How to fish for free this weekend, charter a boat on Lake Michigan 🎣
PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Drop your line this weekend and give angling a try.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is holding its free fishing weekend this Saturday and Sunday. For those two days, residents can fish in the state without a license and enjoy the beauty of our lakes and rivers.
If you would like to go fishing outside this weekend, you can do so by the shore or by chartering a boat to take you out on Lake Michigan for salmon.
"It's a pretty reasonable way for somebody to get out and experience this," Nicky Boy Charters Captain Brock Schmidt said. "There's nothing to be scared of. I mean, we pretty much can accommodate anything, anybody, any experience levels."
Schmidt is a captain of the "Nicky Boy II," one of the fleet of four boats the Port Washington-based charter fishing company has to help people reel in the catch of the day. Schmidt and fellow captain Cody Severinsen took CBS 58 out on the water Wednesday to experience the fun firsthand.
"We're all about creating memories that are going to last a lifetime," Severinsen said.
"For me, it's the challenge. Some days aren't always going to be as good as what we had this morning, but it makes you work a little bit harder."
You might not need a fishing license this weekend, but for the rest of the year, fishers need to have one. If you want to fish on our great lake, you need a salmon and trout stamp as well. If you do not want an annual license, Nicky Boy Charters has you covered.
"We sell a two-day license on board for $14 that covers Lake Michigan," Schmidt explained.
The fun for these two captains comes from sharing their passion with others.
"Seeing the smiles on their faces when they reel in a 20-pound or a 25-pound king salmon, it's an unreal feeling for me. It makes me feel good," Severinsen said. "It shows me I'm doing my part to keep the outdoors alive in the younger generation."
For more information on Nicky Boy Charters, visit their website.