Saturday (June 11) is Free Fishing Day, which means any angler — resident or not — can fish without a license.

All other fishing rules remain in effect.

At locations around Southwest Idaho, equipment will be available for use and fishing experts will be available to help.

“Free Fishing Day provides a great opportunity for novices to give fishing a try and perhaps develop it into a life-long pursuit,” Fish and Game regional fish manager Joe Kozfkay said in a press release. “Parents are encouraged to bring their children out for a day of fun fishing excitement.”

Here are the locations with equipment and assistance:

Atwood Pond (Payette): Kids’ Conservation Day. Registration begins at 8 a.m.

Council (Ol’ McDonald) Pond: 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

Sawyers Pond (Emmett): 9 a.m.–noon.

Fischer Pond (Cascade): 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Kimberland Meadows Pond (New Meadows): 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Legacy Park Pond (Mountain Home): 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Lowman (10-mile) Ponds: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

McDevitt Pond (Boise): 8 a.m.-noon.

Northwest Passage Pond (McCall): 9 a.m.-noon.

Parkcenter Pond (Boise): 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Visitor Center Pond (Idaho City): 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Wilson Springs Ponds (Nampa): 8 a.m.-noon.

Anglers looking to catch a trout are reminded that the June long weekend is their last opportunity in designated streams and rivers across NSW, before the fishing season closes in these waters over winter.

NSW Department of Primary Industries’ (DPI) Inland Senior Fisheries Manager, Cameron Westaway, said the annual closure will start on Tuesday 14 June and re-open in time for the October long weekend on Saturday 1 October 2016.

“This closure allows brown, rainbow and brook trout to breed uninterrupted during their annual spawning run, while also allowing trout fishers to fish during both the June and October long weekends,” Mr Westaway said. 

Anglers can continue fishing for trout during the annual closure, without breaking the rules, at any of the trout dams across the State that have been stocked as part of the NSW DPI fish stocking program. 

“Popular winter fishing spots include Lakes Jindabyne and Eucumbene, Oberon Dam near Bathurst, Tantangara and Talbingo Dams near Tumut and Lake Wallace and Thompson’s Creek Dam near Lithgow.

“DPI, in conjunction with local acclimatisation societies, has been stocking trout dams and rivers in NSW for many years.

“During the 2015/16 season, around 2.9 million trout were stocked in NSW waterways, consisting of approximately 2 million Rainbow Trout, 630,000 Brown Trout, 150,000 Atlantic Salmon and 110,000 Brook Trout.”

NSW DPI Director of Fisheries Compliance, Patrick Tully, said it is an offence to fish in trout streams during the closed season and fisheries officers will also be patrolling waterways across the State to ensure that fishers are adhering to the closure.

“Fishers heading to one of the trout dams this winter are reminded that they are still required to have a current NSW recreational fishing licence receipt on them at all times while fishing,” Mr Tully said.   

“A combined bag limit of five and a size limit of 25cm applies for trout or salmon in all trout dams except Thompsons Creek Dam and Black Lake where the bag limit is two.”

Detailed information on the fishing rules can be found at www.fisheries.nsw.gov.au or in the 2016-17 NSW Freshwater Fishing Guide which is available from DPI Fisheries offices and most bait and tackle stores.

If someone has never “dunked a worm” or “wet a fly,” they don’t know what you are missing! Saturday, June 11, is their chance to find out. It is Free Fishing Day in Idaho, which means anyone can fish without a license on any of Idaho’s waters open to fishing.

To help celebrate the day, Idaho Fish and Game will be hosting three Free Fishing Day events in southeast Idaho.

Even people who do not know how to fish will find plenty of helpful hands at the various events to assist with fishing basics, from baiting a hook to reeling in a catch. Poles, bait, and other gear will be available to use for free at the events while supplies last.

All Free Fishing Day events in southeast Idaho run from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Portneuf Wellness Complex, Pocatello – Anglers of all ages are welcome to join in on the fun at the new Portneuf Wellness Complex in Pocatello. This Free Fishing Day event will be part of the Idaho State Journal’s Family Fun Day experience. Besides the many other booths and activities planned for Family Fun Day, Fish and Game’s Take Me Fishing trailer will be on-hand to get folks dunking worms and catching fish. Please note that there is a two-fish limit at this pond, but the fun is limitless.

