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Darren Knapping
Captain

Darren Knapping

Paihia, New Zealand
50+ reviews
Capt. Darren has lived and fished the Bay of Islands. Growing up around these waters,and has a great deal of local knowledge about the fisheries in the bay of island's and beyond While serving in the New Zealand Navy for 5 and a half years, Darren traveled the world and then got his captain's license. He later engaged in commercial tuna fishing. Eventually, Capt. Darren has come back to his native fisheries and has run charter fishing trips forvover 30 years. He has accommodated many repeat customers. His vessel is one of the finest in the area. Capt. Darren will work to put you on fish and make your trip an enjoyable adventure.
Kakeb K.
Kakeb K.
Captain

Charter

Rating

5.0
55 reviews
5.0
Boat & Equipment
5.0
Captain & Crew
4.9
Fishing Experience

What anglers say

97%
Good experience
100%
Friendly captain
100%
Recommend this charter
89%
Appropriate for children
100%
Satisfied with the boat
98%
Caught fish

All reviews (55)

Showing 1 – 5 of 55 reviews
  • Adriaan Steyn Adriaan Steyn
    Adriaan Steyn Adriaan Steyn
    nz
    New Zealand
    Member since 2025
    5.0
    Verified

    Listen to their customer and delivers exactly what they ask for

    Private Hapuka deep sea • 2 adults

    Darren is an exceptional Skipper. Thanks RNZN for developing people of this quality. Friendly, professional, knowledgeable, reliable and a great organiser. The boat is in perfect shape as is the gear. shout out for crew Johnny as well. Great guy. They don’t just take you to the perfect spots, they coach you in the technique for bait fishing (early morning adrenalin) to landing that big tuna and grabbing a snapper on the way home for dinner. But it does not stop there. Darren organised a Weighmaster on the way in to weigh that trophy and someone to cut it up, smoke it and send it home. In two words: “World Class”.

  • Jason Chan
    Jason Chan
    Repeat angler
    au
    Australia
    Member since 2026
    2 trips
    5.0
    Verified

    Terrific day out!

    7 Hr Trip – Kingfish Private/6 PAX • 5 adults

    Darren and his team were excellent. We had a fun time and caught plenty of fish. Would highly recommend Days Out to anyone. The equipment was of high standard, Darren was highly knowledgeable, personable and entertaining, they really took care of us and anticipated our needs, making sure everyone was comfortable, knew what to do (coaching!) and had a wonderful time. Thank you, 10/10!

    Response from Captain

    Was a pleasure Jason till next time safe travels

  • Tamara Burzinski
    Tamara Burzinski
    Repeat angler
    us
    California, US
    Member since 2025
    2 trips
    5.0
    Verified

    Fantastic Day!

    Special 4 hours trip for Tamara Burzinski • 2 adults

    very fun day of fishing with Captain Darren. Caught lots of tasty snapper, which we were able to take to a local restaurant to fry up for us for lunch before we boarded pur cruise ship. Bay of Islands is gorgeous, and we would love to rerturn and fish again with Captain Darren!

    Reported catch:
    Pink Snapper
  • Ted Dover
    Ted Dover
    Repeat angler
    au
    Australia
    Member since 2025
    2 trips
    4.7
    Verified

    tasty snapper

    Snapper Trip – Private/6 PAX (AM) • 2 adults

    great skipper

  • Murimotu Hohaia
    Murimotu Hohaia
    au
    Australia
    Member since 2024
    5.0
    Verified

    Fishing trip we'll NEVER forget.

    Snapper Trip – Private/6 PAX (AM) • 7 adults • 1 child

    THE BEST FISHING EXPERIENCE. This fishing charter was the best we've ever been on. Such a great day out with all my family. Captain was very helpful, knowledgeable and obviously loves what he does. Made us all feel comfortable straight off the bat with some good old laughs. We started easing into the whole experience with catching live bait, which was alot of fun in itself.Definitely will be recommending him to all our family and we'll be coming back next year to do it all over again. 10/10 from us, and most of all we caught fish ( not just the live bait) haha. Thanks captain !!! Everyone had a blast !!!!

    Reported catch:
    Pink Snapper
    Yellowtail Amberjack
    Response from Captain

