| News Release: For Immediate Release | June 8, 2005 | ||
| Events Highlight California’s Free Fishing Day on Saturday, June 11 | |||
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| The first Free Fishing Day of the year -
when anglers need not worry about having a fishing license - is
Saturday, June 11. On this day, and again on Saturday, Sept. 24, the
California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) waives fishing license
requirements for anglers 16 years and older on all inland and ocean
waters. All other fishing regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear
restrictions, fishing hours and stream closures, remain in effect. DFG’s Fishing in the City program offers events to help educate and introduce the general public to an exciting and popular outdoor sport, said Joe Ferreira, Fishing in the City program coordinator in Sacramento. “Free Fishing Day is an excellent opportunity for anglers to introduce their non-fishing friends to the sport,” said Ferreira. “It gives the general public a chance to learn about the sport and test their skills for free. We’ve found that many people who take part in Free Fishing Day become life-long anglers.” The program began more than a decade ago to serve Californians living in the state’s three most populated metropolitan regions: Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. On Free Fishing Day, June 11,
the Bay Area offers a fishing “mini clinic” at Lake Cunningham in San
Jose. The clinic runs from 8 a.m. to noon, and rods will be available
for loan and volunteers will be on hand to assist angles. For more
information on clinics, fish stocking or school-based programs, call
(415) 892-0460. In addition, the East Bay Regional Park District plans
to waive its usual $4 per angler fishing access permit on both free
days. In Marin County, 1,000 pounds of 1- to 3-pound trout are planted
in Bon Tempe Reservoir just before Free Fishing Day. DFG will stock more
than a dozen lakes and ponds in six Bay Area counties with up to 2-pound
catfish and 3-pound trout. In Sacramento on June 11, DFG plans a Free Fishing Day event from 8:30 a.m. to noon at William Land Park, across from the Sacramento Zoo. DFG will stock the pond with channel catfish and free rods and tackle will be on loan. DFG will add fish to 16 waterways in nine counties in the Sacramento Valley and Central Sierra area the week prior to Free Fishing Day. Additionally, radio station The Eagle’s Rock-N-Reel with Bob Keller will feature a free day of activities, fishing and fun on Lake Natoma. Fishing seminars, as well as poles and tackles are compliments of DFG. Kayaks and rafts are available from Adventure Sports, scuba tanks are from Diver’s Cove, and the Department of Boating and Waterways will offer a boating safety puppet show. There will be animal exhibits by the Sacramento Zoo, a rock climbing wall, and live music by Catfish and the Crawdaddies. Parking costs $5, and there will be food vendors. In Los Angeles, DFG will hold a Free Fishing Day event June 11 at
Belvedere Park Lake, co-sponsored with the Belvedere Fishing Club. Two
other free fishing clinics in Los Angeles County will follow later in
the month. Complete stocking information for the south coast area can be
access on the Department’s Web page at
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/fishplant/index.html. ### |
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