Fishing in Missouri

Missouri Department of Conservation runs the fishing rules and permits, and the four trout parks (Bennett Spring, Montauk, Roaring River, Maramec Spring) sell a daily trout tag instead of requiring the annual trout permit.

Each row below was read on the page named in its last column on October 30, 2026. Prices, hours and rules change, so confirm with the operator before you go. Items we could not read are listed under What We Could Not Verify.

$5Daily trout tag, adult, at the four trout parks

$3Daily trout tag, age 15 and younger

$12.00Trout Permit, resident (2026 listing)

$24.00Trout Permit, nonresident

Background

MDC's fishing page names Lake of the Ozarks, Truman Lake and the Osage River in its paddlefish and snagging rules, and the Mississippi, Missouri and St. Francis rivers in bowfishing rules. No dedicated big-lake or big-river page was found there. (mdc.mo.gov)
Brown trout in the trout parks must be at least 15 inches; rainbow trout have no size limit. (mdc.mo.gov)
In the trout parks the all-four catch-and-release season runs from the second Friday in November through the second Monday in February, and only flies may be used then. (mdc.mo.gov)
Anglers at the trout parks need a fishing permit (unless exempt) plus a daily trout tag. (mdc.mo.gov)
A Trout Permit is required for winter fishing in trout parks. (mdc.mo.gov)
MDC lists a $9.00 Daily Fishing Permit as a separate permit (page text only partly read). (mdc.mo.gov)
Permits are bought through MDC's licensing site; the fishing page prints no prices itself. (mdc.mo.gov)

Where to Go

Place	Town	What It Is	Hours or Price as Printed	Source
Bennett Spring State Park trout park	Lebanon (Dallas County)	A spring branch stocked daily with rainbow trout; address printed as 26250 Highway 64A, Lebanon.	MDC page: Friday to Monday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; daily tag $5 adult / $3 age 15 and under. State park page prints no hours.	mostateparks.com
Montauk State Park trout park	Salem (Dent County)	Park at the headwaters of the Current River; trout is the only commonly caught fish listed.	MDC page: Friday to Monday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; daily tag $5 / $3. Park office 573-548-2201.	mostateparks.com
Roaring River State Park trout park	Cassville (Barry County)	Park with a stocked rainbow trout stream, an on-site hatchery camera, and fishing year-round.	MDC page: Friday to Monday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; daily tag $5 / $3. Office 417-847-2539.	mostateparks.com
Maramec Spring Park trout park	Phelps County	One of the four trout parks; listed in Phelps County on the MDC trout areas page. Its own MDC place page returned 404, so only the trout-park listing was read.	MDC page: daily 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; daily tag $5 / $3	mdc.mo.gov
Lake Taneycomo (large trout lake)	Taney County	Listed by MDC as the large trout lake; the trout permit page says a Trout Permit is needed year-round upstream of the U.S. Highway 65 bridge.	Trout Permit resident $12.00 / nonresident $24.00 / youth $6.00	mdc.mo.gov
Blue Ribbon trout areas (Current River, Eleven Point River, North Fork of the White River, Crane Creek and others)	Dent, Oregon, Ozark, Lawrence/Stone, other counties	MDC lists nine Blue Ribbon areas, including Current River (Dent), Eleven Point (Oregon), North Fork of the White (Ozark).	Trout Permit required; see permit page	mdc.mo.gov
Winter trout fishing lakes (city lakes stocked in winter)	Statewide, e.g. Hannibal (Huckleberry Lake), Cape Girardeau (Capaha Park Lake), Jefferson City (McKay Park Lake)	MDC lists about 37 city and conservation-area lakes as winter trout areas.	not stated	mdc.mo.gov
Kansas City and St. Louis urban fishing lakes	Kansas City and St. Louis areas	MDC names 13 Kansas City lakes and a St. Louis list; channel catfish are stocked, trout at selected lakes in winter.	Stocking hotlines: Kansas City 816-525-0300, St. Louis 636-300-9651	mdc.mo.gov
MDC Public Fishing Areas search	Statewide	MDC says its search covers over 700 public fishing areas, and links a fishing map and the MO Fishing App for boat ramps and fish structure on major lakes and rivers.	not stated	mdc.mo.gov

What We Could Not Verify

Maramec Spring Park own page (mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/maramec-spring-park) returned 404
MDC trout-parks section URL guessed first (/fishing/where-fish/trout-parks) was 404; correct one is /fishing/species/trout/trout-parks
No page read for Truman, Table Rock or Lake of the Ozarks fishing; no big-rivers page
Bennett Spring, Montauk, Roaring River state park pages print no hours; MDC and park hours may differ (MDC says Fri-Mon; park pages link to Park Hours not read)

More Missouri Guides

Things To Do in Missouri Missouri State Parks Wildlife Missouri History Drive Times Events by Region Answers

Questions People Ask

Do I need a trout permit at a trout park?

MDC says anglers in the parks buy a daily trout tag in place of the Trout Permit during the Mar 1 to Oct 31 season, and a Trout Permit is required for winter fishing in the parks.

What does a daily trout tag cost?

$5 for adults and $3 for ages 15 and younger, as printed by MDC.

What is the daily trout limit?

Four trout per day, with a possession limit of eight, per MDC.

When is the 2026 trout park season?

March 1 to October 31, 2026, then catch-and-release from November 13, 2026 to February 8, 2027.

Sources

Checked October 30, 2026 by It’s Missouri. Cite this page: It’s Missouri (https://itsmissouri.com/things-to-do/fishing/), checked October 30, 2026. Free to quote with a link.