TALLAHASSEE, Fl. (WTXL) — If you are looking for something fun to do while social distancing, grab a pole and some bait, because this weekend you can fish in freshwater without a license.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission designated this weekend, April 4th and 5th, as license-free freshwater fishing weekend, meaning you don't need a license to catch a big one.
Dick Durbin has been an avid fisherman for the last 50 years. Having a license-free weekend to fish is important to him because he likes to invite friends out onto the water.
"I'll always say, "Hey come fishing with me." And they say, "Look I don't have a license and I don't want to spend the money on one." So, this would be, in other times, this would be a great weekend to say come fishing with me, it's not going to cost you anything at all, you don't have to buy a license," said Durbin.
Ronald Lurry, has been fishing for 15 years and agrees with Durbin. He said, "People who want to fish here, who never did, that would get them to come out. And then maybe they would get a license and enjoy it."
In uncertain times, like we are all in right now, fishing is also a great outdoor activity that anyone can do while also social distancing.
Durbin said, "This is one of the few things that you can do these days, where you're not around anyone. So, it's a good escape, it's a lot of fun. Even if you don't catch too many fish, it's still a good time to be out."
Fishing. A pretty good escape from the world that many people need right now. The next weekend for license-free freshwater fishing will be on June 5th and 6th.
