Anyone may fish in Arkansas without a fishing license or trout stamp from noon Friday through midnight Sunday.
The annual event has taken place for more than 30 years in Arkansas and offers people the opportunity to try fishing for the first time, or maybe try a new form of fishing, without investing in an Arkansas fishing license or trout stamp.
“Although Arkansas’s resident fishing license is one of the lowest in the country and has not increased in decades, we still want to remove any barrier we can to get people on the water,” said Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Deputy Director Ben Batten. “We’re very appreciative of Gov. (Sarah Huckabee) Sanders continuing this great tradition, and we look forward to another successful Free Fishing Weekend this June.”
Sanders signed a proclamation recently allowing the no-license-needed fishing weekend to be conducted for another year.
AGFC Chief of Fisheries Tommy Laird said the proclamation applies to residents and nonresidents, so it’s a perfect time for families to get together and remember how fun fishing can be.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“It’s a great time to host a family get-together or invite friends from out of state to come and have a day on the local lake or pond,” Laird said. “Couple that up with a good old-fashioned fish fry from the day’s catch, and that’s where memories are going to be made.”
The AGFC hosts a variety of fishing derbies throughout the state, as well as newly stocked Family and Community Fishing locations.
A list of all fishing derbies for the year can be found at https://www.agfc.com/education/fishing-derby-program.
All Family and Community Fishing Program ponds have also been freshly stocked with channel catfish. A list of those locations is available at https://www.agfc.com/fishing/where-to-fish/family-and-community-fishing-program-stocked-ponds.
This weekend’s biggest events will be the AGFC’s annual hatchery fishing derbies, to be held Saturday at all four of the agency’s warm-water fish hatcheries. These derbies are for youth 18 and younger and their families who would like to fish alongside them.
“The hatchery derbies used to only be for the kids, but we changed the focus to include the family members to create a much larger family-focused event,” Jason Miller, AGFC assistant chief of fisheries, said. “Fishing is always better with family and friends, so we want to encourage everyone to enjoy themselves at this once-a-year opportunity to catch fish right from the hatchery where we raise them.”
People interested in fishing at one of the derbies must register in advance.
Participants may register online for the following AGFC hatchery derbies:
* Joe Hogan State Fish Hatchery (Lonoke) Fishing Derby.
* Andrew Hulsey State Fish Hatchery (Hot Springs) Fishing Derby.
* William H. Donham State Fish Hatchery (Corning) Fishing Derby.
* Charlie Craig State Fish Hatchery (Centerton) Fishing Derby.
More information on Free Fishing Weekend in Arkansas is available online.
Randy Zellers is assistant chief of communications at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.