Piper
Piper — also called garfish or takeke — are slender halfbeaks found in shallow inshore waters all around New Zealand. Most anglers target them not as a primary catch but as live or dead bait for snapper and kingfish.
They're also decent table fish in their own right, and their willingness to school near wharves and rocky shores makes them accessible to anyone with light gear.
Scientific Name: Hyporhamphus ihi
Also known as Garfish, takeke
- Long, slender silver body with a distinctive extended lower jaw (beak) — the upper jaw is short, giving the face an asymmetric, half-beak look that makes them unmistakable.
- Greenish-blue back fading to bright silver on the sides and belly; the beak tip is often reddish-orange.
- Average size around 200 mm (roughly 20 cm), though fish can reach 400 mm; typical bait-sized fish run 15–25 cm.
What to know
Habitat Distribution
- Native to New Zealand; found all around the country in shallow inshore marine waters — not a freshwater species.
- Favour calm, sheltered coastal areas: harbours, estuaries, bays, and around wharves and jetties where they school near the surface.
- Often found close to structure — wharf piles, rocky shorelines, and areas where berley (chum) concentrates them near the surface.
Key Locations
- Wharves and jetties in harbours throughout New Zealand — anywhere there's structure and shelter, piper school reliably.
- Sheltered bays and estuaries around both the North and South Islands; they're found all around the country's coastline.
Specific Spots
- Wharf piles and jetty edges — piper school here, especially when berley is in the water, and the shade and structure concentrate them.
- Rocky shoreline edges and reef margins in sheltered bays, where they feed near the surface on drifting material.
- Berley slicks off rocks or boats pull piper in from a wide area; once a school arrives they'll hold in the slick for extended periods.
Piper FAQ
Answers from onWater's species guide.
What are the best lures and bait for Piper?
Small pieces of squid tentacle are a reliable standby, tough enough to stay on a tiny hook through multiple casts and bites. Bread, dough, or small pieces of fish flesh also work when piper are feeding actively in a berley slick; match the bait size to the hook, thumbnail-sized or smaller.
When is the best time to fish for Piper?
Available year-round in sheltered inshore waters, but schools are most reliably encountered during the warmer months (November through April) when fish are more active near the surface. Autumn and early winter can still produce good numbers around wharves, particularly when berley is used to hold fish in the area.
How do you catch Piper?
Most anglers target piper from wharves, jetties, or rocky shorelines using light handlines or spinning gear with a berley trail to draw schools to the surface. A small float, tiny hook, and thumbnail-sized bait fished in the top metre of the water column is the standard setup.
What do Piper eat?
Feed mainly on small floating organisms, algae, and surface debris, they're surface and mid-water grazers rather than bottom feeders, which is why tiny baits fished near the top work best.
Where do Piper live?
Native to New Zealand; found all around the country in shallow inshore marine waters, not a freshwater species. Favour calm, sheltered coastal areas: harbours, estuaries, bays, and around wharves and jetties where they school near the surface.
See it in the app
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