Statewide Lengths and Daily Limits
Regulations and limits listed in the guidebook are enforced statewide.
Special, area-specific regulations can be found here.
- Alligator Gar: See Current Fishing Guidebook.
- Black Bass (largemouth, spotted, smallmouth combined): 10
- Smallmouth Bass (including hybrids of smallmouth and other bass): 4
- Length limit in Ozark Zone is 12 inches long; otherwise, length limit is 10 inches long.
- Rock Bass (Ozark and shadow bass): 10
- Bream (bluegill, redear, longear, warmouth and other sunfishes combined): 50
- No daily limit on bream shorter than 4 inches.
- Catfish (channel, blue, flathead combined): 10
- No daily limit on bullhead catfish.
- Crappie (black and white combined): 30
- Paddlefish: 2
- Sauger: 6
- Saugeye: 6
- Shovelnose Sturgeon: No limit
- Length limit is 21 inches or longer. All sturgeon caught between the levees of the Mississippi River must be released immediately.
- Striped Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass: 6 combined
- Trout: (No more than 2 brown trout, 2 cutthroat trout and 2 brook trout): 5
- Walleye: 6
- White Bass: 25
- Possession Limit: Triple the daily limit
- Snagging Limit: See Current Fishing Guidebook.
- Spearfishing Limit: See Current Fishing Guidebook.
Meanmouth bass (hybrids of smallmouth and other bass) share the same regulations and limits as smallmouth bass.
Daily Limit − The total limit of a certain fish species that may be taken in one day.
Possession Limit − The total limit of a certain fish species that is in your possession at any time, whether on your person or stored in another location. Fish and wild game (other than migratory game birds) that have been processed and stored at a residence do not count toward a person’s possession limit. A residence is defined as a house or house trailer that is permanently in place and is owned, leased or rented by an individual; it does not include mobile travel trailers, tents, vehicles or temporary rental units (motels, lodges, cabins, resorts, etc.).