Free Fishing Weekends Provide a Great Opportunity to Get Outside

Why it Matters: Many states across the country offer a free fishing day or a free fishing weekend in an effort to give new anglers the opportunity to go outdoors and participate in our time-honored traditions without having to pay the cost of the fishing license. The “try before you buy” approach to free fishing weekends can potentially get first-time anglers hooked and turn them into lifelong anglers.

Highlights:

• Angler Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation efforts are focused on increasing angling participation and protecting traditions and the vital conservation funding that angling generates.
• Free fishing weekends hosted by state fish and wildlife agencies throughout the country offer a great opportunity for new anglers to experience fishing without the commitment of buying a yearlong license.
• Allowing individuals to experience fishing without first having to buy a license eliminates a perceived barrier to entry, potentially helping to recruit lifelong anglers as a result.

With schools out for summer and many hunting seasons now closed, fishing is a great way to get people outdoors and participating in our time-honored traditions. Many state fish and wildlife agencies offer a free fishing weekend, often in early June, to help promote fishing and to get people involved. Fishing often has the lowest barrier to entry since fishing licenses often cost less than hunting licenses, and reasonably inexpensive equipment can still be used successfully. While offering free fishing weekends is a great way to introduce new people to fishing, state fish and wildlife agencies continue to provide opportunities like this to ensure the new anglers become lifetime anglers.

Angling is also imperative to the success of the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF). The ASCF relies, in part, on the sale of fishing licenses as well as the federal excise taxes on fishing-related items through the Dingell-Johnson/Wallop-Breaux Act to support state-based fish conservation efforts. The long-term increases in participation that these free fishing weekends may lead to will ultimately support the ASCF, which allows state fish and wildlife agencies to continue their efforts to improve public fishing areas.

For more information on free fishing weekends in your state, visit your state fish and wildlife agency’s website.

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