Free fishing days!

By Dan Armitage

A great way to introduce adult friends and family members to fishing, Ohio residents of all ages can angle without a license the weekend of June 20 and 21 as part of the state’s annual free fishing days program. During that weekend, all size and daily catch limits remain in effect, so anglers must still follow standard regulations for each species, but Ohio residents age 16 and older may wet a line without a fishing license. Note that protected species, such as lake sturgeon, shovelnose sturgeon, alligator gar, and certain trout, must be immediately returned to the water if caught.

Residents under age 16 never need a license to wet a line here in The Buckeye State. That said, an interesting offer to young resident anglers is a lifetime Ohio adult fishing license available for $430.56 if purchased before the angler’s 16^th birthday. See wildohio.com for details about the Resident Youth Lifetime License and places to go use it!

Trophy Bluegill Opps

Speaking of fishing, the special fishing regulations for the season at Lake La Su An Wildlife Area in Williams County have been set, a special place to wet a line for panfish on select days until Monday, Sept. 7, 2026.

Fishing is permitted on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from sunrise to sunset during the open season and closed to fishing at all other times. Reservations are not needed to fish the lakes at Lake La Su An Wildlife Area but all vehicles are required to park in a designated parking space to limit angling pressure at the more popular ponds.

The sunfish daily limit is 15, with no more than seven fish of 8 inches or longer. Largemouth bass have an 18-inch minimum length requirement and a five-fish daily limit. Channel catfish have a two-fish daily bag limit. Daily limits are posted on site and are in effect area-wide, and anglers may only catch up to one daily limit per species, regardless of how many lakes are fished. All other statewide fishing regulations apply to the area’s lakes, where anglers are reminded that no fish may be used as bait in the wildlife area.

The regulations have been created by Ohio Division of Wildlife fisheries biologists to continue the tradition of quality bluegill fishing at Lake La Su An Wildlife Area, accomplished by regulating fishing pressure and the number of sunfish that anglers take home. For more information and a map of fishing access locations, visit the Lake La Su An Wildlife Area page at wildohio.gov.

Turkey Hunting Results

Wild turkey hunters across Ohio checked 15,763 birds during the spring 2026 season through May 24, with a week to go in the Northeast zone, as of press time. Spring wild turkey hunting concluded in the 83 counties that comprise the south zone on May 24 and continued daily from 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset in the Northeast zone (Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Trumbull counties) through Sunday, May 31.

We’ll have the final Northeast zone figures and complete county by county statewide season harvest totals in the July issue. Meanwhile, hunters checked an average of 15,580 birds by the corresponding date in the previous three seasons (2023 to 2025) and reported 15,768 birds at this point in 2025. The 10 counties with the highest totals for wild turkey harvest so far during the 2026 season: Ashtabula (455), Tuscarawas (433), Belmont (417), Monroe (413), Highland (407), Adams (401), Gallia (397), Guernsey (383), Trumbull (372), and Brown (358).

Ohio Wildlife Council Appointees

Governor Mike Dewine has appointed a new member and reappointed another for an additional period to the rule-making Ohio Wildlife Council. Findlay’s Paul Brooks’ inaugural term and James Samuel, of Columbus’ extended service on the council, continue through January 31, 2030.