Albertans can cast a line without a licence this weekend as part of Alberta’s Family Fishing Weekend, running July 12 and 13.
According to the province’s My Wild Alberta website, residents and visitors can fish on waterbodies with open fishing seasons without purchasing a sportfishing licence. All regular sportfishing regulations remain in effect.
Fishing licences are still required for anyone using a Special Harvest Licence, including tags for Walleye.
Free fishing does not apply in national parks. The site states that separate federal regulations govern waters in Banff, Jasper, Waterton Lakes and Wood Buffalo national parks. No fishing is permitted in Elk Island National Park.
The website emphasizes that anglers must follow all applicable rules during the weekend, including local regulations on seasons, catch limits, bait use and fish identification.
Anglers are advised to review waterbody-specific rules in advance and to be able to identify fish species accurately. Under the section “Know before you go,” the site encourages the use of fish handling techniques that reduce harm to fish being released.
It also states: “Keep fish wet; do not expose the fish to air unless it meets the regulations and you want to keep it.”
To help protect aquatic ecosystems, anglers are urged to clean, drain and dry all fishing gear after use. This step is required to prevent the spread of invasive species and diseases such as whirling disease.
Alberta has approximately 300 stocked waterbodies, which are replenished annually with brook trout, brown trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout and tiger trout. Maps and listings of stocked lakes are available on the Government of Alberta website.
The province typically holds a second Family Fishing Weekend in February over the Family Day long weekend.
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