With the country stepping out of Alert Level 3 on Tuesday, freshwater fishing is now a great option for recreation and to provide for the table.

"Being able to break the cabin fever and go to your local river fishing is fantastic safe family fun" says Nigel Pacey from the Otago Fish and Game Region.

"A quick check of our regulations book will let anglers know where they can go locally for a fish" says Mr Pacey.

For those anglers that traditionally travel a bit to go fishing and might have overlooked close to local fishing options in the past, we recommend these five spots for a bit of outdoor recreation. It all depends on where you live…

1. In Dunedin, the local reservoirs like Southern, Sullivan’s and Tomahawk are great places to take the kids on a fine afternoon and are open through winter.

2. The Southern Lakes will be fishing well with browns congregating at stream mouths ready to move for spawning.

3. In South Otago, the Lower Clutha is brimming with fish - all methods should be successful with my favourite being a black and gold paddle tail soft bait.

4. In Central, the irrigation dams fish well in the autumn with some great fly fishing to be had.

5. Don’t forget the many estuaries along the coast that are open all year with some great locals and sea-runners mooching about.

All the adults need to do is grab their licence (remember a kids licence under 12 is free) and dust off their fishing gear and break the monotony of the last five weeks by getting out there fishing.

The benefits of being in the outdoors are well documented and family fishing will give everyone a break from the screens and devices we’ve been glued to for the last five weeks.

Anglers in this region have been following the rules of Alert Level 4, and so now should reward themselves by easing into a bit of fishing.

If you haven’t got a fishing licence, we have a discounted winter fishing licence available for anglers which you can purchase online at www.fishandgame.org.nz and if you’ve misplaced our regulation book you can find that here.

"Looking forward, the reduction to Alert Level 2 in a couple of weeks will open further opportunities for anglers and their families that have been cooped up at home" says Mr Pacey.

And don’t forget those fish won’t have seen an angler in five weeks so there will be some exciting times!!

1. Stay home. If you are not at work, school, getting some recreation or getting essentials then you must be at home, the same as at Alert Level 4.

2. Stay regional. fish local and the closer to home the better. Activities must be safe - keep 2 metres away from anybody not in your bubble. Make minimal trips.

3. Keep your bubble as small as possible. If you need to, you can expand your bubble a small amount to bring in close family, isolated people or caregivers (not fishing budies yet).

4. If you are sick, stay at home and quickly seek advice from your GP or Healthline about getting a test.

& ( ) at Alert Level 3

1. It is possible to fish locally, not at your favourite spot, but at you closest spot while observing the above restrictions.

2. All fishing must be land based. Current restrictions from the Government mean you cannot fish from a boat

3. Our understanding of Alert level 3 restrictions is that you can fish all legal methods from the shore of a local lake or at a local river.

4. All Fish & Game fishing regulations on open waters, bag limits etc. remain unaltered and will be enforced.

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