The Best Fishing Spots in Southland
Southland offers varied recreational fishing across clear rivers, deep lakes and rugged coastline around Fiordland and Stewart Island. Freshwater anglers can expect strong runs of brown trout, rainbow trout and seasonal Chinook salmon, commonly pursued by fly fishing and spin casting. Inshore and coastal waters, including Foveaux Strait and the Bluff area, are good for blue cod, tarakihi, gurnard and schooly kahawai, taken from boats or the shore with baits and light tackle. Popular spots like the Mataura and Oreti rivers and lakes such as Te Anau provide scenic day trips and reliable angling action.
Top Cities For Fishing
Sea Fishing
Avenal
(3 km to coast)
Awarua Plains
(1 km to coast)
Bluff
(2 km to coast)
Clifton
(1 km to coast)
Georgetown
(0 km to coast)
Gladstone
(5 km to coast)
Glengarry
(3 km to coast)
Grasmere
(6 km to coast)
Hawthorndale
(3 km to coast)
Heidelberg
(1 km to coast)
Invercargill
(3 km to coast)
Kew
(0 km to coast)
Kingswell
(1 km to coast)
Newfield
(1 km to coast)
Otatara
(3 km to coast)
Richmond
(1 km to coast)
Riverton
(3 km to coast)
Rosedale
(5 km to coast)
Strathern
(1 km to coast)
Tuatapere
(9 km to coast)
Waikiwi
(6 km to coast)
Wallacetown
(8 km to coast)
Windsor
(3 km to coast)
River Fishing
Lake Fishing
Lake Te Anau
Top Saltwater Fishing Spots
Te Waewae Bay
A broad surf beach and inshore fishery west of Orepuki producing rig (lemonfish), school shark, and kahawai for surfcasters using crab and pilchard baits, with small boats prospecting sand gutters and reef edges on settled seas.
Foveaux Strait
The strait’s reefs and foul ground are famous for hard-fighting blue cod, trumpeter, and deeper-water hapuku on calm windows; boats launch from Bluff or Riverton , while shore anglers pick accessible ledges for kahawai during baitfish pushes.
Doubtful Sound
Expansive fiord reachable via Lake Manapouri and Deep Cove , famed for blue cod, trumpeter, and deeper hapuku; jigging and ledger rigs along drop-offs and reef structure are effective on calm, stable weather patterns.
Colac Bay
Popular with surfcasters targeting kahawai, elephant fish (seasonal), and red cod, with calmer days allowing small boats to fish close reefs; fish the change of light and the flood tide, with access via Colac Bay settlement.
Bluff Harbour
Sheltered waters around wharves and channels produce blue cod, kahawai, tarakihi, and seasonal mackerel; small boats drift the channel edges, while shore anglers fish bait and soft-baits near structure around Bluff on the turn of the tide.
Milford Sound
Deep, sheltered fiord waters accessed from Milford Sound marina hold blue cod, tarakihi, and occasional hapuku on deeper pins; charter boats work the edges and current lines, with best windows on settled weather and neap tides.
Taramea Bay
Fronting Riverton , this accessible bay offers consistent surfcasting for kahawai, red cod, and rig, while small craft and kayaks work the points and nearby reefs with soft-baits and jigs when the swell is down.
Oreti Beach
Long, drive-on beach near Invercargill known for kahawai workups, rig on crab baits, and occasional school shark; best fishing typically coincides with low swell, clean green water, and the evening high tide.
Curio Bay
Scenic bay in the Catlins offering surfcasting for kahawai, red cod, and occasional moki, with nearby ledges and the adjacent Porpoise Bay fished on calmer swells; dawn and dusk coincide with baitfish movement along the beach.
Top Freshwater Fishing Spots
Waiau River
Flowing from Lake Te Anau to Lake Manapouri and on to the sea, the Waiau produces strong rainbow and brown trout for drift-boaters swinging streamers and for wading anglers nymphing pockets; sea-run fish show in lower reaches in spring and early summer.
Lake Te Anau
Vast and scenic, Lake Te Anau yields solid brown and rainbow trout to trollers running feathered lures and shallow divers along drop-offs, while shore anglers work river mouths like the Upukerora River and the Waiau River outlet at Te Anau Downs, with best action at dawn and dusk.
Oreti River
A Southland classic for big, wary brown trout, the Oreti’s broad gravels near Invercargill and the middle reaches above Winton reward careful stalking, with summer terrestrial dry-fly days and effective streamer fishing during evening runs of baitfish.
Lake Monowai
A Fiordland lake with solid brown trout responding to tassie devils and black-and-gold tobies trolled along weedlines, while fly and spin from shore at river mouths and the Monowai arm produce in the mornings and evenings.
Mataura River
World-renowned for sight-fishing to large brown trout, the Mataura offers prolific mayfly hatches from late spring through autumn, with excellent nymphing and dry-fly action around Gore and downstream toward Mataura ; spinning with small spoons also produces in colored water after freshes.
Mararoa River
A clear, bouldery tributary of the Waiau River and Lake Manapouri with strong rainbow and brown trout numbers; nymphing riffles and swinging small streamers in pools is productive, with sight-fishing in summer flows.
Lake Manapouri
Crystal-clear arms and reef edges hold quality brown and rainbow trout; trolling tassie devils and flat-lined minnows is reliable, while shore-based spinning and fly at river mouths and points near Manapouri excels in low light and overcast conditions.
Lake Hauroko
New Zealand’s deepest lake offers wild brown and rainbow trout; trollers work steep drop-offs and points, while shore anglers target inlets and beaches on calm days, accessed via Clifden and the Western Southland back roads.
Top Saltwater & Freshwater Spots
Waituna Lagoon
A renowned lagoon in the Awarua wetlands producing sea-run trout on smelt imitations, with bait and soft-bait options for flounder and kahawai when the mouth is open; small craft and shoreline polaroiding both score in settled weather.
Waikawa Harbour
Sheltered harbour and channels near Waikawa where small boats and kayaks target flounder, kahawai, and sea-run trout; shore-based anglers work channel edges and wharf structures on the incoming tide.
New River Estuary
An extensive estuary beside Invercargill where anglers target sea-run brown trout, flounder, and kahawai; soft-baits and small metals shine around channels on the incoming tide, while kayaks and dinghies explore backwaters on calm mornings.