    Glad you all had a great time See you next year safe travels

Real catches shared by our community

  • Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZ
    Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZPaihia
    A distant view of a fish in the water, with unclear visibility and no identifiable features.
    Fish 1
    Fish 2
    Yellowtail Amberjack
    John S.
    John S.
    Darren was a great guide. Caught my Pb Snapper and Kingfish. Boat was great and all fish expertly filleted. Also saw big pod od dolphin. Great day allround.
  • Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZ
    Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZPaihia
    An angler proudly displaying a Snapper while fishing on a boat in open waters.
    Fish 1
    Fish 2
    Pink Snapper
    Mark H.
    Mark H.
    Had a great days fishing with Darren. Caught 2 Kingfish around 15-20lb & a few snappers. The crew knew their stuff & were good company for the day.
  • Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZ
    Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZPaihia
    An angler proudly displaying a large Snapper while fishing on a boat in a scenic coastal environment.
    Fish 1
    Mullet Snapper
    Angela M.
    Angela M.
    Captain Darren hosted a fantastic morning for us. He was welcoming, explained the fishing tactics well and kept us on the fish. Great experience!
  • Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZ
    Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZPaihia
    View from inside a boat as it navigates through calm waters, showcasing the scenic landscape and the excitement of the fishing adventure.
    Fish 1
    Fish 2
    Pink Snapper
    Murimotu H.
    Murimotu H.
    THE BEST FISHING EXPERIENCE. This fishing charter was the best we've ever been on. Such a great day out with all my family. Captain was very helpful, knowledgeable and obviously loves what he does. Made us all feel comfortable straight off the bat with some good old laughs. We started easing into the whole experience with catching live bait, which was alot of fun in itself.Definitely will be recommending him to all our family and we'll be coming back next year to do it all over again. 10/10 from us, and most of all we caught fish ( not just the live bait) haha. Thanks captain !!! Everyone had a blast !!!!
  • Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZ
    Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZPaihia
    Two anglers proudly displaying a large Bluefin Tuna at the dock, showcasing their successful fishing trip.
    Fish 1
    Bluefin Tuna
    A great catch pulling the scales down to 184.3kg
  • Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZ
    Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZPaihia
    An angler proudly displaying a large Snapper caught during a fishing trip on the open sea.
    Fish 1
    Pink Snapper
    The summer is not far away its going to be a great one some big fish starting to show up
  • Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZ
    Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZPaihia
    A young angler proudly displaying a large Snapper while fishing on a boat in clear blue waters.
    Fish 1
    Pink Snapper
    Jess K.
    Jess K.
    Great skipper our crew thoroughly enjoyed their day out. Thanks Darren awesome experience
  • Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZ
    Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZPaihia
    A family group proudly displaying their catch, including a young angler holding a bag of fish, at the dock after a successful fishing trip.
    Fish 1
    Fish 2
    Red Snapper
    Kate G.
    Kate G.
    Captain Darren and his son Caleb are full of enthusiasm and character. We had 4 adults and 3 kids on board. The 3 kids got to catch the live bait then we all had plenty of opportunity to catch Snapper and Kingfish and took home a very good feed! We never had to bait a line or remove a fish. They did all the hard work. All we had to do was take food and drinks and reel the fish in! Great day on the ocean. Thank you.
  • Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZ
    Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZPaihia
    An enthusiastic angler proudly displaying a large fish on a sunny day while fishing on a boat in calm waters.
    Fish 1
    Yellowtail Amberjack
    Robyn I.
    Robyn I.
    The trip started with a warm welcome by Darren. His boat is very sturdy, clean and roomy, and best of all it has plenty of shade. It was a warm sunny day so this was very welcome. First we chased our live bait - a fun part of the trip. We then roamed around some of Darren’s known spots and ended up with 3 lovely kingfish and one snapper. This was what we were after so we were happy! Darren arranged smoking of the biggest two and filleted the other one for us. Darren was very attentive and encouraged us to land our own fish.
  • Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZ
    Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZPaihia
    An angler is actively reeling in a large Marlin while fishing in deep blue waters, showcasing the thrill of sport fishing.
    Fish 1
    Blue Marlin
    Marlin Action in the Bay of Islands on board Days Out Fishing Charters Afternoon Trip catching our clients bucket list fish species all the way from the UK! Glad we could get this beauty for him, no catch tag only!

What's biting with Days Out Fishing Charters BOI NZ in Paihia

Kingfish are at their peak once again, and you can expect fairly consistent fishing nearshore for Snapper, Nannygai, John Dory, and the like. Paihia's big game fishing season is just around the corner.

Top catches for November

Fishing reports

Two anglers proudly displaying a large Bluefin Tuna at the dock, showcasing their successful fishing trip.

Big tuna bay of islands

Oct 18, 2024 • Paihia
A great catch pulling the scales down to 184.3kg
Show more
An angler proudly displaying a large Snapper caught during a fishing trip on the open sea.

Spring snapper

Sep 6, 2024 • Paihia
The summer is not far away its going to be a great one some big fish starting to show up
Show more
An angler is actively reeling in a large Marlin while fishing in deep blue waters, showcasing the thrill of sport fishing.

Marlin Action

Jan 23, 2024 • Paihia
Marlin Action in the Bay of Islands on board Days Out Fishing Charters Afternoon Trip catching our clients bucket list fish species all the way from the UK! Glad we could get this beauty for him, no catch tag only!
Show more
Angler proudly displaying a large Snapper while fishing offshore, with a scenic backdrop of islands and clear blue waters.

Big bay of islands Snapper

Dec 2, 2018 • Paihia
On light tackle these hard fighting fish are what we all love to catch nows the time
Show more
An enthusiastic angler proudly displaying a large Snapper while fishing on a boat in open waters.

Pre school fish starting to turn up

Oct 2, 2018 • Paihia
Starting early in the morning to catch some live bait we hit the light spin gear for an hour or so then on to the bait and burly which was sure to bring on the bite. Not disappointed.
Show more
A group of anglers proudly displaying their catch on the deck of a vibrant fishing charter boat, set against a scenic waterfront backdrop.

Healthy winter snapper on the chew sha

Aug 7, 2018 • Paihia
Get on board book early for the up coming season in the stunning bay of islands New Zealand
Show more