Iowans need to have their poles, nets and bait ready, as the first weekend in June means Free Fishing Weekend in Iowa.
Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Bureau, says anyone who’s a resident of Iowa can fish without a license on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“It’s just a good time to get out with your family and this time of year is really good fishing. The crappies and bluegills are close to shore,” Larscheid says. “There’s a whole lot of events. If you go to our special events calendar on our DNR website, you can see clinics and different county conservation boards and different clubs will sponsor events.”
Larscheid says the website IowaDNR,gov has plenty of information on the big weekend.
“There’s tips on how to be successful, tips on how to clean and even prepare your fish for food, and find events that are locally sponsored,” Larscheid says. “There’ll be people there to help, people that need help fishing. If you know how to fish and you just don’t have your license yet, it’s a good time to get out and run a line.”
He says it’s easy to buy a fishing license with the DNR’s online licensing system. Download the Go Outdoors IA mobile app to buy and store your fishing license, so you will always have access to your license. Yearly, seven-day, or 24-hour fishing licenses are available.
