Massachusetts · Fishing license · Free days
Free fishing days in Massachusetts
June 6 and 7, 2026 and May 10 and June 21, 2026
On these days you can fish Massachusetts waters without a license. Nothing else changes: limits, sizes, seasons and closed waters all still apply.
freshwater
June 6 and 7, 2026
MassWildlife holds one Free Freshwater Fishing Weekend a year, the first weekend in June: "No license is required to fish any public lake, pond, reservoir, stream, or river in Massachusetts from 12 a.m. Saturday ... until 11:59 p.m. Sunday." All other regulations, catch limits included, still apply.
Confirmed on the agency's own page.
saltwater
May 10 and June 21, 2026
The Division of Marine Fisheries sets its own free saltwater days, on separate dates from the freshwater weekend.
Confirmed on the agency's own page.
What a free day does not cover
- Bag limits, size limits and closed seasons are unchanged.
- Waters that are closed stay closed.
- Separate permits can still be required — Massachusetts charges for wildlands conservation stamp, quabbin reservoir, one day. Check before you rely on a free day.
- A free day waives the license, not the rules the license comes with.
