ Although you can catch Barramundi all year round, the prime time for them is during the period known as ‘the run-off’. This is at the end of the wet season (from about March) when the large volumes of freshwater deposited on the entire north coastal regions by the ‘Wet’ drain off into the sea. It is then that the Barra is the most active and aggressive. At this time the sport can be nothing short of spectacular. Fishing in New Zealand New Zealand is renowned for its quality trout fishing. All styles of trout fishing are represented in abundance here. There is lake fishing and river fishing for LARGE landlocked trout and superb stream fishing for sea run trout. This mountainous country offers fast flowing snow melt streams that provide superb dry fly sight fishing opportunities. Both islands offer all styles of fishing and unique wilderness adventure. Trout of 5lb – 10lb are the norm, not the exception. The north island also offers light game, reef and big game saltwater fishing. Saltwater sportfishing is generally centered around the Bay of Islands region in the very north of the north island. Here there is the opportunity to tangle with cold water tuna (Southern Blue and Yellow fin et al) and with Kahawai (the same surface feeding fish found on the Australian east coast. Of course, being so far south, there is no tropical fishing.

Copyright© Ray Gudgeon and Associates
PO box 892 Campbelltown NSW 2560 Australia
Phone: International - 61 419 274 264 from within Australia - 0419 274 264
Fax: International - 61 2 4626 8123 From within Australia - 02 4626 8123
Email: ray.gudgeon@rga.com.au