Summer is here, and after quarantining and living through the gloom and doom of the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas families are eager to get outdoors and enjoy the warm weather.

If your family's been feeling cooped up and you're looking for something fun to do together, this Saturday is the day to get out with the rods, reels, and tackle. June 6 is Free Fishing Day in Texas!

That means you can fish on any public body of water in Texas without a license.

Free Fishing Day happens on the first Saturday of every June, and it's a fantastic opportunity for licensed anglers to take friends and family to their favorite lake, river, or fishing hole to share their experience and love for the sport.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's Inland Fisheries Director Craig Bonds recommended some great online resources for anyone who's not an experienced angler but wants to get outdoors and go fishing.

If you're not sure where to go, check out this interactive map showing where you can enjoy Free Fishing Day in Texas. Keep in mind that many of the parks and other areas where you'll be welcome to fish do have COVID-19 safety protocols in place, so be prepared to respect those protocols and look out for the health and safety of your fellow Texans.

If you're looking for tips on how to get started or how to enhance your fishing, TakeMeFishing.org has a How to Catch Fish section and an awesome YouTube channel with helpful tutorials.

If you and your family go fishing this weekend and decide you love it, consider buying a license. Not only does it let you enjoy fishing on Texas' public waterways year-round, but it also helps Texas Parks and Wildlife's conservation efforts.

100% of license fees go to funding fish stocking, wildlife management, habitat restoration, land conservation, and programs that Texas Game Wardens use to help Texans fish and hunt safely and responsibly.

Whatever you do, just make sure that while you're out fishing and enjoying the summer weather you're also being respectful of the place where you're casting your line. Our local lakes, ponds, and rivers are a real blessing, and it's important that we not leave garbage behind or do damage that diminishes them.

Bait a hook, cast a line, and have fun this weekend!

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