Free Fishing Weekend June 6-8

LITTLE ROCK — Thanks to a proclamation by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, anyone may fish in Arkansas without a fishing license or trout stamp from noon Friday, June 6, through midnight Sunday night, June 8.

AGFC Deputy Director Ben Batten read the proclamation at the May 22 meeting of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

Batten said the annual event has taken place for more than 30 years in The Natural State, and offers people to try fishing for the first time, or maybe try a new form of fishing, without investing in an Arkansas fishing license or trout stamp.

“Although Arkansas’s resident fishing license is one of the lowest in the country and has not increased in decades, we still want to remove any barrier we can to get people on the water,” Batten said. “We’re very appreciative of Gov. Sanders continuing this great tradition, and we look forward to another successful Free Fishing Weekend this June.”

AGFC Chief of Fisheries Tommy Laird said the proclamation applies to residents and nonresidents, so it’s a perfect time for families to get together and remember how fun fishing can be.

“It’s a great time to host a family get-together or invite friends from out-of-state to come and have a day on the local lake or pond,” Laird said. “Couple that up with a good old-fashioned fish fry from the day’s catch, and that’s where memories are going to be made.”

The AGFC has a host of fishing derbies taking place across the state, as well as freshly stocked Family and Community Fishing locations.

A list of all fishing derbies for the year can be found at https://www.agfc.com/education/fishing-derby-program.

All Family and Community Fishing Program ponds have also been freshly stocked with channel catfish. A list of those locations is available at https://www.agfc.com/fishing/where-to-fish/family-and-community-fishing-program-stocked-ponds.

This weekend’s biggest events will be the AGFC’s annual hatchery fishing derbies, held June 7 at all four of the agency’s warmwater fish hatcheries. These derbies are for youth 18 and younger and their families who would like to fish alongside them.

“The hatchery derbies used to only be for the kids, but we changed the focus to include the family members to create a much larger family-focused event,” Jason Miller, AGFC assistant chief of fisheries, said. “Fishing is always better with family and friends, so we want to encourage everyone to enjoy themselves at this once-a-year opportunity to catch fish right from the hatchery where we raise them.”

People interested in fishing at one of the derbies must register in advance.

Visit the links below to register for one of the AGFC’s hatchery derbies:

• Joe Hogan State Fish Hatchery (Lonoke) Fishing Derby

• Andrew Hulsey State Fish Hatchery (Hot Springs) Fishing Derby

• William H. Donham State Fish Hatchery (Corning) Fishing Derby

• Charlie Craig State Fish Hatchery (Centerton) Fishing Derby

Visit www.agfc.com/education/2025-free-fishing-weekend for more information on Free Fishing Weekend in Arkansas.

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