Missouri Fishing Vacations

Missouri is reservoir country with a trout-stream streak. The big Ozark lakes hold largemouth and spotted bass, crappie, white bass and catfish, while spring-fed trout parks and cold Ozark streams offer rainbow and brown trout. Visit Missouri counts more than 200 fish species in the state and a dozen bodies of water larger than 1,000 acres.

Fishing here is easy on the budget. Beyond a permit, and a trout tag where needed, most public fishing is free, paid for by conservation taxes Missourians approved decades ago.

Start with Lake of the Ozarks

Our coverage starts with Lake of the Ozarks, a large resort lake in central Missouri. It covers about 54,000 acres with more than 1,150 miles of shoreline, and the Missouri Department of Conservation rates its bass and crappie fishing highly. Catfish are good from spring through fall. It is a natural pick for a family or weekend trip.

How the rest of Missouri compares

Truman Lake. Just upstream of Lake of the Ozarks in western Missouri, Truman is a timbered reservoir known for crappie and catfish. MDC expects good crappie fishing and excellent catfishing, though its bass numbers trail some other big reservoirs.

Table Rock Lake. In southwest Missouri, Table Rock is a strong pick for bass. MDC rates its black bass fishing excellent, with plenty of largemouth, good smallmouth and walleye in the James River arm.

Trout parks. Missouri runs four trout parks: Bennett Spring, Montauk and Roaring River state parks, and Maramec Spring Park. The parks’ main season runs from early March through October, with a catch-and-release season in winter; check MDC for the current dates. A daily trout tag is required in the parks.

Other lakes and rivers. Visit Missouri also points anglers to Mark Twain, Stockton and Bull Shoals lakes, and to the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

We will add more Missouri destinations as we research them.

How the seasons run

• Spring: bass move shallow, crappie stack up in creek channels, and walleye run up river arms. The trout parks open in early March.
• Summer: catfish are at their best, bass bite early and late, and the big lakes are busy with boaters.
• Fall: bass and crappie fishing picks up again on brush piles and points, and boat traffic drops.
• Winter: slow-worked jerkbaits for bass, crappie on deep brush, and catch-and-release trout at the parks.

Patterns shift with weather and water levels each year. MDC’s annual fishing prospects reports are the best place to see what each lake is expected to do.

Permits and rules

The Missouri Department of Conservation sells permits and sets the rules. Most anglers need a fishing permit, daily permits are available, and Missouri residents 65 and older are exempt. Trout fishing needs a trout permit or a daily tag depending on where you fish, and individual lakes have their own length limits. Check the MDC permit page and the regulations summary before each trip. Our fishing licenses guide covers the basics.