Simon Aston, the brain behind Rotorua’s NGO Trout Fishing Club.
Simon Aston, the brain behind Rotorua’s NGO Trout Fishing Club.
Simon Aston was fishing along Rotorua’s streams when he realised many local kids didn’t know how to fish properly or how to look after the places they were fishing in.
Lines were tangled, flies were wrong, and rubbish was being left behind - the kids were “doing things sort ofbackwards”.
So he stepped in.
Aston spent years working as a professional fishing guide in places like Twizel, where trout fishing was a major part of the local economy and culture.
The retiree returned to Rotorua three years ago and was surprised to find there wasn’t already a fishing club for kids, given he believed the city was one of the best regions in the country for trout fishing.
He noticed many local youth fishing without guidance, so he began running small, informal sessions, showing kids how to rig their lines, cast properly, choose the right flies and fish safely.
Eastern Fish and Game - one of 12 regional Fish and Game councils in New Zealand - suggested turning it into an official club.
The council helped him set up a website and Facebook group, and the NGO Trout Fishing Club was born.
Four months in and the club had “just gone ballistic”, Aston said.
He believed it was New Zealand’s largest freshwater fishing club, with members joining every week. The Facebook group had almost 500 members.
The club is aimed at kids, free to join and run entirely by volunteers, with a small admin team approving members and sharing advice, photos and fishing tips online.
Most of the children fish after school and on weekends at spots like the Ngongotahā and Waiteti streams, with volunteers regularly checking in to make sure everyone is safe.
Local kids learn fishing skills through the NGO Trout Fishing Club in Rotorua. Photo / Supplied
Aston said some kids who previously caught maybe one fish a day were now catching up to 20, simply because they had learned proper techniques and how to read the water.
Alongside teaching fishing skills, Aston said the club was also focused on building respect for the environment.
“They all take the rubbish home now.”
Parents had been quick to praise the programme, he said.
Kids were now spending afternoons outdoors, and confidently explaining their catches to tourists.
“The attitudes of children have improved,” Aston said.
The local community had got behind the NGO Trout Fishing Club.
Local kids learn fishing skills through the NGO Trout Fishing Club in Rotorua. Photo / Supplied
Rotorua Anglers Association member Stuart Winn often supplied hundreds of flies, while the association donated pre-loved fishing gear for children to use.
Local businesses, like Hamills Rotorua, provided items such as rods, jackets and vouchers to be used as prizes.
Each month, prizes were offered for Best Boy Fishing, Best Girl Fishing and Photo of the Month.
Aston said one of the main goals was making sure cost wasn’t a barrier for families whose kids wanted to get involved, but “just can’t afford it”.
“We are trying the best we can to help all these children.”
Aston said the focus was on keeping the club sustainable and continuing to grow community support.
The priority was making sure the kids kept turning up, so the club could continue “snowballing”.
Annabel Reid is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, based in Rotorua. Originally from Hawke’s Bay, she has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Canterbury.
