Free Fishing Weekend Ahead

Evansville IN

01 June, 2022

2:32 PM

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By Tim Jagielo, WNIN June 1, 2022 This weekend kicks off a national fishing and boating week, with free fishing days happening all over the country. Normally, anglers pay $23 for an annual state fishing pass and $11 for trout and salmon stamps. But this weekend, these fees are waived for fishing on public waters. Anglers can catch fish like bluegill, crappie catfish, large and smallmouth bass, white bass, trout and salmon. Cindy Stites is Wildlife Recreation Program Manager with the DNR. She said more Hoosiers getting hooked on fishing is good for conservation. She says these fees pay for conservation efforts. "We want to get more people outdoors, we want more people to enjoy the outside spaces, public lands, public water in Indiana, want them to be more involved in what conservation is in our state," Stites said. "And we hope that if they go out and enjoy these free fishing days, that will encourage them to buy a fishing license so they can continue to do that the rest of the year." Conservation aside, Stites said fishing just plain good for you. "It's relaxing. It's a chance to be outdoors. Generally it's quiet. It's a chance to put food on your table — but catch and release fishing is enjoyable as well." She said it's also a great way to see more of nature while you're out fishing. This is the only full weekend of free fishing the DNR offers. The next free day is September 24. For more information, go to in.gov/dnr. WNIN is the NPR/PBS affiliate in Evansville, Indiana. We serve Southwestern Indiana, Western Kentucky and Southern Illinois from our multimedia facility located on the Ohio River in downtown Evansville. For the past several years, the recognized quality of our local news has placed us among the best small market radio news organizations in the nation.