Public fishing lakes, rivers and canals in Otago Region — Trout, Salmon, Other.
Filter by species, water type and size. Permit and rules information for every public venue in Otago Region and across New Zealand.
Otago Fish & Game extends from Shag Point on the South Island's east coast south to The Brothers Point in the Catlins, running inland to cover the entire Clutha/Mata-Au and Taieri river catchments plus smaller coastal catchments like the Catlins, Tahakopa, Tokomairiro, Waikouaiti and Shag/Waihemo. The large southern lakes - Wānaka, Wakatipu, Hāwea and Dunstan - hold rainbow and brown trout and Chinook salmon, drawing both boat and shore anglers.
The Clutha, Pomahaka and Taieri rivers are popular, productive trout fisheries, and Central Otago's irrigation reservoirs offer good fishing too, with Fish & Game stocking rainbow trout in about a dozen put-and-take fisheries. Perch are abundant in most coastal reaches and in many lakes and ponds. A Fish & Game licence covering all 12 regions except Taupō is required.
Every angler needs a Fish & Game licence. A single season or short-term licence covers all 12 Fish & Game regions nationwide; Taupō is managed separately by DOC under its own licence and rules.
The 2026-27 Anglers Notice, approved under the Conservation Act 1987, sets the open season, authorised methods (Fly/Spin/Bait) and daily bag limit for named waters in each region, with a regional default for everything else.
There is no national night-fishing clock rule — hours are set per water in the Anglers Notice, so always check the specific venue rather than assuming a blanket rule.
Whether you can camp or bivvy overnight nearby depends on land ownership and public-access status, not the fishing regulations themselves — check this region's venues for their confirmed access status, and DOC's hut/campsite network for a legal place to stay.
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