Fishing Permit Information
Everyone who fishes must have the appropriate lifetime, annual or daily fishing permit or qualify for an exemption. (Click here for permit prices )
The following do not need a lifetime, annual or daily fishing permit, but must purchase a daily fishing tag or trout permit when or where required:
- any Missouri resident landowner and resident lessee of land, and all members of their immediate households (see definitions), when fishing on the land they own or on which they lease and reside;
- any Missouri resident (whether or not meeting the definition of a landowner) who owns land that completely encloses a body of water, or any member of his or her immediate household, when fishing in those waters;
- any Missouri resident 65 years of age or older, and any person (resident or nonresident) 15 years of age or younger. (Note: Youngsters fishing without a permit are limited to the following methods—pole and line, gig, longbow, crossbow, snaring, grabbing and snagging);
- any Missouri resident with a visual acuity not exceeding 20/200 in the better eye with maximum correction, or having 20 degree or less field of visual concentric contraction. Must carry a certified statement of eligibility from a licensed ophthalmologist, optometrist or physician;
- any Missouri resident who is so severely and permanently disabled as to be unable to move freely without the aid of a wheelchair. Must carry a certified statement of eligibility from a licensed physician;
- any Missouri resident with cerebral palsy or mental retardation as defined in Missouri Revised Statutes, section 630.005, and who is so severely disabled that he or she cannot fish alone. Must be accompanied by a licensed adult angler and possess a certified statement of eligibility from a licensed physician qualified to evaluate and treat the developmentally disabled;
- any Missouri resident who is an honorably discharged veteran who has a service-related disability of 60 percent or greater, or who was a prisoner of war during military service. Must carry a certified statement of eligibility from the Veterans Administration.
Any person—without permit and prescribed area daily fishing tag—may fish during Free Fishing Days. Also, a fishing permit is not required to fish privately stocked waters. On private licensed trout fishing areas, customers and guests may fish for trout without a permit.
A Missouri resident, for permit purposes, is a person who does not claim resident privileges in another state or country, and whose actual residence and legal permanent home address are both in Missouri, and have been for at least 30 days before applying for the permit. Owning real estate or attending a Missouri school does not in itself make you a legal resident. Immigrants who possess an I-551 Resident Alien Card may receive resident permit privileges if they meet the resident requirements listed above.
Missouri residents employed by the United States in the District of Columbia or serving in the U.S. armed forces, and all members of the U.S. armed forces stationed and residing in Missouri, and their immediate families, can purchase resident permits.
Accepting a permit means that you:
- agree to observe all the rules of the Wildlife Code;
- will not loan your permit to another;
- will allow inspection of your permit, picture identification, catch and equipment by an agent of the Conservation Department;
- will carry your permit while fishing. If you ordered your permit by telephone or on the internet and have not received it by mail, you must carry the permit authorization number and picture identification with you while fishing until your permit arrives.
