It's the reel deal: Texas' annual Free Fishing Day returns Saturday, June 6, allowing all Texans (and visitors) to fish in any public waterway without obtaining a license.

According to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), Free Fishing Day was created to encourage Texans to explore the outdoors with their family and friends, and to give new anglers the opportunity to try fishing without having to pay for a license.

"Our hope is that experienced anglers will use this opportunity to take others fishing and share their knowledge, skills, equipment and love of the sport to recruit new anglers," said Tim Birdsong, Director of Inland Fisheries at TPWD.

To learn the basics of fishing, TPWD offers resources for how to get started, safety, supplies and gear, casting and baiting, cleaning and storing fish on its website.

The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC), located at 5550 FM 2495 in Athens, is offering free admission for everyone on Free Fishing Day from 9 am to 4 pm, and visitors will have a chance to catch a tagged catfish and win a prize of their choice during its “Fish Tag Friendzy” event. The event will also feature hourly drawings for summer pass packages, dive shows at 11 am and 2 pm, and hatchery tram tours. Visitors may bring their own fishing tackle or borrow gear from the TFFC.

To make the most of Free Fishing Day, TPWD provided these ideas for finding fun and high-quality fishing opportunities:

• Fishing close to home: Texas offers numerous lakes and rivers with access to fishing throughout the state. The Lake Finder page on the TPWD website can help anglers find lakes by region or alphabetically. Information and fishing tips on more than 150 lakes are available. Check out the River Fishing page to find out where to get access to Texas’ flowing waters.
• Saltwater fishing from a pier: There are numerous wheelchair-accessible fishing piers available for public use up and down the coast. Piers are a great place for the entire family to try saltwater fishing without the need for a boat. Public access sites can be found in every bay system.
• Fishing in the city: TPWD’s Neighborhood Fishin’ lakes provide urban angling access for the entire family across the state. All 18 Neighborhood Fishin’ lakes provide a great opportunity to catch channel catfish, including five lakes in Dallas-Fort Worth, four in the Houston area, two each in the Austin and San Antonio areas, and one each in Amarillo, College Station, San Angelo, Waco and Wichita Falls. Information on lake locations and how-to fishing videos can be found on the Neighborhood Fishin’ website.
• Community fishing lakes: Check out all the community fishing lakes in Texas which can be great options for Free Fishing Day and year-round.
• Kayak fishing on a Texas Paddling Trail: With more than 3,700 named streams, 15 major rivers and some 3,300 miles of tidal shoreline along the Gulf Coast, Texas offers unlimited possibilities for paddling adventures and angling opportunities of all types. Enjoy improved and maintained fishing and paddling access to rivers, creeks, lakes, ponds, bayous and bays on any of the 83 official Texas Paddling Trails available throughout the state. Kayak fishing opportunities also abound through TPWD’s River Access and Conservation Areas (RACA) program.

Additionally, anglers can fish for free at more than 70 state parks all year long, though park fees still apply. This weekend, Guadalupe River State Park outside San Antonio, Lake Arrowhead in Wichita Falls, and Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site in the Hill Country are offering a variety of Free Fishing Day events.

TPWD reminds that anyone fishing in federal waters must acquire a license for the private recreational angler red snapper season, which opened on May 22.