Free fishing for all residents this weekend

This weekend is free fishing weekend across the state of Iowa.

The event, put on by Iowa’s Department of Natural Resources, will run Friday through Sunday and allows Iowa residents of all ages to fish without a license. The goal of the weekend is to build support and interest in the sport.

Anglers typically need a fishing license in order to fish.

“The idea is that you’re going to take somebody out there who may not want to buy a license yet but is willing to try it,” said Union County Conservation Officer Corey Carlton.

Carlton welcomes the idea of a weekend to potentially get more residents a chance to find a new hobby or passion.

“Get them kind of hooked, get them to catch a couple fish and have a good time, and at some point they might turn into license buyers.”

The profit from fishing licenses goes towards Iowa’s DNR Fisheries Bureau to produce and stock more than 160 million fish annually, construct fish habitats, improve water quality and restore lakes with a history of poor fishing and improve access for anglers.

Union County is home to a number of lakes, some of which already have boat trailers lined up in anticipation.

“Twelve Mile today, they’re already parking their boat trailers on the upper deck because there isn’t any more room on the lower deck. Its just an extremely good time for fishing,” said Carlton.

There are plenty of options to fish all over Union County. Those option include Twelve Mile Lake, Three Mile Lake, Green Valley and others.

Natural Resources Biologist Andy Jansen reccomended bluegill as the top target for this weekend.

“For bluegill, Green Valley’s been really good,” said Jansen. “Then Lake Icaria, they’ve been catching them over at the rock crease too.”

Most fishing traffic will be out on boats, but Iowa DNR has opened up a lot of new areas for those who wish to fish on shore.

“Green Valley, since we got that trail, put out numerous benches, if you can walk on that trail for a couple hundred yards, they’ve cleared a lot of those areas out and thats been really popular,” said Carlton.

Piers and jetties line multiple locations that will make for great fishing on shore.

Carlton metioned there are plenty of other options that may be less crowded but wont lack in results.

“Don’t underestimate places like Cedar Park Pond, Thayer Lake, or Orient Lake,” added Carlton. “Places real close, at the small county parks, that people do really well on, especially when it’s windy.”

Tips and tricks

Small lures should be adequate for most fish this weekend. Carlton pointed out that most fish are protecting spawn and will bite pretty much anything within their vicinity.

“A lot of times if they’re spawning you are actually losing time and not catching fish by baiting your hook,” said Carlton. “You’re better off just to throw that hair jig out there; they’ll attack it and you get them on that.”

Jansen had similar advice.

“Use white line, 4-6 pound test line and then small hooks like a No. 6 gray hook and small piece of nightcrawler,” explained Jansen.

“Small bait, small hook and fish shallow. Find that rocky area along the fishing jetty and you should have really good success.”

Bluegill are the easiest fish to catch for all experience levels this weekend. As the proclaimed No. 1 target, Carlton added, “It’s my favorite fish to catch. The action’s fast, especially right now and they’ll be close to shore.”

License options and regulations

An annual license retails at $19 and a three-year option costs $53.

For those interested in purchasing licenses, those can be found at various locations throughout each county. County recorders will sell licenses, as well as bait shops, TruValue, Wal-Mart and online.

Purchasing a license online will carry a small convience fee.

Free fishing weekend doesn't come without and rules or stipulations. Regulations are still in place such as a 15-inch minimum on bass. Those minimums may be even higher depending on the lake or pond's rules. Regulation booklets can be found anywhere you can buy a license as well as online at iowadnr.gov.