The Best Fishing Spots in Gisborne
Gisborne on New Zealand’s east coast is a great spot for recreational fishing, offering productive inshore and offshore opportunities. From shore and rock platforms you can surfcast for snapper, trevally and kahawai, while boats score well for snapper, kingfish and john dory on reefs and pinnacles. Offshore anglers can target seasonal marlin and yellowfin tuna on the current lines, and estuaries and inland waterways provide good brown trout fishing for light-tackle anglers. Most fishing is done by boat, surfcasting, trolling or estuary and river methods, making Gisborne a versatile destination for recreational fishers.
Top Cities For Fishing
Sea Fishing
River Fishing
Top Saltwater Fishing Spots
Young Nicks Head
Guarding the southern side of Poverty Bay, this prominent headland funnels tide and bait along sculpted reef edges, producing summer kingfish on stickbaits, inshore snapper and tarakihi for bait fishers, and constant kahawai activity—boats work the drop‑offs while rock platforms offer casts into deep blue water.
Wainui Beach
A premier surfcasting stretch minutes from town, Wainui Beach produces strong runs of kahawai and summer snapper over the gutters, with chance encounters from cruising kingfish on calm, clear mornings—long casts into the darker channels between sandbars and fishing change of light are the classic local tactics.
Tuahine Point
Where currents wrap the headland north of town, predatory kingfish patrol bait schools in summer and powerful kahawai sweep past in surging lines; topwater lures and livebaits shine from the rocks on settled seas, while small boats trace current seams between Makorori Beach and the point.
Tolaga Bay
This iconic bay and long wharf area draw baitfish and predators, making for exciting kahawai spinning from shore and dependable boat sessions for snapper, tarakihi, and in season, kingfish along nearby reefs; current breaks around the bay headlands and the mouth of the Uawa River are prime zones.
Tokomaru Bay
Surfcasters line the sandy sections for kahawai and evening snapper, while rock ledges toward the points produce blue moki on shellfish baits; time sessions for change of light with a gentle swell for the most comfortable and productive fishing.
Poverty Bay
The broad sweep of Poverty Bay is Gisborne’s signature fishery, producing prolific kahawai runs at the river mouths, summer shots at kingfish around reef edges, and inshore snapper, gurnard, and trevally over the sand flats; boats work current lines off Young Nicks Head and Tuahine Point , while shore anglers do well around the Turanganui River mouth and down the beachfront during warm, settled spells.
Hicks Bay
The remote northern arc of the district offers clean water and reefy contours for kingfish, inshore snapper, and roving kahawai; fish the headlands for current lines, deploy livebaits when baitfish are present, and drift baits over sand patches between the reefs for mixed bags.
Anaura Bay
A picturesque crescent with clear water and nearby reef, Anaura Bay fishes well for snapper, trevally, and kahawai, with chances at cruising kingfish on glassy mornings; soft‑baits and stray‑lines from the beach edges are effective, while boats probe the foul ground off the points.
Makorori Beach
Backed by reefy points and clean sand, Makorori Beach offers reliable surfcasting for kahawai and gurnard, soft‑baiting around the rocks for snapper, and stickbaits for summer kingfish when the water clears—work the gutters north toward Whangara and the reef edges on a rising tide.
Sponge Bay
Close to Kaiti and sheltered from some swells, Sponge Bay’s rocky fringes and small coves gather forage fish, attracting kahawai, reef‑edge snapper, and occasional blue moki; fish baits tight to the rocks at high tide or flick soft‑baits along the wash for ambush bites.
Top Freshwater Fishing Spots
Motu River
Renowned for rugged scenery and clear pools, the Motu is a destination trout fishery with powerful fish holding in bouldery runs and deep tailouts; focus on stable flows and overcast days, drifting small naturals and swinging streamers through pocket water in the middle and upper reaches toward Raukumara Range .
Taruheru River
A gentle meandering river that meets the Waimata River to form the Turanganui River , the Taruheru offers easy‑access edges for light‑tackle pursuits of kahawai pushing up on spring tides and resident trout in the clearer suburban stretches—small hardbaits and soft‑plastics are local favorites.
Lake Repongaere
A small, accessible lake west of Gisborne known for coarse fishing, Repongaere offers reliable catches of perch and rudd from weed‑edge openings and deeper pockets—float rigs and small soft‑plastics produce best in low‑light, with fish often schooling near inflow points and drop‑offs.
Top Saltwater & Freshwater Spots
Waipaoa River
From its braided lower reaches to the tidal mouth, the Waipaoa delivers strong seasonal migrations of kahawai and mullet in the estuary, while the upper and tributary runs can hold trout in cooler months—spinners and small soft‑baits excel at the mouth near Poverty Bay on incoming tides.
Waimata River
Winding through valleys into town, the Waimata’s pools and runs provide urban‑close fishing for estuarine kahawai near the lower reaches and trout in the cooler, clearer stretches upstream; target shade lines and deeper bends, and time sessions around flow pulses after rain.
Waiapu River
A broad East Coast river that meets the sea near Rangitukia , the Waiapu’s mouth fires for surf‑side kahawai when the water clears and tides build, while cooler‑season tributaries like the Tapuaeroa River can hold trout; metal lures and shallow‑running minnows are productive around bait schools.
Turanganui River
Famed as one of the world’s shortest rivers, the Turanganui funnels bait and predators right past town, delivering frantic kahawai action, occasional marauding kingfish, and seasonal schools of trevally—spinners and livebaits work best on tide turns near the confluence of the Waimata River and Taruheru River and along wharf edges toward the harbour.
Uawa River
Flowing into Tolaga Bay , the Uawa’s mouth and lower channels are hotspots when tides funnel baitfish, drawing in kahawai and sometimes trevally, while upstream runs can shelter trout in cooler periods; work current lines and channel edges around the turn of the tide.