Mississippi River · Missouri · Tennessee · Illinois · Wisconsin · Largemouth Bass
Mississippi River Largemouth Bass Fishing Regulations 2026
Mississippi River Largemouth Bass regulations as of 2026-05-08: Possession 12 fish; Season end Feb 28; Season start May 23. Sourced across 4 state agencies.
Rules (198)
Missouri (20)
All Ozark StreamsOut of season
- Season opens
- May 23
- Season closes
- Feb 28
- Possession
- 12 fish
- Min size
- 12"
Big River Mainstem And Its Tributaries, Except As Noted Below
- Daily bag
- 6 fish
may include no more than 6 largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, combined total of both species.
Blue Springs Creek
- Daily bag
- 6 fish
may include no more than 6 largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, combined total of both species.
Bourbeuse River Mainstem And Its Tributaries
- Daily bag
- 6 fish
may include no more than 6 largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, combined total of both species.
Bull Shoals Lake Lakewide
- Min size
- 15"
Courtois Creek Mainstem And Its Tributaries
- Daily bag
- 6 fish
may include no more than 6 largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, combined total of both species.
Dry Fork Creek Mainstem And Its Tributaries
- Daily bag
- 6 fish
may include no more than 6 largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, combined total of both species.
Harry S. Truman Reservoir Lakewide
- Min size
- 15"
Huzzah Creek Mainstem And Its Tributaries
- Daily bag
- 6 fish
may include no more than 6 largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, combined total of both species.
Lake Of The Ozarks Lakewide
- Min size
- 15"
Meramec River Mainstem And Its Tributaries, Except As Noted Below
- Daily bag
- 6 fish
may include no more than 6 largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, combined total of both species.
Mineral Fork Mainstem And Its Tributaries, Except As Noted Below
- Daily bag
- 6 fish
may include no more than 6 largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, combined total of both species.
Non-Ozark Streams
- Possession
- 12 fish
Norfork Lake Lakewide
- Min size
- 15"
Stockton Lake
- Min size
- 15"
Streams
- Min size
- 12"
Missouri statewide
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
Impoundments.
Tennessee (130)
Acorn LakeOpen
- Status
- Permitted
- Daily bag
- 10 fish/day
no minimum length limit
Barkley
- Min size
- 15"
Boone
- Min size
- 15"
Boone Reservoir
- Min size
- 15"
Bridgestone/Firestone Centennial Wilderness Wma Ponds
- Daily bag
- 5 fish/day
- Possession
- 1 fish
- Min size
- 16"
only one (1) fish 16 inches or longer may be harvested
Browns Creek Lake
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Possession
- 1 fish
- Slot min
- 18"
- Slot max
- 25"
only one fish longer than 25 inches may be harvested only one (1) fish longer than 25 inches may be harvested PLR
C. M. Gooch Unit E Lake
- Daily bag
- 5 fish/day
- Min size
- 15"
Campbell Lake
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Min size
- 12"
Carroll LakeOpen
- Status
- Permitted
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Possession
- 1 fish
no creel limit only one fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested only one (1) fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested
Casper Lake
- Daily bag
- 2 fish/day
- Min size
- 16"
Center Hill
- Min size
- 15"
Cheatham
- Min size
- 14"
Cherokee
- Min size
- 15"
Cherokee Reservoir
- Min size
- 15"
Chickamauga Reservoir
- Min size
- 15"
Cordell Hull
- Min size
- 15"
Coy Gaither-Bedford Lake
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Possession
- 1 fish
- Slot min
- 14"
- Slot max
- 18"
only one fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested only one (1) fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested PLR
Dale Hollow
- Min size
- 15"
Davy Crockett LakeOpen
- Status
- Permitted
- Max size
- 18"
No limit — no creel only one (1) fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested per day.
