How to Catch: Trevally & John Dory

Export How to Catch highlights 16 of New Zealand's most sought-after recreational species and shines a light on the best methods for targeting them successfully. 

For beginner anglers, this resource provides fundamental information about species’ life histories, behaviours, and specific fishing techniques. For more experienced anglers, it may serve as a reminder of the many alternative methods and species that are available in our backyard.

Trevally

Trevally are one of NZ’s best light-tackle sportfish species. They are generally schooling fish, most abundant in the warmer waters off the northern North Island. Surface schools of trevally are often seen near headlands, pinnacles and islands where currents concentrate upwellings of plankton.

Trevally have deep bodies, separated dorsal fins, and a row of ridged scutes near their tail base. Smaller specimens have a blue-silver hue with yellow-tinged fins, while bigger models feature similar colour schemes but bear darker, greener shoulders and larger foreheads. They are relatively slow growing and long-lived, with some fish exceeding 45 years of age. Their mouths are designed for hoovering krill from the surface, and they’re also adept at bottom-feeding over sand, sucking up crustaceans, worms and shellfish.

For more info on how to target trevally click here.

John Dory

John dory are wacky-looking critters; they feature very narrow bodies, giant telescopic mouths, protruding eyes that provide binocular vision, long dorsal fin spines, and characteristic eyespots painted on each of their flanks.

They can be seen stalking their favourite prey – small fish – in comically slow fashion, their camouflaged bodies pressed along by undulating secondary dorsal and anal fins. When in range of their target, JDs open their extendable mouths to create a vacuum that pulls in their unsuspecting prey.

For more info on how to target john dory click here.