DAILY LIMIT
Many lakes, rivers and streams have unique length limits and daily creel limits for certain species. If the body of water you’re looking for does not have a special limit listed in the Where to Fish section of this website, please use the following table for daily creel limits.
Species | Limit | Additional Information |
---|---|---|
Limit | Amount | Definition |
Alligator Gar | 1/day | Only one alligator gar greater than 36 inches may be taken per year with an Alligator Gar Tag. Alligator Gar may not be taken from noon, May 1-noon, July 1, statewide. An Alligator Gar Permit is required to take alligator gar less than 36 inches, which is available at regional offices. |
Black Bass | 10/day | Largemouth, spotted, smallmouth combined. |
Smallmouth Bass | 4/day | Length limit in Ozark zone is 12 inches long; otherwise, length limit is 10 inches long. See Map of Ozark Zone. |
Rock Bass | 10/day | Rock bass, Ozark bass and shadow bass, combined |
Bream | 50/day | Bluegill, redear, longear, warmouth and other sunfishes combined. No daily limit on bream shorter than 4 inches. |
Catfish | 10/day | Channel catfish, blue catfish and flathead catfish, combined. No daily limit on bullhead catfish. |
Crappie | 30/day | Black crappie and white crappie, combined. |
Paddlefish | 2/day | |
Pickerel | 6/day | |
Sauger | 6/day | |
Saugeye | 6/day | |
Shovelnose Sturgeon | No limit | Length limit is 21 inches or longer; harvest restricted between the main levees of the Mississippi River. |
Striped Bass | 6/day | Hybrid stripers and striped bass combined. |
Trout | 5/day | Rainbow trout, brown trout, cutthroat trout and brook trout, combined. The limit may include any combination of the following: 5 rainbow trout, two cutthroat trout, two brown trout, two brook trout. Trout may not be released or culled once placed in a livewell, stringer or creel basket, statewide. |
Walleye | 6/day | |
White Bass | 25/day | |
Yellow Bass | No limit | |
Daily Limit | The total limit of a certain fish species that may be taken in one day. | |
Possession Limit | Double Daily Limit | The maximum number of a certain fish species allowed in a person’s possession at any time, whether on their person or stored in another location. Fish that have been processed and are stored at a person’s legal residence do not count toward their possession limit. |
Snagging Limit | Half Daily Limit | |
Spearfishing Limit | Half Daily Limit |





