Free Freshwater Fishing Day is Saturday across New York. Residents and non-residents who are 16 and older will be allowed to fish without a freshwater fishing license or recreational marine fishing registration.
The state holds these events several times per year. They offer the perfect opportunity to try out fishing for the first time, get back into the sport or take a friend or the whole family along to fish.
Even though a license is not needed for free fishing day, all other fishing regulations apply, though they may vary depending on your location.
Here are some general tips to remember:
- A person may not possess, kill, or unnecessarily injure fish in excess of the daily limit for that species
- Catching endangered or threatened fish species is prohibited
- An angler may operate no more than three lines with or without a rod
"If you don't have your reg-guide, we have all that information online, so feel free. Go online. Get all that information," said Michael Sisarno, a fisheries biologist with the New York State DEC. "There are some regulations that are specific to each creek or river, so definitely check those out. If somebody is fishing at your favorite spot, feel free, take a walk or fish somewhere else. There's always more water to fish, right? So yeah, I would just encourage, just be courteous to everybody else in the water."
Kids under 16 can always fish for free.
In addition to free fishing days, there are learn-to-fish opportunities available through DEC-approved free fishing clinics. Just go to the DEC website to get more information on that.