Bay of Islands

Northland, New Zealand · Saltwater · Advanced

Subtropical waters where Zane Grey made his name. Big game boats chase striped marlin and tuna offshore in summer, while snapper and kingfish hold on the reefs and islands inshore.

Getting there & access

• Fish from: boat
• Boat ramp: Far North District Council maintains the public ramps and lists them for the Bay of Islands at Ōpito Bay, Rangitāne, Rangitoto (Windsor Landing), Rāwhiti, Russell, Tapeka Point, Te Haumi, Waipapa Landing and Waitangi.
• Parking: The council publishes ramp capacity, access and car parking detail per location on its Maritime Facilities pages rather than in one table — check the ramp you plan to use.

Marlin are taken offshore, so this is a game-boat fishery rather than a land-based one; the ramps above are the launching points, not the fishing grounds. LICENCE: no licence is needed to fish in the sea anywhere in New Zealand — the licence requirement applies only to fresh water. Rules differ across the seven fishing areas and Fisheries New Zealand publishes them in the free NZ Fishing Rules app. Selling or trading a recreational catch is illegal. RĀHUI — THIS ONE CATCHES VISITORS OUT: Maunganui Bay, which includes Deep Water Cove in the southern Bay of Islands, has been closed to all fishing except the gathering of kina since 2010. The closure is made under section 186A of the Fisheries Act 1996 on the application of Ngāti Kuta and Patukeha ki Te Rāwhiti as mana whenua, and is renewed in two-year periods, so it is a live restriction rather than a historical one. Breaching it carries a fine of up to NZ