Fishing quick reference

The statewide limits and the headline quirks on one page — but always check your water. The numbers below are the starting point for the whole state. Your lake, river, or stream stretch can set a stricter rule, so read the sign at the access before you keep a fish.

Check your water first

Missouri's statewide limits are only the starting point. Hundreds of lakes, rivers, trout areas, urban lakes, and stream stretches set their own daily limits, length limits, slot limits, bait rules, or catch-and-release rules that override the statewide number. The local rule is usually posted on a sign at the access.

Look up your water in MDC's Special Waterbody Regulations →

The statewide starting point

Statewide default limits (every fish)

These are the statewide defaults. Your specific lake, river, or stream stretch may set stricter rules — check the sign at the access.

Fish	Daily	Possession	Length	Notes
Black bass (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted — combined)	6	12	Impoundments: none. Streams: 12″ min.	Ozark streams close to harvest in spring (see below).
Crappie (white & black — combined)	30	60	None statewide	Many lakes set a 9–10″ minimum or a smaller daily number.
Channel catfish	10	20	None statewide	Big rivers set combined limits and slots.
Blue catfish	5	10	None statewide	Some waters add a protected slot.
Flathead catfish	5	10	None statewide	—
White, yellow & striped bass + hybrids (combined)	15	30	No more than 4 over 18″ per day	Some reservoirs set special striper/hybrid rules.
Goggle-eye (rock bass) & warmouth	15	30	7″ min	Several Ozark streams set an 8″ minimum.
Walleye & sauger (combined)	4	8	15″ min	Some big reservoirs raise the minimum to 18″.
Muskellunge & northern pike (combined)	1 muskie OR 1 pike	2	36″ min	One fish total between the two species.
Trout	4	8	Varies by water	Permit/tag rules apply — see the Trout page.
Paddlefish	2	4	32″ statewide; 34″ on Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock, Truman + tributaries (eye to fork)	Snagging season only — see the Paddlefish page.
Sunfish (bluegill, green, longear, redear)	No statewide limit by pole & line on most waters	—	No statewide limit by pole & line	Read the sunfish note — alternative methods and many lakes do cap them.
Nongame fish (suckers, carp, buffalo, drum, gar, etc.)	50 by line / 20 by other methods (combined)	100 line / 40 other	—	100/100 on the Mississippi. Goldfish and common/grass/bighead/silver carp are unlimited and don't count.
Bullfrog & green frog (combined)	8	16	—	Season June 30 – Oct. 31 — see the Hunting hub frog page.

Full seasons & limits: MDC Fishing Seasons & Limits.

Special-water examples

A few waters that change the rules

These are examples, not a full list — always verify them against your own water's posted rules before you fish.

15″ black bass minimum on many Ozark lakes

Lakes like Table Rock and Lake of the Ozarks raise the largemouth/smallmouth minimum to 15″ (12″ for spotted bass). Confirm each lake.

Big-river catfish limits & blue-cat slots

The Missouri and Mississippi rivers often run about 20 channel-and-blue combined plus 10 flathead; some blue-cat waters protect a slot (e.g., release 26–34″, keep no more than 2 over 34″).

Urban & community lakes

City lakes in St. Louis, Kansas City, and elsewhere often set an 18″ bass minimum, a 10–20 sunfish aggregate, and special trout rules — read the posted sign.

Walleye 18″ minimum on parts of some big reservoirs

A handful of reservoirs raise the walleye/sauger minimum from 15″ to 18″.

Look up your water: MDC Special Waterbody Regulations.

Headline quirks

The rules that trip people up

Handfishing (“noodling”) is illegal statewide.
Felt-soled waders are banned on all trout waters (they spread “rock snot”).
Ozark-stream black bass is catch-and-release each spring (March 1 to the Saturday before Memorial Day).
Paddlefish minimum is 32″ statewide, 34″ on Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock, and Truman (eye to fork).
The White River Border Lakes Permit lets MO and AR residents fish each other's side of three lakes.
On the Current River below Cedar Grove, a daily nongame limit may include no more than 5 hogsuckers.
Gigging has two seasons: impounded waters Feb. 16 – Sept. 14, and streams + impounded Sept. 15 – Feb. 15.
There's no Telecheck for fish — you just follow the daily and possession limits.

Before you fish

Missouri Porch explains; the MDC decides.

Data current for 2026. Last checked against MDC: 2026-06-18. Limits, prices, and special-water rules change — confirm with MDC before you fish.

This is a plain-English summary, not the law. Always check the current MDC regulations before you fish. As MDC says, the regulation summary is NOT a legal document and rules can change during the year.

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