Some folks have never taken up the sport of fishing, and others haven’t fished for a long time. That’s why the Department of Conservation offers “Free Fishing Days,” which will be held this weekend, June 11 and 12.
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During Free Fishing Days, anyone (including non-residents) can fish in Missouri’s public waters without a fishing permit. In addition, no daily tag is required at the state’s trout parks or at Department areas which normally require a tag.
During the two day event, all other fishing regulations remain in effect. If you are not familiar with legal methods, daily limits, possession limits or length limits, pick up a copy of the 2011 Wildlife Code of Missouri. These booklets are available wherever hunting and fishing permits are sold. Also, if you are fishing in Department of Conservation managed waters, regulations will be posted in parking areas near the ponds or lakes. It’s also important to remember that only public waters are involved. Private farm ponds and lakes are off limits (unless you have permission to fish there).
Free Fishing Days is a concept that many states have adopted to allow people that have never fished an opportunity to see if they like it. It is also an opportunity for parents to take their kids fishing and enjoy the day in the outdoors with them. In Missouri, you can mark your calendars for the second weekend in June every year as “Free Fishing Days” as the Wildlife Code of Missouri has established.
If you would like to try your luck at fishing for the first time, we invite you to “wet a line” this weekend. If you haven’t fished for awhile, come out and see what you’ve been missing. Fishing is a great way to spend time with the family, and on June 11 and 12, it will be a free form of entertainment.
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One form of fishing that will not be legal this weekend, or any weekend, is handfishing. “Noodling,” as it is often called, is a method of taking fish that goes back to our forefathers, when the manner of taking fish was less important than the necessity of providing food for the table.
Years ago, handfishermen would wade and swim the rivers and creeks, searching for flathead catfish under rootwads and in abandoned beaver dens with their bare hands or feet. When a fish was located, they would pull the huge fish from the thick cover with their hands.
Although the law forbids it, noodling is still practiced today. The modern version involves placing artificial nesting boxes in lakes and rivers to attract spawning catfish. The poacher then attaches a large hook to a long stick and shoves it into the box to agitate the fish into striking it.
Catfish naturally seek out the convenient sheltered areas to raise their young and, once inside, they ferociously attack the hook, believing they are protecting their nests from predators.
When an adult catfish is removed from the nest, the eggs and young (which may number as many as 10,000 per nest) are extremely vulnerable and have almost no chance at surviving.
Hand fishing or “noodling” is poaching to the highest degree, and it should not be tolerated. The poacher is not only removing the valuable brood stock of an important game fish, they are also robbing the rest of us of thousands of future fishing opportunities. If you see anyone handfishing during your fishing trip, don’t just turn and look the other way. Chances are, the poachers are stealing a trophy catfish from your “legal” hook.