Iowa's free fishing weekend begins Friday, giving residents the chance to angle for a lunker without the $19 cost of purchasing a license.

The annual free fishing weekend sponsored by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will run through Sunday. It's a good time to introduce young children to the sport, because it's a time of year when fish move closer to the shore, said Joe Larscheid, chief of the DNR's fisheries bureau, in a release.

"“Kids will stay interested and have fun when the fishing is good," Larscheid said in the release. "Once the interest in fishing is gone, just let them play. It isn’t about how many fish you can catch; it’s about sharing your time and having fun together."

All other regulations related to fishing in Iowa remain in place throughout the weekend.