Will the fishing be good on June 3 and 4? Who knows, but it’ll be free in Oregon.
Free Fishing Weekend returns to Oregon on Saturday and Sunday, June 3-4, the second of three such “Free Fishing Weekends” scheduled to be held in 2023.
It’s also the only weekend where Oregon Administrative Rules call for two days of fishing free from the barrier of cold hard cash. While there’s usually three to four such weekends a year, only one is mandated annually.
The first full weekend (Saturday and Sunday) in the month of June shall be designated as an annual free fishing weekend. No angling licenses or tags shall be required for the taking of fish for personal use in Oregon waters on this weekend,” OAR 635-011-0102 reads.
Fishing, crabbing, and clamming is free to all residents and non-residents, meaning no fishing licenses or tags, including a Combined Angling Tag or Columbia River Basin Endorsement are required.
“The SMALL PRINT: Area closures, bag limits and all other regulations still apply,” the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife said
Dorman Pond in Gales Creek and Vernonia Pond in Vernonia were last stocked with 1,332 and 5,500 legal size trout respectively at the beginning of May; no more trout stockings are scheduled for the rest of the year for either body of water.
Hagg Lake will see two deposits of trout in the days before Free Fishing Weekend of 4,026 and 2,666 trout.
By June 3, Hagg Lake will have seen a total of 47,636 legal size trout this year over 15 different stockings, according to ODFW.
The last 2023 Free Fishing Weekend is Thanksgiving Weekend on November 24 and 25.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Gales Creek Journal and sister news publications the Banks Post and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
