Free Fishing Weekend in Oregon is June 7-8, and for those two days you won’t need a fishing license to fish, crab or clam anywhere in the state.
“We want to make it easy for anglers to take a friend or family member out fishing for a day,” said Rick Hargrave, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife deputy administrator for information/education.
During Free Fishing Weekend, fishing licenses and tags are not required, although all other regulations apply including bag limit and size restrictions. People who already have a combined tag for salmon, steelhead, sturgeon and halibut are encouraged but not required to use it. Also, anglers are not required to purchase a Columbia River Basin Endorsement.
Free Fishing Weekend also aligns with State Parks Day, so if you’re going camping or hiking in an Oregon State Park this weekend, be sure to pack a fishing rod or crab pot, Hargrave said.
For the do-it-yourselfer there are hundreds of lakes and rivers, and hundreds of miles of coastline to explore. ODFW’s extensive website offers information about how and where to fish for trout, bass, steelhead and surfperch, to name a few.
