YOUTH FISHING – Sport Fishing for Youth Trust

Providing opportunities for youth to enjoy outdoor activities

Sports Fishing For Youth Trust is a charitable Trust with a goal of providing youth in the Nelson/Tasman region with an opportunity to go fishing, enjoy the outdoors, and hopefully to develop an appreciation of the outdoor environment. With the support of sponsors we have built a facility of three fishing ponds at Appleby and we stock these ponds with trout and salmon. With assistance from Nelson Marlborough Fish and Game we stock these ponds with trout and salmon.

Trustees and volunteers use the ponds to provide youngsters with a guided fishing opportunity at designated fishout days. These fishout days occur on selected days in two spells . The first spell is between 13th October and the 20th of December each year and the second spell is between the 1st of April and the 31st of May. During these two spells fishing is only permitted on the designated fishout days and no fishing without a Trustee guide is permitted.

We also, from time to time, make the ponds available for other groups and provide fishing opportunities for special needs groups, the disabled, the elderly, and groups such as Casting for Recovery.

It is essential to book children in for a time slot for the guided fishout days. Parents should check with this webpage and the Trust’s Facebook page for announcement of the dates of fishout days. The actual dates depend on matters like fish availability , maintenance requirements , and weather forecasts. The process for booking is contained elsewhere on this site.

Between the 20th of December 2019 and the 31st of March 2020 we will make the ponds available for children to fish with parent supervision. The ponds are currently available until the 13th of October 2019 for children to fish with parent supervision. Please note there are conditions of use that apply during these periods and these must be observed. Details of the conditions are available elsewhere on this website however conditions include : a maximum of one fish per child on any one day , only children can be a fisher ( the person holding the rod ) , no burley or feed to be used , restrictions on the use of spinners and soft baits, and all fishers must have a licence from Nelson Marlborough Fish and Game (free for 12 and under).

There are no more guided fishout days for this season however the ponds will be open for children to fish with adult supervision from the 1st of June until the 13th of October 2019. The details of these family fishing opportunities are set out elsewhere on this site.

Warning /latest news . TDC have advised that there may be forestry work taking place alongside the access road from the 23rd of September and the 4th of October. This forestry work may require to road to be closed for extended periods during this time with no road access to the ponds during the week of the 23rd of September to the 27th of September and the 30th of September to the 4th of October .

Please take care when using the access road and comply with any restrictions or road closures. Some of the potholes are challenging at the moment.

read more about the Trust »

Fish Out Days

The Trust has designated “fish out” days. On these days our volunteers guide the young fishers in 50 minute fishing sessions. Fishing gear and tackle is provided. There is a small charge of $2 per child on the designated fishout days but this may be waived for special needs groups.

Fish out days are usually carried out in two spells. There is a spring spell with fish out days in November and early December and a second spell in April/May. The public fish out days for the 2019/2020 season have not yet been selected as they depend on weather , availability of fish, and completion of maintenance programs.

We will decide on fish out day dates for the 2019/2020 season later in the year , probably in late October. You need to monitor this site or our Facebook page to know when bookings will be open. Bookings for the fish out days are essential but cannot be made until the dates have been set.

Book now

Our Fishing Ponds and family fishing opportunities

Family fishing opportunities – The Trust also makes the ponds available for children to fish with parent / caregiver supervision for limited periods over the year. A special permit or licence issued by Fish and Game is required to fish the ponds during these times. The Conditions for use of the ponds apply to these family permits and the children must have a licence. The licence from Fish and Game is free for children 12 and under and $20 for children between 12 and 17 years old. There is a link below to the Fish and Game web site to order a licence.

The ponds are open for family fishing opportunities when kids can fish with adult supervision until the 13th of October 2019.

For advice on how to use the ponds and where to fish go to our tips site . There is also an excellent youtube video produced by Jim Jobe of Jimmys bait company at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbiRLRRvMbk

Order Licence

We also, from time to time, make the ponds available for other groups and provide fishing opportunities for special needs groups, the disabled, the elderly, and the groups such as Casting for Recovery. If you wish to arrange a visit by such a group send us a message.

Finding the ponds »

Access to the ponds is off River Road via a gravel track . To access the track turn into River Road from Highway 60, approximately 150 m on the Motueka side of the Appleby bridge. Approximately 1.4 km along River Road from Highway 60 is an entry track that goes up onto the top of the stop bank for a distance of about 100m. Stay on the gravel road when it drops down off the stop bank. Follow the gravel road upstream for about 2 km and you should see the ponds. Drive slowly and with care on the track , it is narrow and quite rough in places. The attached map will also assist.

Volunteer

We rely on volunteers to run our Fish Out days. Maybe you can help us?

Volunteer

Book Now

Advance booking for Fish Out days is required.

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Tips, Resources

Handy tips and useful online resources for our budding little fishers.

View Resources

Our Sponsors

We get great support from the Nelson Trout fishing club ( http://www.nelsontroutfishingclub.com/) and from Nelson Marlborough Fish and Game. We are also greatly appreciate the assistance provided by the Corrections Department who maintain the grounds around the ponds and to ITM Nelson who have provided the timber to build and repair the disabled fishing platforms.