MDC Permits
Daily Fishing Permit ()
$7.00
Anyone
For fish, frogs, mussels, clams, turtles, crayfish and live bait. May be purchased by residents and nonresidents for multiple days.
Seasons
| Season | Area | Season Dates | Fishing Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bass: White, yellow, striped and hybrid | Open All Year | ||
| Black Bass: Largemouth, smallmouth, spotted/Kentucky | Impoundments | Open All Year | |
| Black Bass: Largemouth, smallmouth, spotted/Kentucky | From other streams | Open All Year | |
| Black Bass: Largemouth, smallmouth, spotted/Kentucky | From Ozark streams | 05/26/2012 - 02/28/2013 | |
| Bullfrog and Green Frog | 06/30/2012 - 10/31/2012 | Season opens at sunset on opening day | |
| Catfish: Blue | Open All Year | ||
| Catfish: Channel | Open All Year | ||
| Catfish: Flathead | Open All Year | ||
| Crappie: Black and white | Open All Year | ||
| Goggle-eye (Rock Bass) | Open All Year | ||
| Muskellunge | Open All Year | ||
| Mussels and Clams | Open All Year | ||
| Nongame Fish (Bow): Bow | Streams, except portions of Missouri, Mississippi, St. Francis rivers | Open All Year | sunrise to midnight |
| Nongame Fish (Bow): Bow | Impounded Waters |
04/01/2012 - 01/31/2013 02/01/2013 - 03/31/2013 |
April-Feb: 24 hours; Feb-March: sunrise to midnight |
| Nongame Fish (Bow): Bow | Temporary overflow of a river or ditch | Open All Year | sunrise to sunset |
| Nongame Fish (Bow): Bow | Portions of Missouri, Mississippi and St. Francis rivers | Open All Year | 24 hours |
| Nongame Fish (Crossbow): Crossbow | Impounded waters and temporary overflow of a river or ditch | Open All Year | sunrise to sunset |
| Nongame Fish (Gigging): Gig, atlatl | Temporary overflow of a river or ditch | Open All Year | sunrise to sunset |
| Nongame Fish (Gigging): Gig, atlatl | Impounded Waters | 02/01/2012 - 09/14/2012 | sunrise to sunset |
| Nongame Fish (Gigging): Gig, atlatl | Streams and impounded waters | 09/15/2012 - 01/31/2013 | sunrise to midnight |
| Nongame Fish (Line): Pole and line, trotline, throwline, limb line, bank line, jug line | Streams and impounded waters | Open All Year | 24 hours |
| Nongame Fish (Snagging): Snagging, grabbing | Streams and impounded waters |
03/15/2012 - 05/15/2012 09/15/2012 - 01/31/2013 |
24 hours |
| Nongame Fish (Snagging): Snagging, grabbing | Temporary overflow of a river or ditch | Open All Year | sunrise to sunset |
| Nongame Fish (Snaring): Snaring | Streams and impounded waters |
03/15/2012 - 05/15/2012 09/15/2012 - 01/31/2013 |
24 hours |
| Nongame Fish (Underwater Spear): Underwater spear | Impounded waters and temporary overflow of a river or ditch | Open All Year | sunrise to sunset |
| Northern Pike | Open All Year | ||
| Paddlefish | Mississippi River |
03/15/2012 - 05/15/2012 09/15/2012 - 12/15/2012 |
|
| Pickerel: Chain and Grass | Open All Year | ||
| Sturgeon - Shovelnose | Open All Year | ||
| Trout | Trout Areas | Open All Year | |
| Trout | Trout Parks | 03/01/2012 - 10/31/2012 | |
| Trout: No Creel | Trout Parks | 11/09/2012 - 02/11/2013 | |
| Turtle: Common Snapping Turtles | Open All Year | ||
| Turtle: Soft-shelled Turtles | 07/01/2012 - 12/31/2012 | ||
| Walleye and Sauger | Open All Year |
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- Fish to Catch Missouri has more than 200 species of fish, but anglers pursue only a couple dozen of them. Browse this section for info on bluegill, fish ID and game fish, including bass, bluegill, catfish, crappie, goggle-eye, muskie, paddlefish, sturgeon, trout and walleye. Bullfrogs and green frogs may also be taken with a fishing permit.
- Fishing Regulations Know Missouri’s fishing regulations. This section includes the do-not-harvest list, general fishing provisions, live bait, nongame species and sport fish regulations.
- Learn to Fish Fishing is easy to learn and fun to do, especially with your friends and family members. Use these pages to find info, techniques and programs to help you catch fishing fever!
- Places to Fish MDC-managed areas, community lakes and stream accesses give you hundreds of great fishing spots throughout Missouri. Find them here.
- Protect Your Fishing Check this section for simple things you can do to protect Missouri’s waters—and your fishing and boating pleasure—from aquatic invaders like "rock snot," zebra mussels and Asian carp.
- Reports and Records Check out the latest fishing report. Recognize your fishing achievements from First Fish to Master Angler or even a State Record Fish.
- Fishing RegulationsKnow Missouri’s fishing regulations. This section includes the do-not-harvest list, general fishing provisions, live bait, nongame species and sport fish regulations.
- Places to FishMDC-managed areas, community lakes and stream accesses give you hundreds of great fishing spots throughout Missouri. Find them here.
- Fish ID and MeasuringLearn to identify and measure the fish and other aquatic life you catch so you can abide by the seasons, daily limits, length limits and other regulations. When in doubt, play it safe, and return the fish to the water unharmed immediately.
- Free Fishing DaysTry Missouri fishing without having to buy a permit or tackle at a Free Fishing Days program the first weekend in June.
- Game Fish RegulationsFind out specific regulations and permit requirements for a variety of Missouri's game fish.
- Reports and RecordsCheck out the latest fishing report. Recognize your fishing achievements from First Fish to Master Angler or even a State Record Fish.
- Crappie by the NumbersFishing skill + technical savvy = fishing and eating enjoyment.
- Gift of lifetime of hunting and fishingI was joking with Warren Rose (Missouri Conservation Department’s Outreach and Education Regional Supervisor based in Springfield) about whether he had gotten a postcard reminding him to buy his fishing license.
- No Bones about it—Prehistoric PaddlefishThe paddlefish is one very weird and ancient kind of fish.
- Rods, Guns and Wild RosesWhen I started working for the Conservation Department, I felt a sense of being at home with people who deeply enjoyed nature and the outdoors as much as I did.
- Muck Suckers of the River Bottom Rise Again?Life can be tough for a fish that may live 100 years, isn’t sexually mature until it’s 20 years old or more, and feeds by sucking in worms, leeches, crayfish, and fish at the bottom of rivers or lakes.
- Shoulder to Shoulder at Trout OpenerWhen I picture “trout fishing,” it’s often an image of a person alone in a remote stream.
Shortened URL
mdc.mo.gov/node/89
