Fishing, Methods and Hours

PURPOSE: This rule establishes provisions for fishing methods and hours of restricted public use on department areas. (1) On lakes and ponds, fish may be taken only with pole and line and not more than three (3) poles may be used by one (1) person at any time, except as otherwise provided in this chapter. (A) Fish may be taken with bank lines, jug lines, limb lines, throwlines, and trotlines on the following department areas or individually named lakes: 1. Montrose Conservation Area; 2. Schell-Osage Conservation Area; 3. Shanks (Ted) Conservation Area. (B) Carp, buffalo, suckers, and gar may be taken by atlatl, gig, bow, or crossbow during statewide seasons on the following department areas or individually named lakes: 1. Atlanta Conservation Area; 2. Bismarck Conservation Area; 3. Blackjack Access; 4. Brown (Bob) Conservation Area; 5. Columbia Bottom Conservation Area; 6. Cooley Lake Conservation Area; 7. Deer Ridge Conservation Area; 8. Deroin Bend Conservation Area; 9. Duck Creek Conservation Area; 10. Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area; 11. Femme Osage Slough (Weldon Spring Conservation Area); 12. Fewel (Connor O.) Conservation Area; 13. Fountain Grove Conservation Area; 14. Four Rivers (August A. Busch, Jr. Memorial Wetlands at) Conservation Area; 15. Franklin Island Conservation Area; 16. Grand Pass Conservation Area; 17. Hunnewell Lake Conservation Area; 18. King Lake Conservation Area; 19. Kings Prairie Access; 20. Lake Paho Conservation Area; 21. Lamine River Conservation Area; 22. Leach (B. K.) Memorial Conservation Area; 23. Limpp Community Lake; 24. Little Compton Lake Conservation Area; 25. Locust Creek Conservation Area; 26. Manito Lake Conservation Area; 27. Marais Temps Clair Conservation Area; 28. Nodaway County Community Lake; 29. Nodaway Valley Conservation Area; 30. Otter Slough Conservation Area; 31. Peabody Conservation Area; 32. Perry (Ralph and Martha) Memorial Conservation Area; 33. Poague (Haysler A.) Conservation Area; 34. Pony Express Lake Conservation Area; 35. Rebel’s Cove Conservation Area; 36. Schell-Osage Conservation Area; 37. Sever (Henry) Lake Conservation Area; 38. Settle’s Ford Conservation Area; 39. Shanks (Ted) Conservation Area; 40. Thurnau (H. F.) Conservation Area; 41. Truman Reservoir Management Lands; 42. Worth County Community Lake; 43. Worthwine Island Conservation Area. (C) Gizzard shad may be taken from lakes and ponds by dip net or throw net. (2) Fishing is permitted only by reservation by educational groups, and fish must be returned to the water unharmed immediately after being caught, except as provided by special use permit on the following department areas or individually named lakes: (A) Bass Pond, Catfish Pond, Hybrid Pond (Bellefontaine Conservation Area); (B) Belladonna Pond (Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery); (C) Bois D’Arc Conservation Area Aquatic Education Pond; (D) Bray Pond (Bray (Marguerite) Conservation Area); (E) Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area Aquatic Education Pond; (F) Lost Valley Fish Hatchery; (G) Mule Camp Pond (Twin Pines Conservation Education Center); (H) Prairie Fork Conservation Area; (I) Sunfish Lake (Hartell (Ronald and Maude) Conservation Area); (J) Three Creeks Conservation Area (Waters-Russell Unit); and (K) Woods (Walter) Conservation Area Aquatic Education Pond. (3) On Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center Pond fishing is restricted to persons fifteen (15) years of age or younger. (4) Fish must be returned to the water unharmed immediately after being caught except by holders of a special use permit on the following department areas or individually named lakes: (A) Caldwell Memorial Wildlife Area; (B) Conservation Commission Headquarters; (C) Clinic Pond 1, Clinic Pond 2 (Platte Falls Conservation Area). (5) On Reed (James A.) Memorial Wildlife Area— (A) Fishing is permitted only on designated waters from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, and from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily during the remainder of the year; (B) On Honker Pond, fishing is restricted to persons fifteen (15) years of age or younger and not more than one (1) pole and line may be used by any one (1) person at any time; and (C) On Prairie Hollow Lake, fishing is permitted only by reservation by educational groups, and fish must be returned to the water unharmed immediately after being caught, except as provided by special use permit. (6) On Busch (August A.) Memorial Conservation Area— (A) Fishing is permitted only on designated waters from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily; (B) On Lakes 16, 31, and 32, only flies, artificial lures, and soft plastic baits (unscented) may be used and fish must be returned to the water