Free fishing weekend in New York is Saturday and Sunday, and the state Department of Environmental is encouraging would-be anglers to give it a try.

The free fishing weekend, Feb. 16-17, are designated days where residents and visitors are permitted to angle without a license.

The free fishing days program is part of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's NY Open for Fishing and Hunting Initiative and the upcoming free fishing days are the first of several planned for 2019, including June 29-30, Sept. 28 (National Hunting and Fishing Day), and Nov. 11 (Veterans Day).

Winter anglers can catch a variety of fish while ice fishing, primarily perch, sunfish, pickerel, northern, and walleye. In addition, many waters throughout the state are open to fishing for trout, lake trout, and landlocked salmon.

DEC reminds anglers to put safety first when ice fishing. This is particularly important during periods of freezing and thawing that most areas of New York have been experiencing lately. Four inches of solid ice is usually safe for anglers accessing ice on foot. However, ice thickness can vary on every waterbody or even within the same waterbody.

Anglers should be particularly wary of areas of moving water and around boat docks and houses where bubblers may be installed to reduce ice buildup.

The presence of snowmobile tracks or footprints on the ice should not be taken as evidence of safe ice conditions. Individuals are strongly encouraged to check ice conditions and avoid situations that appear to present even a remote risk. Testing the thickness of ice can easily be done with an auger or ice spud at various spots.