Next weekend, June 3-4 and 5, is the annual Fishing Festival.

You can take the opportunity to fish throughout Quebec, without having to have a fishing license. The purpose of this event is to allow people to discover fishing or even assiduous amateurs to take advantage of this special permission to initiate people around them.

Fishing without a license is possible for all species, except Atlantic salmon. It is truly an opportunity to discover or rediscover fishing.

It goes without saying that the activity must be carried out in compliance with the regulations in force, by following the catch and possession limits for each species.

You do not have to wonder whether or not you can participate because the rule is simple, all Quebec residents, anglers or non-anglers, are invited to participate in the activity.

FIND THE INFO

In all regions of Quebec, where regulations permit, thousands of volunteers, organizations and municipalities organize initiation to fishing activities.

Several events will take place all over Quebec.

For example, we can mention the Laurentides reserve, which will offer free fishing in all the rivers in its territory. This is wading fishing. You will still need to obtain a right of access because this is the norm on the territory of wildlife reserves. These rights will be accessible on the Sépaq website (www.sepaq.com) or at the Mercier and Gîte-du-Berger reception desks. There will also be a fishing initiation day at Lac à Jack on Saturday. Already, 26 families have registered for this activity.

This is just one example of what can be done. Several local associations are doing activities. One example is ZEC Bas-Saint-Laurent, which will hold a special day at Lac Petit-Prime ((418) 723-5766). If we change regions, in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Métabetchouan, Lac à la Croix, there will be an awareness activity for young people at the Club Castor, with Michelle Laforest.

These are just examples that give you a bit of the alignment of different activities.

The Wildlife Foundation publishes on its website a list of activities that will be carried out during this weekend. To discover them, you must go to the following address: www.fondationdelafaune.qc.ca/ressources/repertoire-peche-en-herbe.

By going to this address, you will discover everything that will happen throughout Quebec for this special weekend. This will also allow you to find the references of the various member associations of the Federation of Hunters and Fishermen, who organize meetings. Also, you will be able to discover the names of the different outfitters that participate in the activity and that organize activities for Pêche en Herbe.

Transmit the passion

The last place you can look for information is on your municipality's website. In many, there are specific sites where you can fish during this weekend.

So, everywhere in Quebec, organizations are waiting for you to allow you to take advantage of this very special weekend. I would say to seasoned fishermen more specifically to take the opportunity to pass on their passion to other family members or friends. Fishing remains an inexpensive hobby, accessible to everyone, which does not require great technical knowledge.

IT MUST BIT

When you decide to participate in an initiation to fishing activity, it is very important to choose your destination carefully so that the fish are there. It is for this reason that it is necessary to consult the various sites to find places where this will be possible. In any case, the organizations have put in place all the elements for the fishing to be a success. If we really want to introduce a young or less young person to fishing, the result must be there if we want the person to take a liking to it.

OUTFITTER'S GUIDE

To help you plan your fishing summer, one of the best tools is undoubtedly the Outfitter's Guide. It presents more than 330 Quebec outfitters, grouped by tourist region. There is also a special booklet entitled Quatre saisons en pourvoirie. For each of the outfitters, a detailed sheet presenting the species available as well as the classification of accommodation units can also be found in the Guide.

You can get it in most hunting and fishing stores as well as via the Federation's website at www.pourvoiries.com.