MDC Permits
The permits, unless noted otherwise on the permit itself, are valid from the date of purchase through the last day of February.
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 | 05/25/2013 - 02/28/2014 | |
| Bullfrog and Green Frog | 06/30/2013 - 10/31/2013 | 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 |
04/01/2013 - 01/31/2014 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 | 02/01/2013 - 09/14/2013 | sunrise to sunset |
| Nongame Fish (Gigging): Gig, atlatl | Streams and impounded waters | 09/15/2013 - 01/31/2014 | 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 |
03/15/2013 - 05/15/2013 09/15/2013 - 01/31/2014 |
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 |
03/15/2013 - 05/15/2013 09/15/2013 - 01/31/2014 |
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 |
03/15/2013 - 05/15/2013 09/15/2013 - 12/15/2013 |
|
| Pickerel: Chain and Grass | Open All Year | ||
| Sturgeon - Shovelnose | Open All Year | ||
| Trout | Trout Areas | Open All Year | |
| Trout | Trout Parks | 03/01/2013 - 10/31/2013 | |
| Trout: No Creel | Trout Parks | 11/08/2013 - 02/10/2014 | |
| Turtle: Common Snapping Turtles | Open All Year | ||
| Turtle: Soft-shelled Turtles | 07/01/2013 - 12/31/2013 | ||
| Walleye and Sauger | Open All Year |
Area Fishing Regulations
Going fishing on MDC areas?
Fishing Reg Sections
Hunting/Fishing Reg Lookup
Public Fishing Areas
Search conservation fishing areas by county.
Who's My Local Contact?
Find local MDC conservation agents, consultants, education specialists or your MDC regional office with our quick lookup system.
MDC's Mission, Vision, Priorities
MDC protects and manages Missouri's fish, forest, and wildlife resources.
We also facilitate your participation in resource-management activities, and we provide opportunities for you to use, enjoy and learn about nature.
- Enjoy Your Catch Brag about your Missouri catch, download first-fish certificates, browse state-record fish, apply for a Master Angler Award, and find fish-cooking tips and recipes.
- Fishing How-Tos Browse angling methods, learn to fish and prepare your Missouri catch for cooking.
- 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.
- Places to Fish MDC-managed areas, community lakes, and stream accesses give you hundreds of great fishing spots throughout Missouri. Find them here.
- Pond Improvements Learn how to make the most of your private Missouri lake or pond. Browse guidance on construction, stocking and long-term management.
- Protect Missouri’s Fishing Learn simple things you can do to protect Missouri’s waters from aquatic invaders, read up on fishing ethics and safety, browse fishing management plans, and find wader-washing stations.
- State Record Fish Browse Missouri state-record fish data and criteria, and apply for your own Missouri State Record Fish award.
- Places to FishMDC-managed areas, community lakes, and stream accesses give you hundreds of great fishing spots throughout Missouri. Find them here.
- 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.
- Free Fishing DaysTry Missouri fishing without having to buy a permit or tackle during Free Fishing Days the Saturday and Sunday following the first Monday in June.
- Fish Attractors MapFind some good fishing holes with this interactive, statewide map of fish-attractor locations.
- Game Fish RegulationsFind out specific regulations and permit requirements for a variety of Missouri's game fish.
- General Fishing RulesCheck this section for Missouri's rules on fishing methods, length limits, jug-line regulations, possession limits, culling and transportation.
- 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
http://mdc.mo.gov/node/89
