The Best Fishing Spots in Chatham Islands
The remote Chatham Islands offer anglers excellent inshore and offshore opportunities, with productive coastal reefs and deepwater grounds reachable from small boats; key targets include blue cod, tarakihi, hapuku (groper), ling and coastal kingfish, while further offshore anglers can find albacore and yellowfin tuna as well as other pelagics; popular methods are bottom fishing for groper and tarakihi, jigging and trolling for tuna and kingfish, plus productive shore fishing and rock fishing around headlands and reefs for blue cod and mixed reef species.
Top Cities For Fishing
Sea Fishing
Waitangi
(0 km to coast)
Top Saltwater Fishing Spots
Petre Bay
The broad sweep of Petre Bay, fronting the main settlement, offers reliable access to blue cod, tarakihi, and in deeper drop-offs, hapuku/groper; calm windows let small boats work the reefs, while the beaches around Te One and the wharfside structure near Waitangi produce surfcasting runs of kahawai and occasional moki year-round.
Waitangi West
Facing the open west coast, Waitangi West beaches and rocky corners reward surfcasters with kahawai and gurnard, while reefy patches can deliver moki; windows of calmer swell make this area productive for long casts into the deeper gutters along the shore.
Waitangi
Centered on the main wharf and shoreline, Waitangi is the island’s most used launch and land-based fishing hub, with close-in foul ground holding blue cod, trumpeter, and tarakihi, plus seasonal passes of kahawai; boats running a short distance into Petre Bay tap deeper ledges for hapuku when conditions allow.
The Pyramid
South of Pitt Island , the dramatic rock known as The Pyramid sits near rich currents that attract trumpeter, blue cod, and deeper-running hapuku; jigging and bait fishing along the drop-offs are highly effective when swell and wind align for safe approaches.
Cape Pattisson
Jutting from the northwest of Chatham Island, Cape Pattisson’s points and surrounding reef are classic haunts for blue cod and tarakihi, with current lines that sometimes attract kahawai and the odd kingfish; boats work the contour changes, while rock platforms offer productive bait fishing in settled seas.
Hanson Bay
Exposed but very productive when calm, Hanson Bay’s reef systems hold dense blue cod, plus trumpeter and tarakihi; boats probing the outer edges find hapuku, while surfcasters working gutters pick up kahawai and occasional moki in cleaner swells.
Glory Bay
On the eastern side of Pitt Island, Glory Bay offers cleaner water and quick access to reef edges where tarakihi and blue cod school, with trumpeter along rougher ground; land-based rock ledges can produce moki and roving kahawai when the swell eases.
Cape Fournier
Projecting from the southeast of Chatham Island, Cape Fournier provides fast boat access to offshore reef systems where blue cod, trumpeter, and deeper-water hapuku are targeted; current seams can also bring pelagic life, rewarding slow jigs and livebaits on calmer days.
Flower Pot Bay
The main settlement bay on Pitt Island offers sheltered anchoring and access to nearby reef drop-offs for blue cod, trumpeter, and tarakihi; shore fishing along the rocks and wharf structure produces kahawai and bait-caught moki, with calm days rewarding small-boat excursions toward Port Munning .
Top Saltwater & Freshwater Spots
Te Whanga Lagoon
The vast brackish Te Whanga Lagoon is a unique fishery for shortfin and longfin eels, seasonal runs of flounder and mullet, and baitfish, with access points around the shore suiting set-lines and light craft; channels connecting to the sea can also bring in pelagic visitors on the right tides.