Get a Missouri Fishing License

Missouri Fishing Licenses Requirements

In Missouri, you’ll need a permit to fish in the state unless you qualify for an exemption. The fishing permit is good for fish, frogs, mussels, clams, turtles, crayfish and live bait.

Besides the general fishing permit, you may also need a permit to fish a particular species. For example, you’ll need a trout permit to possess trout. The Missouri Department of Conservation website has a list of permits required by species.

Fishing License Exemptions

There are several exemptions to Missouri’s general fishing permit requirement. The following individuals do not need a permit:

• Resident landowners (who own five acres or more) and their immediate households fishing on land they own
• Missouri residents ages 65 or older
• Anyone age 15 and younger (resident or nonresident)
• Honorably discharged veterans or active personnel who have a service-related disability of 60% or greater, was a prisoner of war during military service or as a patient in a Warrior Transition Brigade, Warrior Transition Unit, or military medical center
• Those with serious medical conditions such as individuals with a corrected vision of 20/200 or less or a 20 degree or less field of visual concentric contraction, those who permanently cannot move without the aid of a wheelchair, or individuals with cerebral palsy or a mental disability and cannot fish alone and who are accompanied by a licensed adult angler

Some reciprocal fishing privileges may exempt you from having a permit in Missouri if you are licensed in a neighboring state and fishing in certain rivers. The Department of Conservation website lists the rules for these privileges.

Types of Fishing Licenses

There are several types of fishing permits you can purchase in Missouri. These include:

• Daily Fishing Permit: Both residents and non-residents can purchase this type of permit.
• Annual Fishing Permit: These are available for both residents and non-residents.
• Lifetime Fishing Permit: Only residents can buy a lifetime fishing permit.
• Lifetime Conservation Partner Permit: This permit, available only to residents, carries the same privileges as the Resident Hunting and Fishing Permit.
• Military Reduced Cost Permit: Missouri residents who are currently (or have in the last 12 months) mobilized and serving on full-time active military duty in the National Guard (federal status) or reserve forces of the United States can get a reduced cost permit.
• Small Game Hunting & Fishing Permit: This type of permit is only for residents.

Missouri Fishing License Fees

While the permit fees are subject to change each year, for 2021, the rates are as follows:

Resident

• Daily Fishing Permit: $8
• Annual Fishing Permit: $12
• Lifetime Fishing Permit: The fees for this type of permit are age-based and are on the Department of Conservation’s website.
• Lifetime Conservation Partner Permit: These permit fees vary by the age of the angler when purchased. Find the costs on the Department of Conservation’s website.
• Military Reduced Cost Permit: $5

Non-Resident

• Daily Fishing Permit: $8
• Annual Fishing Permit $49

Where to Buy Your Missouri Fishing License

You can buy your Missouri fishing permit in one of several ways:

• Online through the Department of Conservation website by using the e-Permits system
• Over the phone by calling 800-392-4115
• At any Department office
• From more than a thousand vendors around the state such as stores that sell hunting and fishing equipment

It’s important to note, however, that certain types of permits cannot be purchased using all of these methods. For instance, you can’t get a reduced cost military permit at vendors, by telephone, or through the online system and the lifetime, permits can’t be purchased online or through a vendor.

If you have an account online with the Department of Conservation website, you may enroll in an auto-renewal service that will automatically renew your permit before the start of the next season or permit year.