Reel Life November 2024
- F&G NZ
- 29/11/2024
Cast your line this Christmas
Christmas is coming and it’s looking like we’ll have the opportunity for some fishing over the Christmas break.
NIWA is forecasting normal rainfall and temperatures for the next two months, so why not share your love of fishing and take someone new fishing over the holiday season?
We have a range of licences available so you can give mates a taste of the great fishing we have to offer in New Zealand.
150 years of trout fishing
New Zealand is marking a remarkable milestone in angling history: the 150th anniversary of the nation’s first licensed freshwater sports fishing season.
On December 1, 1874, the Otago Acclimatisation Society — the forerunner to the Otago Fish & Game Council — launched the historic three-month trout fishing season, laying the foundations for a longstanding Kiwi tradition of freshwater angling.
This anniversary marks the beginning of a treasured national pastime that has become a cornerstone of New Zealand’s outdoor culture, bringing together generations of anglers to enjoy the country’s rivers, lakes, and streams.
You can learn more here.
Licence photo competition
Want to have your picture on the next season’s fishing licence?
Remember to have a camera with you when fishing this year so you can enter each of the four monthly competitions and go into win a $250 Kilwell voucher.
The four monthly winners then go into a public vote and have the chance to win an additional $1000 Kilwell voucher and have their image on the 2025 Fishing Licence.
Quick fishing ideas for December
Here are some hints for fishing options in the month of December from the team at Central South Island Fish & Game.
- December is a great month for targeting sea-run brown trout at river mouths and lagoons – use life-like ‘smelt’ soft baits.
- Target perch using small bright lures, perch are a great eating fish, try them you’ll be surprised!.
- Fish the evening/night-time caddis rise on our rivers.
- Troll for sockeye salmon in the depths of Lake Benmore – see the video here for tips.
- Bait fish with worms, shrimps or huhu grubs in our lakes nationwide.
- Check out a new spot this December – find some inspiration from where to fish by searching our online access map here.
Learn More About Fishing

Josh delivered an excellent workshop at Lake Argyle recently. Credit: Jacob Lucas.
Keep an eye out for events put on by our regional Fish and Game teams over the summer months.
Click on the links above, as during the summer, we have lots of opportunities to learn more about fishing and fishing techniques, such as Boat fishing workshops and soft bait workshops.
Keep an eye on their Facebook pages as well if you are travelling around the country.
Trout fishing for well-being
Trout fishing provides a great way to connect with nature and may positively affect your wellbeing.
Southland Fish & Game staff have been working with Dr Shyamala Nada-Raja (University of Otago) and medical student Iritana Bennett-Fakahau (University of Otago) to undertake research exploring the link between trout fishing and wellbeing.
Our study focused on understanding how trout anglers define wellbeing and how they perceive trout fishing influences their wellbeing.
Anglers in our study described wellbeing as a combination of mental, physical, spiritual, and relational health and believed trout fishing contributes to these wellbeing elements by:
- Evoking positive emotions
- Enabling connection with self, others (friends/family), nature (the environment), and place (certain special locations)
- Offering an escape from life’s stressors
- Providing physical exercise
To read the full report, click here.