The information presented here is not meant to be taken as a complete statement
of the law. Please refer to the South Island regulations booklet supplied with
your fishing licence or view an online
version at the Fish & Game New Zealand website.
| |
Open season |
Size limits |
Bag limit |
Methods allowed |
| General rules |
| All fishing waters |
|
|
|
Because of the risk of spreading the invasive alga didymo, anglers
must clean their fishing gear, waders and boots, especially when moving
between rivers. See Didymo
Biosecurity Alert. |
| All other fishing waters not mentioned below. |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| All lakes except closed areas of Lakes Rotoiti and Rotoroa |
|
|
|
Downriggers are permitted |
| Fishing waters |
| Acheron River and its tributaries lying upstream of the Severn confluence |
Trout: 1 Oct-30 Apr
Salmon: Closed |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Trout: 2
Salmon: 0 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Aorere River downstream from the Salisbury Road Bridge |
All year |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| Argyle Pond and lower hydro canals downstream to its confluence
with the Wairau River |
All year |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| Awatere River |
All year |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| Buller River |
|
|
|
This river is affected by didymo. See Didymo
Biosecurity Alert for details. |
| Buller River upstream from Gowan Bridge |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Buller River downstream from Gowan Bridge |
All year |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| Baton River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Branch River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Clarence River and its tributaries lying upstream of the Styx confluence. |
???Trout: 1 Oct-30 Apr
Salmon: Closed |
None |
???Trout : 2
Salmon: 0 |
???Artificial fly, spinner |
| Clarence River downstream from the Acheron confluence |
All year |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| Cobb Reservoir |
All year |
None |
Total: 4
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| Conway River |
All year |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| D'Urville River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Daniells, Lake |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only one fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly and spinner.
Down riggers are permitted. |
| Deepdale River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Glenroy River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Goulter River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Gowan River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner.
This river is affected by didymo. See Didymo
Biosecurity Alert for details. |
| Lyell Creek (Kaikoura) downstream from SH No. 1 |
All year |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| Maitai River below the Lower Nile Street Bridge |
All year |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner.
Child licence holders may use bait. |
| Maruia River downstream of Maruia Falls |
All year |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| Matakitaki River downstream from the SH6 Bridge |
All year |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| Matakitaki River upstream of its confluence with the Glenroy River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Middle Creek (Kaikoura) downstream from SH1 |
All year |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| Motueka River downstream from the Peninsula Road Bridge at Ngatimoti |
All year |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| Motueka River upstream of its confluence with the Wangapeka River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2v |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Motupiko River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Oaro River |
All year |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| Opawa River downstream from SH1 bridge (including Roses Overflow) |
All year |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| Opouri River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Owen River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Pearse River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Pelorus River downstream from its confluence with the Rai River |
All year |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| Pelorus River upstream of its confluence with the Rai River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Rahu River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Rainbow River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Riwaka River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Ronga River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Rotoiti, Lake except for the areas below |
All year |
None |
Total: 4
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner and bait.
Down riggers are permitted. |
Rotoiti, Lake: Within 100 metres from the centre meeting line
with Lake Rotoiti of:
- Travers River
- Coldwater Stream
- Black Valley Stream
- Buller River |
1 Oct-30 Apr
(closed 1 May-30 Sept)
|
None |
Total: 4
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner and bait.
Fishing from any boat is prohibited. |
| Rotoroa, Lake except for the areas below |
All year |
None |
Total: 4
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner and bait.
Down riggers are permitted |
Rotoroa, Lake: Within 100 metres from the centre meeting line
with Lake Rotoroa of:
- Sabine River
- D'Urville River
- Gowan River |
1 Oct-30 Apr
(closed 1 May-30 Sept)
|
None |
Total: 4
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner and bait.
Fishing from any boat is prohibited. |
| Sabine River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Severn River |
4 of which only
2 may be salmon |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Spring Creek |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Takaka River downstream from its confluence with the Waingaro River |
All year |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| Taylor River downstream from the New Renwick Road bridge |
All year |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| Tennyson, Lake |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
None |
Total: 4
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner and bait.
Down riggers are permitted |
| Travers River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Waikoropupu River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Waimea and Wairoa Rivers downstream of the confluence with the Lee
River |
All year |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| Wairau River (including the Diversion) downstream from the Wash
Bridge |
All year |
None |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner, bait |
| Wairau river and its tributaries lying upstream of the Wash Bridge |
Trout: 1 Oct-30 Apr
Salmon: Closed |
None |
Trout: 2
Salmon: 0 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Wangapeka River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Warwick River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Whakapuaka River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |
| Woolley River |
1 Oct-30 Apr |
Only 1 fish may exceed 500mm |
Total: 2
Salmon: 2 |
Artificial fly, spinner |