(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who love to fish can make plans to teach a friend without needing to buy a license as the state’s annual Free Fishing Weekend runs this Friday through Sunday. Iowa DNR fisheries biologist Joe Larscheid says these are ideal days in the season to cast a line. “This time of year, the bluegills are on the nest, so they’re close to shore. Crappies are still close to shore, and so it’s an excellent time,” Larscheid says. “If the weather is favorable, get out with your family and line the shores and catch a lot of fish.”

The event is open to all Iowa residents on any of the hundreds of Iowa lakes, thousands of miles of rivers or scores of neighborhood ponds. Plus, hands-on fishing events are being offered to help families new to fishing get started. “There’s a whole lot of events going on in Iowa, across the state in different cities and different counties,” Larscheid says, “and you can go on our website and our Special Events Calendar and check those out.”

Iowa DNR photo

If you want to fish beyond Sunday, you’ll need a license, but getting one is easier than ever. “There’s a ‘Go Outdoors’ app that you can download for free, and on that app, you can buy your fishing licenses. You can have all the information at your fingertips like our Fishing Atlas, where to go fishing, where they’re biting, our fishing reports, even habitat features in a lake — you’re a dot on the map and you can walk right to them, fishing jetties and things like that.”

Learn more at www.iowadnr.gov or by visiting your county recorder’s office to purchase a fishing license.