unharmed immediately after being caught; (C) On Lakes 7 and 21, only flies, artificial lures, and soft plas tic baits (unscented) may be used from November 1 through January 31; (D) On Lake 12, fishing is restricted to persons fifteen (15) years of age or younger and not more than one (1) pole and line may be used by any one (1) person at any time; (E) On Lakes 1, 2, and 15, fishing is permitted only by reser vation by educational groups, and fish must be returned to the water unharmed immediately after being caught, except as provided by special use permit; and (F) On Lakes 3, 7, 21, 22, and 23, from November 1 through January 31, not more than one (1) pole and line may be used by one (1) person at any time and the use of natural or scented baits as chum is prohibited. (7) On Binder Community Lake, fishing is permitted only from 3:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily. (8) Seining or trapping live bait, including tadpoles, is prohib ited on all lakes and ponds, except as otherwise provided in this chapter. (A) Seining or trapping live bait, excluding all frogs and tadpoles, in compliance with 3 CSR 10-6.605 is permitted on designated lakes and ponds on the following department areas: 1. Atlanta Conservation Area; 2. Leach (B. K.) Memorial Conservation Area; 3. Brown (Bob) Conservation Area; 4. Cooley Lake Conservation Area; 5. Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area; 6. Fountain Grove Conservation Area; 7. Grand Pass Conservation Area; 8. Long Branch Lake Management Lands; 9. Locust Creek Conservation Area; 10. Nodaway Valley Conservation Area; 11. Rebel’s Cove Conservation Area; and 12. Shanks (Ted) Conservation Area. (9) On Mule Shoe Conservation Area, seining or trapping live bait, including tadpoles, is prohibited on streams and the dis charge channels of impoundments. (10) The taking of crayfish, is prohibited on the following de partment areas: (A) Caney Mountain Conservation Area; (B) Cover (Dan and Maureen) Prairie Conservation Area; (C) Martin (George and Vida) Access; and (D) Paris Springs Access. (11) Salvage seining of other fish as designated in 3 CSR 10-6.550 may be permitted seasonally for personal use with a special use permit. (12) On Wire Road Conservation Area, other fish as designated in 3 CSR 10-6.550 may be taken by snagging, snaring, or grab bing from March 15 through May 15. (13) Bait transported or held in containers with water is prohib ited on the following department areas: (A) Blackwell Lake (Indian Trail Conservation Area); (B) Blind Pony Lake Conservation Area; (C) Hunnewell Lake Conservation Area; and (D) Lost Valley Fish Hatchery. (14) On the Ozark Regional Office Pond— (A) Fishing is permitted only on designated waters from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., May 1 through September 30, Monday through Friday; (B) Fishing is restricted to persons fifteen (15) years of age or younger and not more than one (1) pole and line may be used by any one (1) person at any time; (C) Fish must be returned to the water unharmed immedi ately after being caught. AUTHORITY: sections 40 and 45 of Art. IV, Mo. Const., and section 252.040, RSMo 2016.* This rule was previously filed as 3 CSR 104.115. Original rule filed April 30, 2001, effective Sept. 30, 2001. Amended: Filed May 9, 2002, effective March 1, 2003. Amended: Filed July 31, 2002, effective June 30, 2003. Amended: Filed May 9, 2003, effective Oct. 30, 2003. Amended: Filed Oct. 9, 2003, effec tive March 30, 2004. Amended: Filed Sept. 29, 2004, effective Feb. 28, 2005. Amended: Filed Sept. 14, 2005, effective Feb. 28, 2006. Amended: Filed March 6, 2006, effective Aug. 30, 2006. Amended: Filed Oct. 2, 2006, effective Feb. 28, 2007. Amended: Filed Sept. 27, 2007, effective Feb. 29, 2008. Amended: Filed Oct. 10, 2008, effec tive April 30, 2009. Amended: Filed Sept. 25, 2009, effective March 1, 2010. Amended: Filed Sept. 30, 2010, effective March 1, 2011. Amended: Filed March 7, 2011, effective July 30, 2011. Amended: Filed Sept. 12, 2011, effective March 1, 2012. Amended: Filed Sept. 19, 2012, effective March 1, 2013. Amended: Filed Sept. 27, 2013, effective March 1, 2014. Amended: Filed March 17, 2014, effective Aug. 30, 2014. Amended: Filed Aug. 28, 2015, effective March 1, 2016. Amended: Filed Aug. 29, 2016, effective March 1, 2017. Amended: Filed Aug. 29, 2017, effective Sept. 30, 2017. Amended: Filed Aug. 28, 2018, effective March 1, 2019. Amended: Filed March 1, 2019, effective March 15, 2019. Amended: Filed Aug. 26, 2019, ef fective Feb. 29, 2020. Amended: Filed March 2, 2020, effective Aug. 30, 2020. Amended: Filed Aug. 27, 2021, effective Feb. 28, 2022. Amended: Filed Sept. 6, 2024, effective Feb. 28, 2025. Amended: Filed Feb. 7, 2025, effective Aug. 30, 2025. *Original authority: 252.040, RSMo 1945, amended 1989.