This weekend might be the best chance to introduce a spouse, child or friend to fishing in Oregon.

After all, it’s free.

On Saturday and Sunday, Oregonians will not need a fishing license — which normally costs $33 — to fish anywhere in the state.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife hosts Free Fishing Weekend in early June each year. To help beginner anglers get started, ODFW and its partners will offer more than 40 free fishing events throughout the state.

Most events will include free loaner equipment for novice anglers, special events for children and plenty of volunteers to help.

One of the most popular free fishing events, “Passport to Fishing,” draws children and their parents from all over to the Bonneville Hatchery — Oregon’s largest fish-rearing facility — in the Columbia River Gorge.

The 18th annual event, for children ages 2 to 12, is scheduled for this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. No pre-registration is required.

Youngsters can learn at multiple stations about river care, water safety, casting, fish identification and other topics. After getting their “passport” stamped at each station, participants can then venture out to fish at one of two areas at the hatchery — Mitchell Creek or the hatchery’s fishing tanks — that will be stocked with rainbow trout.

Last year, Passport to Fishing attracted more than a thousand youngsters to Bonneville. About the same number is expected this Saturday, according to Jennell Hoehne, the event’s coordinator for the past 11 years.

“It’s something families can do together,” Hoehne says. “If (parents) don’t know anything about fishing but their kids want to learn, there’s volunteers to help their children experience fishing. It’s often a big family affair: grandparents, siblings and parents.”

According to the ODFW, most of the 3,600 stocked fish are seven to nine inches long, and a few are trophy-class fish weighing 1 1/2 pounds.

ODFW will provide all the rods, reels, tackle and bait kids need to catch a fish, as well as bags and ice to keep their fish fresh until they get home.

“It’s always our hope to create new anglers for the future, and keep our license dollars going,” Hoehne says.

Passport to Fishing at Bonneville is the largest of the 42 Free Fishing Weekend events that will take place across the state. More than 200 volunteers and staff representing several sportsmen groups and government organizations will be on hand at Bonneville Hatchery.

This is the last year ODFW will host “Passport to Fishing,” according to Hoehne.

“It’s the end of an era,” Hoehne says, noting that next year the department will shift its focus to something more localized, like the family fishing events ODFW currently hosts at lakes and ponds. “We just decided it was time to make a change. We will have another event, it just won’t be at Bonneville. It’s been going 18 years, so that’s a long run, and it’s growing beyond the capacity of Bonneville.”

A popular Free Fishing Weekend event in Central Oregon is the annual kids fishing clinic at Wizard Falls Hatchery on the Metolius River near Camp Sherman, scheduled for Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. About 500 kids have attended the event each of the past few years, according to hatchery manager Steve Hamberger.

The event, in its 22nd year, includes stations on aquatic insects, fish biology, fly-tying and spin casting. Kids can fish at the hatchery’s settling pond for rainbow trout ranging in size from half a pound to seven pounds.

“We don’t have a whole lot of rules for that day,” Hamberger says. “They’re allowed to catch one fish and they can keep or release it. Hopefully some of these kids get interested enough to get their parents to take them out (fishing) on a regular basis.”

During Free Fishing Weekend, fishing licenses and tags are not required, although all other regulations apply, including bag limits and size restrictions.

“It’s important for kids to do activities outside, and angling is one that is relatively inexpensive and exciting for kids,” says Jen Luke, a fisheries biologist for the ODFW in Bend. “Oregon has lots of fishing opportunities. It can become a lifetime outdoor skill.”