Missouri Fishing License 2026: Fees, Trout Permit Rules & Official Links

Missouri’s base Fishing Permit does not cover trout. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) separates a year-round Trout Permit from a trout-park daily trout tag, and picking the wrong one is the single most common mistake anglers make. This page gives you the current fees, who’s exempt, and the exact official pages to buy from.

2026 Fee Table

Which Trout Product Do You Need

MDC treats the Trout Permit and the trout-park daily tag as two different products solving two different problems, and they are not interchangeable.

• Trout-park daily tag ($5/$3): only for the four designated trout parks during the March 1–Oct 31 catch-and-keep season, in addition to a valid fishing permit or exemption.
• Trout Permit ($12 resident / $24 nonresident / $6 youth): required to possess trout anywhere outside a trout park, required for winter fishing inside the trout parks during the catch-and-release season (mid-November to mid-February), and required year-round — including catch-and-release — on Lake Taneycomo upstream of the U.S. Highway 65 bridge.
• A fishing permit alone does not authorize trout possession, and a Trout Permit alone does not replace the base fishing permit unless you qualify for an exemption.

Senior and Residency Exemptions

Missouri residents age 65 or older are exempt from the base Fishing Permit, but the exemption has limits that trip up visiting family members.

• A qualifying Missouri resident 65+ can fish without the base permit by carrying a valid Missouri driver’s license or a notarized age/residency affidavit, but this does not waive the Trout Permit or trout-park daily tag where required.
• Nonresident seniors get no age-based exemption at all — they must buy the standard $57 Nonresident Fishing Permit plus the $24 Nonresident Trout Permit if trout waters are involved.
• The White River Border Lakes Permit is a $10 add-on for named Arkansas–Missouri border-lake situations only; it is not a statewide license and excludes trout.

Common Pitfalls

• Buying the wrong trout product for Lake Taneycomo. Upstream of U.S. Highway 65, only the Trout Permit applies — a trout-park daily tag does not cover this water, even for catch-and-release.
• Assuming the Trout Permit replaces the base permit. You generally need both unless you qualify for a specific exemption.
• Missing the permit-year cutoff. Annual permits run March 1 through the last day of February, not the calendar year — renew before March 1 to avoid a lapse.
• Confusing the resident senior exemption with full trout coverage. It only waives the base fishing permit, not trout fees.
• Treating the White River Border Lakes Permit as a general license. It only covers the shared portions of Bull Shoals, Norfork, and Table Rock lakes and never covers trout.

Official Purchase and Reference Links

• MDC Fishing Permit page
• MDC Trout Permit page
• MDC Trout Parks seasons and daily tag pricing
• MDC Permit Exemptions
• MDC White River Border Lakes Permit
• Buy permits online (MDC)