Davy Crockett Lake (Crockett Co.)Open
- Status
- Permitted
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Possession
- 1 fish
no creel limit only one fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested only one (1) fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested
Dogwood Lake
- Daily bag
- 10 fish/day
- Slot min
- 12"
- Slot max
- 16"
Fall Creek Falls Lake
- Daily bag
- 10 fish/day
- Possession
- 1 fish
- Min size
- 16"
Only one (1) fish longer than 16 inches may be harvested Only one (1) fish longer than 16 inches may be harvested.
Garrett LakeOpen
- Status
- Permitted
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Possession
- 1 fish
no creel limit only one fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested only one (1) fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested
Gibson County Lake
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Possession
- 1 fish
- Slot min
- 18"
- Slot max
- 24"
only one fish longer than 24 inches may be harvested only one (1) fish longer than 24 inches may be harvested PLR
Glenn Springs LakeOpen
- Status
- Permitted
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Possession
- 1 fish
no creel limit only one fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested only one (1) fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested
Great Falls
- Min size
- 15"
Guntersville Reservoir
- Min size
- 15"
Herb Parsons Lake
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Possession
- 1 fish
- Slot min
- 16"
- Slot max
- 20"
only one fish longer than 20 inches may be harvested only one (1) fish longer than 20 inches may be harvested PLR
Indian Boundary Lake
- Daily bag
- 5 fish/day
- Possession
- 1 fish
- Min size
- 16"
only one (1) fish 16 inches or longer may be harvested
Kentucky Lake
- Min size
- 15"
Lake GrahamOpen
- Status
- Permitted
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Possession
- 1 fish
no creel limit only one fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested only one (1) fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested
Lake Halford
- Daily bag
- 2 fish/day
- Possession
- 2 fish
- Max size
- 18"
only two fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested only two (2) fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested
Lake Kefauver
- Daily bag
- 5 fish/day
- Possession
- 1 fish
- Min size
- 16"
only one (1) fish 16 inches or longer may be harvested
Land Between The Lakes
- Daily bag
- 5 fish/day
- Min size
- 15"
Laurel Hill Lake
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Possession
- 1 fish
- Slot min
- 13"
- Slot max
- 18"
only one fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested only one (1) fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested PLR
Maples Creek LakeOpen
- Status
- Permitted
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Possession
- 1 fish
no creel limit only one fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested only one (1) fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested
Marrowbone LakeOpen
- Status
- Permitted
- Daily bag
- 10 fish/day
no length limit.
Melton Hill
- Min size
- 14"
Melton Hill Reservoir
- Min size
- 14"
New Lake
- Daily bag
- 5 fish/day
- Min size
- 15"
Nickajack Reservoir
- Min size
- 15"
Normandy
- Min size
- 15"
Norris
- Min size
- 14"
Old Hickory
- Min size
- 14"
Parksville
- Daily bag
- 5 fish/day
- Min size
- 15"
Parksville Reservoir
- Daily bag
- 5 fish/day
- Min size
- 15"
Percy Priest
- Min size
- 15"
Pickwick
- Min size
- 15"
Pin Oak Lake
- Daily bag
- 10 fish/day
- Slot min
- 18"
- Slot max
- 25"
only one (1) fish longer than 25 inches may be harvested
Pine Lake
- Daily bag
- 10 fish/day
Poplar Tree Lake
- Daily bag
- 10 fish/day
- Possession
- 1 fish
- Min size
- 18"
only one (1) fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested
Redbud Lake
- Daily bag
- 10 fish/day
- Slot min
- 12"
- Slot max
- 16"
Reelfoot
- Min size
- 15"
Reelfoot Watershed Lake #18
- Daily bag
- 5 fish/day
- Min size
- 15"
South Holston
- Min size
- 14"
South Holston Reservoir
- Min size
- 14"
Tellico
- Min size
- 12"
Tims Ford
- Min size
- 15"
Travis Mcnatt LakeOpen
- Status
- Permitted
- Min size
- 16"
No creel limit, only one (1) fish longer than 16 inches may be harvested only one (1) fish longer than 16 inches may be harvested
Vfw LakeOpen
- Status
- Permitted
- Daily bag
- 5 fish/day
no length limit.
