Fishing in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea boasts excellent game fishing, with a choice of river or ocean fishing. The opportunity to land a black bass lures anglers to the country time and time again. The mighty black bass, reputed to be one of the world's toughest fighting fish, is found in the Fly, Sepik and Lower Ramu rivers, while spot-tail bass occur in the rivers of New Britain.

River fishing allows visitors the chance to meet the locals who live along the banks of the river, but for those who prefer ocean fishing, the waters of the Bismarck and archipelago seas offer plenty of challenge. As the climate doesn’t change much, many ocean fish are in local waters nearly all year round, so any time is the right time for fishing.

Blue and black marlin, sailfish and dogtooth tuna live in the coastal waters off New Ireland, the Duke of York Islands, Madang and New Britain. Big fish found off Kimbe Bay (West New Britain) are blue and black marlin, sail fish and dog-tooth tuna while the waterways around Kandrian, on the south coast, and Talasea, are known for spot-tail bass.

Other catches in Papua New Guinea’s ocean waters can include skipjack, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, whaler and tiger shark and mackerel. However, keen fishermen will be hard pressed to beat Dave Bryan's 1979 record for the biggest black marlin caught in local waters – a magnificent 282kg (622lbs).