You might be like many people. People who used to fish when they were a child, but haven’t drowned a worm in years. Many of you even have an old fishing pole sitting around somewhere.
Did you know that most states have some sort of free fishing day or weekend? That’s right! It means that you can give fishing a try again without having to spend money on a fishing license. It’s a great way to revive an experience from your childhood, get outdoors, and make a memory, especially if you have young kids.
We did a little research and put together a list of states with free fishing days. There are a few things to be aware of.
- The rules vary by state so be sure to check the details for your state.
- In some cases it only applies to residents, in other to non-residents as well.
- States with both inland (fresh) water and salt water have more complicated rules.
- The states that aren’t linked below means we found information but couldn’t verify it.
2018 State Free Fishing Days Information
- Alabama // June 9
- Alaska // information not available
- Arizona // June 2 // see page 3 of regs
- Arkansas // June 8-10 // 2nd full weekend in June // begins noon on Friday
- California // July 7 & September 1 // first Saturday in July and September
- Colorado // June 2-3 // first full weekend of June each year
- Connecticut // Saturday, May 12 // unable to verify
- Delaware // June 2-3 // unable to verify
- Florida // Freshwater: April 7-8, June 9-10 // Saltwater: June 2-3, September 1, & November 24
- Georgia // June 2 & 9 // September 22
- Hawaii // marine fishing doesn’t require a license
- Idaho // June 9 // see the bottom of the cover of the fishing regs
- Illinois // June 15-18
- Indiana // April 21, May 19, & June 2-3
- Iowa // June 1-3 // for residents only // see pages 1 & 2 of the regs
- Kansas // June 2-3 // first full weekend in June
- Kentucky // June 2-3 // first Saturday and Sunday in June
- Louisiana // June 9-10 // see page 62 of the fishing regs
- Maine // February 17-18 and June 2-3 // see page 6 of the regs
- Maryland // June 2 & 9 (1st two Saturdays in June) and July 4
- Massachusetts // June 2-3 // see page 13 of the regs
- Michigan // February 17-18 and June 9-10
- Minnesota // January 13-15, June 8-10, must be accompanied by a child 15 or younger // (unable to verify for June) // see page 11 of regs
- Mississippi // June 2-3 // Gulf coast, July 4 (unable to verify for 2018)
- Missouri // June 9-10 // the Saturday and Sunday following the first Monday in June
- Montana // June 16-17 // annually on Father’s Day weekend in June // see page 4 of the regs
- Nebraska // May 19 // also free State Park entry day // on the Saturday prior to Memorial Day Weekend // see page 25 of the regs
- Nevada // June 9 // always the 2nd Saturday in June (unable to verify for 2018)
- New Hampshire // January 20 & June 2 // first Saturday in June & third Saturday in January
- New Jersey // June 9 & October 20.
- New Mexico // first Saturday in June, one day in September yet to be announced
- New York // February 17-18, June 23-24, September 22, & November 11
- North Carolina // July 4th annually
- North Dakota // June 2-3 & December 29-30 (unable to verify for 2018)
- Ohio // May 5-6 // first Saturday-Sunday in May annually
- Oklahoma // June 2-3 // unable to verify
- Oregon // February 17-18, June 2-3, September 1-2, November 23-24,
- Pennsylvania // May 27 & July 4
- Rhode Island // May 5-6 // freshwater only // first weekend in May // see page 4 of regs
- South Carolina // May 28 (Memorial Day) & July 4
- South Dakota // May 18-20 // search “free fishing” on the calendar // weekend before Memorial Day annually
- Tennessee // June 9 // Saturday of the first full week in June annually
- Texas // June 2 // first Saturday in June annually // year-round within state parks
- Utah // June 9
- Vermont // January 27 & June 9 // second Saturday in June and the last Saturday in January
- Virginia // June 1-3
- Washington // June 9-10 // first weekend in June after the first Monday
- West Virginia // June 9-10 // see page 9 of the regs
- Wisconsin // January 20-21 & June 2-3 // third full weekend in January and the first full weekend in June
- Wyoming // June 2 // see page 5 of the regs
2017 State Free Fishing Days Information
- Alabama // June 10
- Alaska // information not available
- Arizona // June 3 // see page 3 of regs
- Arkansas // June 9-11 // 2nd Fri – Saturday in June
- California // July 1 & September 2 // 2 days each year
- Colorado // June 3-4 // first full weekend of June each year
- Connecticut // May 13 ???? // unable to verify
- Delaware // June 3-4 // unable to verify
- Florida // Freshwater: April 1 -2, June 10 – 11 // Saltwater: June 3 – 4, September 2, & November 25
- Georgia // June 3 & 10 // September 23
- Hawaii // marine fishing doesn’t require a license
- Idaho // June 10 // residents & nonresidents
- Illinois // June 16-19
- Indiana // April 15, May 20, & June 3 – 4
- Iowa // June 2 – 4 // for residents only
- Kansas // June 3 – 4 // first full weekend in June
- Kentucky // June 3 – 4 // first Saturday and Sunday in June
- Louisiana // June 10-11
- Maine // February 18 & 19 and June 3 & 4
- Maryland // June 3 & 10 (1st two Saturdays in June) and July 4
- Massachusetts // June 3-4
- Michigan // February 18 & 19 and June 10 & 11
- Minnesota // June 9 – 11, must be accompanied by a child 15 or younger // see page 11 of regs
- Mississippi // June 3-4 // Gulf coast, July 4
- Missouri // June 10-11 // the Saturday and Sunday following the first Monday in June
- Montana // June 17 – 18 // annually on Father’s Day weekend in June
- Nebraska // May 20 // also free State Park entry day // on the Saturday prior to Memorial Day Weekend
- Nevada // June 10 // always the 2nd Saturday in June
- New Hampshire // January 21 & June 3 // first Saturday in June & third Saturday in January
- New Jersey // June 10 & October 21.
- New Mexico // June 3 & September 23
- New York // February 18-19, June 24-25, & November 11
- North Carolina // July 4th annually
- North Dakota // June 3-4 & December 30-31
- Ohio // May 6 & 7 // first Saturday-Sunday in May annually
- Oklahoma // June 3 & 4 // unable to verify
- Oregon // April 22-23, June 3-4, November 25-26, & December 31-January 1, 2018
- Pennsylvania // May 28 & July 4
- Rhode Island // May 6 & 7 // freshwater only
- South Carolina // May 29 (Memorial Day) & July 4
- South Dakota // May 19-21 // search “free fishing” on the calendar // weekend before Memorial Day annually
- Tennessee // June 10 // Saturday of the first full week in June annually
- Texas // June 3 // first Saturday in June annually // unable to verify
- Utah // June 10 // see page 5 in the regs
- Vermont // June 10
- Virginia // June 2-4
- Washington // June 10-11 // unable to verify
- West Virginia // June 10-11 // unable to verify
- Wisconsin // January 21-22 & June 3-4 // third full weekend in January and the first full weekend in June
- Wyoming // June 3