Photo by ODNR
Ohio’s annual free fishing days on Saturday, June 15, and Sunday, June 16, give all residents a chance to fish at any public waterway without a license, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. This includes Lake Erie, the Ohio River, and Ohio’s public lakes, reservoirs, streams, and rivers.
June 15 and 16 will be the only weekend of the year on which residents 16 years old and older can fish public waters for free without purchasing a fishing license. Anglers under 16 can fish for free year-round and are not required to hold a license. All other fishing regulations, size requirements, and bag limits apply.
Outside of the free fishing days on June 15 and16, all anglers 16 years old and older are required to have a valid fishing license to take fish, frogs, and turtles. Licenses can be purchased at participating agents, at wildohio.gov, or on the HuntFish OH mobile application. A one-year resident fishing license is $25.
Here are the 2024-25 Fishing Regulations.
