The Best Fishing Spots in Bay of Plenty


The Bay of Plenty in New Zealand is a productive recreational fishing region where anglers catch a variety of species from harbours, reefs and offshore grounds; top targets include snapper, kingfish, trevally, kahawai, gurnard and john dory, while further offshore you can find marlin and albacore/tuna and occasional hapuka (groper). Popular launch points such as Tauranga Harbour, Whakatāne and Ōpōtiki give easy access to estuaries, rocky reefs and deep-water structure, and anglers use a mix of boat fishing, shore fishing, jigging, trolling, live bait and softbaits depending on species and conditions.

Top Cities For Fishing

Sea Fishing

Awakeri (11 km to coast)
Bethlehem (2 km to coast)
Edgecumbe (10 km to coast)
Gate Pa (4 km to coast)
Greerton (5 km to coast)
Judea (2 km to coast)
Katikati (5 km to coast)
Maketu (2 km to coast)
Mount Maunganui (3 km to coast)
Ohope Beach (1 km to coast)
Omokoroa (2 km to coast)
Opotiki (0 km to coast)
Oropi (17 km to coast)
Otumoetai (1 km to coast)
Paengaroa (10 km to coast)
Taneatua (12 km to coast)
Tauranga (2 km to coast)
Te Puke (10 km to coast)
Waihi Beach (4 km to coast)
Waimana (19 km to coast)
Whakatane (2 km to coast)

Top Saltwater Fishing Spots

Waihi Beach
Popular surfcasting beach with reliable runs of snapper, kahawai, and summer kingfish; fish around change of light, target gutters after a light swell, and use long traces for wary fish; nearby Bowentown offers additional current lines and structure.
Tauranga Harbour
A vast, productive harbour famous for its snapper, kahawai, trevally, and seasonal kingfish; anglers drift soft baits over channels, slow-jig reef edges, or bait fish the banks, while summer evenings see hot topwater action around current lines and marker poles; launch ramps and shore access are plentiful around Mount Maunganui and Matua.
Ohiwa Harbour
A scenic estuary known for pannies of snapper, strong kahawai schools, and summer kingfish around channel edges; soft baits and slow jigs drifted with the tide excel, while shellfish baits take trevally and gurnard; access from Ohope and Kutarere.
Mayor Island
Offshore volcanic island offering blue-water action with kingfish, snapper, hapuku, and summer pelagics; jig pinnacles like the south-east reefs, live-bait current lines, and bait-fish the foul for big reds; charters depart from Tauranga and Whangamata on settled forecasts.
Matakana Island
Surf beaches and harbour channels produce snapper, kahawai, and cruising kingfish; fish the ocean-side gutters with baits or topwater in summer, and target the inner banks by boat on turn of tide; access commonly arranged by boat from Omokoroa or Mount Maunganui.
Moturiki Island
Also called Leisure Island, this rocky islet at Mount Maunganui gives land-based access to deeper water for snapper, trevally, and summer kingfish; fish the points on a rising tide with straylines, metals, and stickbaits when baitfish are schooling nearby.
Pilot Bay
Sheltered inner bay at Mount Maunganui ideal for family fishing with regular kahawai, jack mackerel, and occasional snapper; light tackle with small baits or micro-jigs works well around the wharves and rock edges, especially on a moving tide.
Pukehina Beach
Open-coast surf beach noted for snapper, kahawai, and summer kingfish; fishing the deeper gutters with fresh baits and deploying slide-baits or topwater lures during calm, clear spells are productive; evening tides fish best.
Papamoa Beach
A long surf beach popular for evening and dawn bites of snapper, gurnard, and roaming kahawai; fish the rips and gutters with long casts or slide-baits when summer kingfish patrol the close-in banks; calmer days suit stickbaits and metal lures, with access points all along Papamoa.

Top Freshwater Fishing Spots

Lake Tarawera
Scenic, deep lake famous for chunky rainbow trout; jigging and downrigging are effective over submerged points, with harling productive at dawn; wade fly fishers stalk cruising trout along beaches like The Landing and Rangiuru Bay in low light.
Lake Rotoiti
Renowned for large rainbow trout and trophy brown trout; deep trolling and jigging around drop-offs and thermoclines are prime tactics, while night fly fishing at river mouths shines in winter; sheltered bays and ramps near Okere Falls and Hinehopu provide easy access.
Lake Okataina
Pristine, deep lake producing quality rainbow trout with less pressure than its neighbors; jigging over steep drop-offs and harling along bush-lined shores excel in low light; limited but good access from the main ramp at Okataina.
Ohau Channel
Short channel linking Lake Rotorua and Lake Rotoiti, famed for concentrated runs of rainbow trout and brown trout; swing streamers for migrating fish or drift nymphs along the seams, and troll nearby lake edges at change of light.
Lake Rotorua
New Zealand’s most accessible trout fishery with prolific rainbow trout and some brown trout; winter smelting runs concentrate fish off stream mouths for harling and jigging, while summer mornings reward fly anglers with smelt patterns and dries along the weed edges; easy shore access near Ngongotaha and Hamurana.

Top Saltwater & Freshwater Spots

Whakatane River
Tidal lower reaches hold kahawai and summer kingfish for lure and live-bait anglers, while upper reaches can produce sea-run trout after freshes; boats work the bar and lower channel on calm windows, and spinning from town wharves is popular during baitfish runs.
Wairoa River
Bay of Plenty’s Wairoa River near Bethlehem offers tidal lure fishing for kahawai and occasional kingfish, with upper reaches after freshes holding trout; target bridge pylons, bends, and current lines on the turn of the tide.
Kaituna River
Flowing from Lake Rotoiti to the sea near Maketu, the lower tidal reaches yield kahawai and summer kingfish to lures, while the upper river and tributaries can produce trout; fish current seams and eddies after small freshes.
Rangitaiki River
Large river entering the Bay near Thornton; the lower reaches yield kahawai and seasonal kingfish to lures, while the middle/upper river and tributaries are known for quality trout; fish edges after flows drop and water clears.