5/30/2007

Free Fishing Days will be June 8-10 in Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK – Free Fishing Days of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission this year will be from noon Friday, June 8, through midnight Sunday, June 10. No sport fisherman, resident or non-resident, will be required to have a fishing license or a trout permit to fish anywhere in Arkansas during this time.

The Free Fishing Days are an annual tradition of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, with large numbers of citizens and even visitors getting chances to experience the highly popular pastime.

Free Fishing Days are part of the National Fishing Week celebration. Mike Armstrong is chief of fisheries for the AGFC, and he said. “We want to encourage Arkansas people as well as visitors who come to our state, who may not be fishermen, to give it a try. We especially encourage parents to go fishing with their kids. Young people under 16 don’t need a fishing license anyway, and if their moms and dads will go along, it can make a family outing that they’ll all enjoy.”

How do you get into fishing? Armstrong suggested that beginners make a stop at a sporting goods outlet, a boat dock or one of the AGFC regional offices for pointers on the basics of fishing in Arkansas. 

Open houses and fishing derbies for youngsters are planned at five state fish hatcheries in Arkansas Saturday, June 9 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. For more information, phone the AGFC Fisheries Division office at (501) 223-6371.

Youngsters 12 and under will be allowed to fish with the supervision of an adult. Children may catch and keep up to three catfish (or three trout at the Jim Hinkle Spring River State Fish Hatchery).

Derbies will be at: