Fishing Is Free, No Permits Needed, on Missouri’s Free Fishing Days

By Jim Low, Missouri Dept. of Conservation

First posted on 05-23-2008

Gear is all you need to enjoy fishing June 7 and 8. On those two days anyone in the state can fish at Missouri Department of Conservation areas and most other places without having to buy fishing permits.

Annually the Conservation Department designates the first weekend following the first Monday in June as Free Fishing Days. This gives Missouri residents and nonresidents alike a Saturday and Sunday to sample the Show-Me State’s fishing resources. Requirements for special permits still may apply at some county, city or private fishing areas. Elsewhere, anyone can fish without state permits on Free Fishing Days. All other fishing regulations remain in effect.

“Free Fishing Days are great for people who have friends they think would enjoy fishing but don’t want to buy permits to get them started,” said Fisheries Division Chief Bill Turner. “For others it is a chance to take everyone in the family fishing without buying several permits. In a way, it is a thank-you to Missourians for their support, but we also think that once people find out how much fun fishing is, a lot of them will come back for more.”

The Conservation Department has a wealth of free information about how and where to fish. Go to mdc.mo.gov/events/freefishdays for details about Free Fishing Days, or visit mdc.mo.gov/fish/fishrt for a weekly fishing report. Links to a host of fishing information, including fishing events, are available at mdc.mo.gov/fish/. Visit http://www.mdc.mo.gov/227 for a list of fishing publications and how to order them, or contact the Conservation Department Distribution Center, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180, .

-Jim Low-