Grace Fish Hatchery, Grace – Big fish promise some big excitement at this fishing event! Anglers aged 14 and younger are welcome to participate. All kids under the age of eight must be accompanied by an adult. Young anglers can keep up to two fish each, but are welcome to keep as many memories as they wish!

Upper Kelly Park Pond, Soda Springs – This event is being jointly hosted by Idaho Fish and Game and the City of Soda Springs. The event includes a free hot dog lunch complete with lemonade and cookies. There will also be a free raffle for various prizes and a prize for the biggest fish.

The event is open to anglers aged 13 and younger, and all kids under the age of eight must be accompanied by an adult. There is also a three-fish limit. Access to the pond is via a 1/4-mile hiking trail beginning at the Kelly Park parking lot.

For more information about fishing opportunities in the region or the upcoming Free Fishing Day Events, contact the Fish and Game office in Pocatello at 208-232-4703 or visit our website at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov.

The department hopes people will get outside and enjoy a day of fishing on June 11 without need of a license! 

All other fishing rules apply, so participants will need to make sure to check the fishing regulations before heading off to “reel in” some fun.

With volunteer Henry Yetter, 6, Wyoming Game and Fish warden Jon Stephens demonstrates what can happen when a life jacket is too loose.

Clear skies, warm temperatures and a pond stocked full of Snake River cutthroat brought 220 kids aged 13 and younger to R Park Saturday for Kids Fishing Day.
 
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department put on the event and gave the kids all the tools necessary. The young trout slayers divided into groups of five and rotated to different stations where they learned about aquatic invasive species, boat and angling safety, fish habitat, fish ID and anatomy.
 
This was all before each kid was handed a free fishing pole to take a shot at the stocked pond.
 
Game and Fish fisheries biologist Tracy Stephens helped organize the event and said the nearly 2-year-old park was a good change from the usual Kids Fishing Day location at the Jackson National Fish Hatchery.
 
“It’s such a big open space and safe,” Stephens said. “The kids can run around and just enjoy the park, play in the water and have a good time in addition to learning a little bit about fish and fishing.”
 
The man-made pond in the new park at the intersection of Highways 22 and 390 in Wilson is connected to a smaller pond with a man-made stream. The pond sits adjacent to a large area of green grass where fish and boat experts from organizations such as Game and Fish, Jackson Hole Trout Unlimited, High Country Outfitters and the 4H sport fishing club conducted the fishing lessons.
 
The anglers spent 12 minutes at each station and received a crash course in everything there is to know about how to be a safe and responsible angler.
 
“The kids get a little bit of an education and aren’t just handed a fishing pole,” Stephens said. “It helps them appreciate this resource a little bit more.”
 
Deacon Saulters, 10, said he was able to learn something new at each station. His favorite was where a cutthroat was split open to display its anatomy.
 
“I thought seeing the heart of the trout was really cool,” Deacon said.
 
Deacon was one of the few kids who didn’t rush to the pond to fish or to the food stand set up by Bubba’s Bar-B-Que. Deacon had another idea in mind.
 
“They haven’t put the fish in the lake yet, and I want to see them,” he said.
 
Later in the afternoon the pond was stocked with more cutthroat, but some kids had their attention focused elsewhere.
 
While Deacon was waiting for the big release, Jack Williams, 7, was releasing one of his own cutthroats. Jack came prepared with his own rod and his own artificial lure. And it worked out well for him as he landed the first fish of the day.
 
“You need to reel hard. If you have a big fish and it’s in the shallows you have to run back so you can get it in easily,” Jack said. “But with smaller fish like this it’s easier.”
 
Contact Clark Forster at 732-7065 or sports@jhnewsandguide.com.

FORT COLLINS - Some sports just hook you. In Legacy High School graduate Ryan Wood's case, that statement comes in the most literal sense.

"He's tried football, he's tried baseball, he's tried basketball," mom Kim said.

But despite his passion for those sports, Wood's true calling was always on the water.

"I first got into fishing by fishing small ponds for trout and pan fish with my parents," he said.

