Where to fish

Where to fish & getting on the water

Where to go

Public water all over the state

• Conservation areas. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) manages hundreds of conservation areas with lakes, ponds, and stream access — and each one can set its own rules, so check the area's page or the sign at the access. Browse them on MDC's Where to Fish pages.
• Big reservoirs. Missouri's large lakes are the go-to for open-water fishing: Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock, Truman, Bull Shoals, Stockton, Pomme de Terre, and Mark Twain Lake. Many of these set their own length and daily limits, so read the posted rules.
• Famous rivers. The Current, Eleven Point, Gasconade, Meramec, Niangua, and Big Piney are prized for smallmouth bass and goggle-eye. The Missouri and Mississippi rivers are the place for catfish.
• Trout parks & streams. Cold spring water makes the four trout parks, the ribbon trout streams, and Lake Taneycomo their own kind of fishing — with their own permits, tags, and seasons. See the Trout fishing page.
• Urban fishing. City-lake programs in St. Louis, Kansas City, and elsewhere stock catfish, bass, and winter trout in lakes close to town. These lakes post their own limits — often stricter than the statewide ones — so read the sign before you keep a fish.

Your right to the water

Missouri's stream-access rule

In Missouri, who may be on a stream depends on how big it is. A few terms first. A navigable river is a big one the public has a legal right to use — large enough that boats have long traveled it. The high-water mark is the line on the bank that the water reaches at its normal high point; below that line is the streambed, above it is dry land. Here are the three tiers and one important caveat:

• Big navigable rivers. On big navigable rivers (like the Missouri and Mississippi), the public may use the water and the ground up to the high-water mark.
• Mid-size floatable streams. On mid-size public, non-navigable streams (big enough to float a canoe), the banks may be private, but you may fish, wade, and float within the streambed and on gravel bars — just don't go past the high-water mark onto private land without permission.
• Small private streams. On small private streams (too small to float a canoe), the streambed itself is private — get the landowner's permission.
• When in doubt, ask. People often disagree about how a given stretch is classified, so when in doubt, ask permission.

One plain rule covers all of this: don't trespass. If you're not sure whether a bank, a gravel bar, or a stretch of stream is open to you, ask the landowner first. A friendly question costs nothing and keeps you out of trouble.

Across the state line

Border waters

You can fish the flowing parts of the Missouri (shared with Kansas and Nebraska), Mississippi (Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee), St. Francis (Arkansas), and Des Moines (Iowa) rivers, but you must be Missouri-licensed on Missouri's tributaries, and on shared waters you generally follow the stricter of the two states' rules.

The White River Border Lakes Permit ($10) lets Missouri and Arkansas residents fish each other's side of Bull Shoals, Norfork, and Table Rock. It does not cover trout.

MDC publishes lake maps, access lists, and "Fishing Prospects" reports that tell you what's biting and where — a great place to start planning a trip. Find them on MDC's Where to Fish pages.