Other than breathing, it seems like most things require a license, permit, or other fee to be paid in order to do them. In Indiana, it is required that you have a license in order to fish in the lakes and rivers. A fishing license has to be renewed annually and goes from April 1st to March 31st of the following year. As such, if you bought an Indiana in-state license for fishing today, it would expire on March 31, 2024.
There are, however, a few days throughout the year where you do not need a license in order to fish. The next free fishing days are June 3rd and 4th. There are also a free fishing day on September 23rd. On these days, you are free to fish without a license on all DNR properties. Additionally, on these days, several parks around the state have events happening. This includes Winamac FWA and Tippecanoe River State Park. These parks are a bit of a drive from Fishers, Indiana, but there are a number of local lakes as well as the White River where you can fish.
If you do decide to buy a license, they can be purchased from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) online at https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/indiana-fish-and-wildlife-online-license-system/. A standard fishing license cost 23.00 for those 18 and older. If you want to add a trout and salmon stamp then it is another $11.00 for the year. Alternatively, you can buy a 1-day license for $10. For those under the age of 18, a fishing license is not needed.
Of course, if you don’t know how to fish, simply know it is not that difficult! There are a number of tutorials and videos online. The DNR also includes information on where to fish, how to fish, and even on how to filet a fish. For more information check out the DNR page on Fish & Wildlife: Fishing. For specific places in Fishers to fish, check out my article from a couple of years ago: Fishing in Fishers.
The areas around town best for dropping a line into the water are:
- Flat Fork Creek Park, 16141 E. 101st Street
- Cheeney Creek Natural Area, 11030 Fishers Point Boulevard
- Saxony Lake & Beach, 13358 Pennington Road
- Heritage Park at White River, 10598 Eller Road
- Geist Park, 10979 Florida Road
Geist Park (not to be confused with Geist Waterfront Park) is actually a Fortville address, but that’s pretty much a suburb of Fishers!
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