Wood got his first real taste of competitive angling as a child. At age 9, his parents helped him join a bass fishing club they had discovered at the Denver International Sportsmen's Expo. At the end of the season, there was a fishing competition for the participants. Wood, being the youngest, wound up winning the tournament.

The first place trophy wasn't the only victory of the day. It was in that tournament that Wood met his coach, Fishful Thinker TV host and professional angler, Chad LaChance.

"The reason Ryan has excelled is his drive and determination and intelligence. He's determined, flat out. He's determined, this is what he wants to do, and how he wants to do it," LaChance said.

"[LaChance] has helped me with not only fishing, but with sponsorships and what they expect of me, and helping me to be a better tournament angler overall," Wood said.

Under his mentor, Wood has become one of the top junior anglers in the country. In 2008, he won his first state title. Five years later, he reeled in the BASS Junior World Championship.

"It's nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time," Kim said. "He's always been persistent and determined, and he has those qualities I think will make him successful."

After turning down several full-ride academic scholarships, Wood chose a partial one at Dallas Baptist University. The school also has a collegiate bass fishing team he will be joining in the fall.

"The [college] national championship can actually lead to the Bass Master Classic, so if I get that far, that'd be a great opportunity," Wood said. 

RUTLAND, Vt. – Vermont’s regular bass fishing season is set to kick off on Saturday, June 11, marking the start of some of the hottest and most-renowned bass fishing in the northeast.

“From big-water angling on lakes like Champlain, Bomoseen and Memphremagog, and the Connecticut River, to hundreds of smaller, untapped ponds and reservoirs, Vermont is loaded with great bass fishing for anglers of all ages,” said Shawn Good, fisheries biologist with Vermont Fish & Wildlife.

Vermont’s regular bass season opens each year on the second Saturday in June and extends through the last day of November. However, outside of those dates, anglers can fish for bass on open water on a catch-and-release basis with artificial lures and flies only on waters that are not seasonally closed.

“The bass fishing in Vermont is truly incredible, and one unique aspect compared to many other states is the sheer amount of quality, unpressured fish,” said Good. “Vermont is tough to beat for numbers of solid, two to four-pound bass that see very little fishing pressure, but anglers have the chance to connect with a true trophy in the six to eight-pound class as well.”

Vermont’s bass fishing has received national notoriety in a variety of fishing publications in recent years, and bass-rich Lake Champlain has become a favorite of touring bass professionals.

In 2014, World Fishing Network named Lake Champlain one of the seven best smallmouth bass lakes in North America. The renowned fishing media outlet went on to characterize Lake Champlain as “perhaps the best lake in all of North America for both quality largemouth and smallmouth bass.”

Prominent professional tournament angler Kevin VanDam agrees.

“What makes Lake Champlain unique is that you can catch fish – both smallmouth bass and largemouth bass alike – just about any way you want to,” said VanDam. “It’s an amazing fishery with diverse habitat throughout and large, healthy populations of many species of fish. Whether you’re an avid tournament angler or recreational fisherman, you’ll want to experience Lake Champlain fishing. It’s simply that good.”

What’s more impressive is that Vermont hosts dozens of other lakes, ponds and rivers that rival Lake Champlain.

“There’s no question that Champlain hosts a very special bass fishery, probably one of the best in the world,” said Good. “However, there’s countless other waterbodies throughout the state that can be just as good, if not better, simply because those bass populations don’t get much fishing pressure.”

Bass fishing in Vermont is a fun outdoor activity that can be enjoyed by adults and kids alike, regardless of skill level, and can also be a great source of food for the table.

“Bass fishing is a great way to get out and enjoy Vermont’s great outdoors and nothing beats a tasty meal of fresh, locally-caught fish,” Good said.

Good noted that smaller, younger bass, which are also much more abundant, are generally better eating compared to bigger, older fish.

Anglers heading out on the water to fish for bass this season should be sure to reference all fishing regulations, including harvest and size limits, applicable to the waters they are fishing. Vermont’s fishing regulations can be found in the 2016 Vermont Fish & Wildlife law digest available at district offices and authorized license dealers, or online at http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/fish.

To learn more about fishing in Vermont or to purchase a fishing license, visit www.vtfishandwildlife.com.