Fishing

With translucent waters, tropical temperatures and pristine reefs dropping sharply into the Pacific Ocean, our little paradise is an angler’s paradise. From tossing a line in the shallows or venturing into the deep blue, all year round is a good time to try your luck. Fly fishing, lagoon fishing and spear fishing and all types of boat fishing are popular, from dropping a line from a kayak to going beyond the reef on a deep sea charter to chase yellow fin tuna, mahi mahi and wahoo.

Sport fishing
Rarotonga and Aitutaki have a large number of giant trevally on their reefs. The giant trevally or ‘GT’ is a great sport fish with light tackle and many an angler experiences the thrill of this catch-and-release species. Fishing on Rarotonga is unique as the island only has a 36 km circumference around the reef, meaning fishing locations in nearly all weather conditions. For the ultimate land-based fishing challenge, no angler can go past the fast-running, hard-fighting bonefish. These lie on the beautiful sand flats of Aitutaki and are every fly fisherman’s dream.

Fishing clubs
The Cook Islands are not crowded with fisherman, and the “Ra’ui” (protected areas) within the lagoon conserve the marine life and ensure fishing will remain a popular sport for generations to come. Fishing clubs on Rarotonga and Aitutaki welcome non-members and guided reef fishing can be arranged on Atiu.