Fishing in Canterbury

Located on the eastern coast of New Zealand’s South Island, Canterbury is a vast and diverse region stretching from the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean. Its dramatic geography includes alpine rivers, braided lowland waterways, volcanic lakes, and a long coastline. The region’s main city, Christchurch, offers excellent infrastructure and quick access to fisheries - although some of the best backcountry areas are best accessed by helicopter. With a temperate climate, the fishing season theoretically extends throughout the year. However, certain freshwater fisheries have seasonal closures to protect spawning fish, and in general trout and salmon action gets slow in winter, so it’s best to plan the trip for the Southern Hemisphere summer - October to March. Although Canterbury offers some saltwater fishing, such as bottom fishing off Kaikōura, it’s the backcountry trips through the majestic mountains, where the Lord of the Rings films were famously made, that is the main attraction of the area. Be it the introduced trout and salmon or native whitefish, Canterbury delivers an authentic Kiwi fishing experience in raw and beautiful surroundings, making it a bucket-list destination for adventurous anglers.

Canterbury offers world-class freshwater fishing. Inland, the region’s famed braided rivers—like the Rakaia, Waimakariri, and Rangitata—offer thrilling fly and spin fishing for salmon and trout. High-country lakes such as Lake Coleridge, Lake Heron, and Lake Tekapo are ideal for sight-fishing and trolling. Remote spring creeks and alpine streams provide technical, peaceful fishing in pristine backcountry settings. On the coast, the Pacific shoreline provides solid inshore and offshore fishing. From Kaikōura to Timaru, anglers target a variety of reef and bottom species, and in some seasons, even chase albacore and school tuna offshore. Estuaries and river mouths are also productive, especially during seasonal whitebait and salmon runs.

Brown trout are the region’s signature species, thriving in both rivers and lakes and often growing to impressive sizes in Canterbury’s cold, food-rich waters. Rainbow trout are more common in lakes and upper river systems, offering acrobatic fights and visual takes. Some lakes also hold brook trout and salmon, including Chinook (quinnat) salmon, particularly in rivers like the Rakaia and Rangitata during late summer and autumn runs. In saltwater, anglers catch blue cod, gurnard, tarakihi, kahawai, school sharks, and elephant fish nearshore, especially when fishing off jetties or from small boats. In the Kaikōura area, albacore tuna and even hapuku (groper) are targeted further offshore. Whitebaiting is a traditional seasonal favorite in Canterbury’s rivers and estuaries from spring to early summer.