← Fishing
Perch and coarse fish
Coarse fish are the European pond and lake fish: perch and tench everywhere, and rudd, which are a sports fish in the Auckland/Waikato Fish & Game region only. Perch in particular are plentiful, bite readily and are good to eat, which makes them the easiest first fish for many people.
Where they live
- Perch: lowland lakes, ponds, wetlands and slow rivers across the country (Fish & Game).
- Tench: slow rivers, lakes and wetlands, mainly in the North Island (Fish & Game).
- Rudd: some North Island lakes and slow waterways (Fish & Game).
When
- Seasons depend on the water: check the rules for the lake or river you fish.
- Warm, settled weather from late spring to autumn is when they feed hardest.
How
- Small lures
- A small spinner or soft bait worked slowly near weed beds and jetties catches perch.
- Bait
- Worms under a float or on the bottom, where bait is allowed: tench especially are bait fish.
Your first trip
- Find a lowland lake with a public shore near a road (see the lakes in each region).
- Never move live fish to another water: it spreads them where they don’t belong.
- A Fish & Game licence is still needed for perch and tench, which are sports fish.
Check, Clean, Dry. Remove any plant matter from your boots, waders, net and line, and leave it at the water you’re at. Soak or scrub everything in 10% dishwashing detergent for at least 10 minutes (or hot water at 50–55 °C for 5 minutes). Let it dry completely, inside and out, then leave it at least another 48 hours before using it in another river or lake. MPI
Places to start
Each region page lists places where a public road meets the water and the bank is public land.
Sources: Fish & Game: what you could catch · Fish & Game: coarse fishing.