FREE FISHING JUNE 4-5

May 23, 2005

If you haven’t gone fishing in awhile, or if you want to give fishing a try, you can reel in some fun on June 4-5 when fishing is free in Colorado.

The free-fishing weekend is an annual event sponsored by the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) and held in conjunction with National Fishing and Boating Week.

“We’re going to have great water this year, so this will be a good time to get reacquainted with fishing,” says Robin Knox, sport fish manager for the DOW.

Anyone can fish without a license during the two days at any public waterway in Colorado. And there are plenty of places to cast: Around the state there are 2,000 lakes, ponds and reservoirs in the state that hold a variety of trout, bass, walleye, catfish, and many other warm water species; and 10,000 miles of streams and rivers are rated as good-to-excellent for trout.

Every year the DOW stocks more than 3 million catchable-sized trout; in addition, 14 million trout fingerlings are released in reservoirs, rivers and lakes. The DOW also releases 80 million warm-water fry and fingerling fish annually.

“Colorado has 35 different species of sport fish, so we support a variety of fishing opportunities,” Knox said.

For more than 100 years anglers have plied Colorado waters, and fishing continues to be one of the most popular outdoor activities. Last year more than 700,000 fishing licenses were sold in the state.

If you do take advantage of the free fishing weekend, please remember that you must follow all state fishing regulations. You can pick up a copy of the rules at your local DOW office or at stores where fishing licenses are sold.

Even after the special weekend, fishing is a bargain in Colorado: kids 15 and under fish for free, an adult license is $20 and good every day of the year.

Anglers can get statewide fishing information at any time at the DOW website at http://wildlife.state.co.us, or by calling (303) 291-7534.

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