Going Fishing in Massachusetts? No License Needed, the First Weekend of June Is Free

With Summer knocking at the door and the warmer weather settling in, it's just about time to wipe off the dust on your fishing poles.

Every year around this time, my fiancée and I enjoy a nice camping getaway weekend where there's no electricity, no cell service, no work, and no one to bother us. While she knits her blankets and reads her book, I enjoy fishing from the shoreline. The perfect mini-vacation to recharge the battery.

Just in time, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife announced some exciting news: the first weekend of June, no license is required to fish.

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They're calling it the "Free Freshwater Fishing Weekend" for June 3rd and 4th, where no license is required to fish. Whether you're on a public lake, pond, reservoir, stream, or river, as long as you're within the state line of Massachusetts beginning at midnight on Saturday, June 3 until 11:59 p.m. Sunday, June 4, then you're good to go.

Keep in mind that a license is required for both salt and freshwater fishing any time after June 4th if you are over the age of 15. Kids younger than 15 can fish for free regardless throughout the year. Also, normal regulations and catch limits are still in effect for the free fishing weekend, so be sure to freshen up on the rules here.

Coming up soon on the weekend of June 17-18th is Free Saltwater Fishing Weekend. Here are the recreational saltwater fishing regulations, please review them before your first cast.