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DuringTakeaKidFishingWeekend Friday, June 7to Sunday, June 9, Minnesota residents can fish without licenses if they take children 15 or younger fishing — and fishing is one way among many to enjoy Great Outdoors Month.
“Fishing is fun and it’s a great way to spend time outdoors together with kids,” said Benji Kohn, volunteer mentor program coordinator with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “Goingfishingcanbeassimple as finding some rods and reels, finding or buying worms for bait, and heading to a nearby lake to give fishing a try.”
Youth 15 and younger do not require fishing licenses at any time of the year, though they must observe all fishing seasons and other regulations. Take a Kid Fishing Weekend allows adult Minnesotans to fish without a license as long as they take a child fishing with them. Minnesota residents also may generally fish in state parks without a fishing license if the body of water does not require a trout stamp.
Take a Kid Fishing Weekend is one among many other outdoor opportunities available to Minnesotans during Great Outdoors Month. During the month, Gov. Tim Walz and the Minnesota DNR are encouraging Minnesotans to get out in nature and enjoy the state’s outstanding outdoor opportunities, including fishing, riding all-terrain vehicles on state ATV trails, and visiting stateparksandrecreationareastohike, bike, camp, swim, paddle or go birding. The proclamation of Great Outdoors Month cites the health and wellness benefits of spending time outdoors as one of the many reasons to encourage Minnesotans to get outdoors.
TheMinnesotaDNR’stakeakidfishing webpage(mndnr.gov/takeakidfishing) has a variety of online resources availableforanyoneinterestedintaking a kid fishing, including information and recorded webinars on how to fish, accessible piers and shore fishing locations, buyingafishinglicense,andwhat to do with live bait when done fishing.
