Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders proclaimed the weekend of June 12-14 as Free Fishing Weekend in Arkansas. Anyone may fish in Arkansas without a fishing license or trout stamp from noon Friday, June 12, through midnight Sunday, June 14.
Sanders’ proclamation was read before the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s monthly meeting on Thursday by Katherine Hindsley from the Governor’s Office. An annual tradition sponsored by the AGFC and approved by the governor, Free Fishing Weekend gives many people an opportunity to enjoy the amazing angling The Natural State has to offer. Sanders’ proclamation also noted that sportfishing has a $2.1 billion impact in Arkansas, contributing to more than 18,000 jobs.
In addition to a weekend of free fishing, the AGFC’s four warm-water fish hatcheries schedule free fishing derbies on the Saturday of Free Fishing Weekend. That is planned this year for June 13 in Lonoke, Centerton, Corning and Hot Springs, the location of the four hatcheries. Families may fish for stocked catfish at those hatcheries, again without the need of a license…