Free fishing weekend coming up in Sask.

Anyone who wants to go fishing in Saskatchewan can do so without a licence this weekend.

Sask Parks is hoping the annual free fishing weekend will get people out to provincial parks and interested in the sport.

For those who want to learn the basics, Sask Parks has partnered with the creators of a local website designed to teach people about fishing.

Jason Matity and his brother Jeff run the site and together will host clinics on Saturday at Crooked Lake and Buffalo Pound Provincial Parks. The sessions will also run on Sunday at Blackstrap and Echo Valley Provincial Parks.

There will be two clinics per day starting at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Each session is two hours long and has room for up to 15 people.

“It’s the basics of, ‘This is a rod, this is a reel, this is how they work together; this is how you tie in a lure, this is the different kinds of lures you want to use in these different situations,'” Matity said.

After people get more of a handle on the basics, Matity said they’ll have the chance to put what they have learned into practice.

Matity said there are a number of reasons why people should consider learning to fish.

“This is just a great sport, it’s a great reconnection with nature, fish are also very nutritious to eat when you keep the right sized ones.” 

Matity said he also feels it’s important to introduce new Canadians to the country’s outdoor heritage and sport fishing in particular.

For those who decide to take part in the free fishing weekend, the government wants them to remember the rules.

Lindsey Leko is a conservation officer from the Weyburn area and said people need to make sure that they don’t exceed their limits.

“Once they’ve retained their limit of fish, they go home, they think they think they can come back out again in three or four hours and they can’t. Once your limited is attained for the day, you’re done until some of those fish have been consumed,” she said.

Leko added limits can vary depending on the lake as well as on the species of fish. The conservation officer also stressed that people only have one line in the water each, and reminds people not “double dip.”

Drinking while out on the water is not allowed.