Watauga
- Min size
- 12"
Watauga Reservoir
- Min size
- 12"
Whiteville LakeOpen
- Status
- Permitted
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Possession
- 1 fish
no creel limit only one fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested only one (1) fish longer than 18 inches may be harvested
Williamsport Lakes
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Min size
- 20"
Williamsport Lakes (4 Lakes)
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Min size
- 20"
Woodhaven Lake
- Daily bag
- 10 fish/day
- Slot min
- 18"
- Slot max
- 25"
only one (1) fish longer than 25 inches may be harvested
Illinois (19)
Chautauqua Lake North & South Pools
- Min size
- 12"
Dongola City Reservoir
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Min size
- 18"
Giant City State Park Ponds
- Min size
- 15"
Kane County Forest Preserve District Lakes And Ponds
- Daily bag
- 4 fish/day
- Slot min
- 14"
- Slot max
- 18"
with no more than 1 Fish greater than or equal to 18 inches and 3 Fish less than 14 inches Protected Slot Length Limit with no possession of Fish greater than or equal to 14 inches and less than 18 inches
Kinmundy Reservoir
- Min size
- 15"
Mason Recreational Use Restrictions Lake
- Min size
- 12"
Largemouth Bass 12 inch Minimum Length Limit
Pine Lake
- Min size
- 15"
Pittsfield Lake Ball Park Pond
- Daily bag
- 3 fish/day
- Min size
- 15"
Pocahontas Park Ponds
- Daily bag
- 3 fish/day
- Min size
- 15"
Siloam Springs Family Fishing Pond
- Daily bag
- 3 fish/day
- Min size
- 15"
St. Anne Village Pond
- Min size
- 15"
Illinois statewideOpen
- Status
- Permitted
- Daily bag
- 6 fish/day
No Statewide Size Limit. either singly or in the aggregate with Smallmouth Bass and Spotted Bass, except as specified under site specific regulations
Wisconsin (29)
Arrowhead Lake
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Slot min
- 14"
- Slot max
- 18"
only one may be longer than 18” all bass between 14-18” must be released
Camelot Lake
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Slot min
- 14"
- Slot max
- 18"
only one may be longer than 18” all bass between 14-18” must be released
Consumptive Opportunity
- Daily bag
- 5 fish a day
- Possession
- 1 fish
- Slot min
- 14"
- Slot max
- 18"
one over 18 inches
Crescent LakeOpen
- Status
- Permitted
Bass of any length may be kept
Deer LakeOpen
- Status
- Permitted
Largemouth bass of any length may be kept
Long Lake (Oasis Township)Open
- Status
- Permitted
Largemouth bass of any length may be kept
Memorable Opportunity Or Fishery Rehabilitation
- Daily bag
- 1 fish a day
- Min size
- 18"
Pelican Lake
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Max size
- 14"
one fish may be over 18” Only largemouth or smallmouth bass less than 14” may be kept
Pike Lake Chain (Includes Buskey Bay, Millicent, Hart, Twin Bear, Eagle, Flynn And Mccarry Lakes Combined)Open
- Status
- Permitted
Largemouth bass of any length may be kept
Pleasant LakeOpen
- Status
- Permitted
Largemouth and smallmouth bass of any length may be kept
Quality Opportunity
- Daily bag
- 5 fish a day
Sherwood Lake
- Daily bag
- 1 fish/day
- Slot min
- 14"
- Slot max
- 18"
only one may be longer than 18” all bass between 14-18” must be released
Trophy Opportunity Or Biomanipulation
- Daily bag
- 1 fish a day
- Min size
- 22"
Turtle LakeOpen
- Status
- Permitted
Largemouth and smallmouth bass of any length may be kept
Upper Gresham LakeOpen
- Status
- Permitted
Largemouth and smallmouth bass of any length may be kept
Wisconsin statewide
- Daily bag
- 5 fish/day
- Min size
- 14"
Frequently asked questions
When is Largemouth Bass season on Mississippi River?
Largemouth Bass season on Mississippi River runs from May 23 to Feb 28 (varies by state) per Conservation / TWRA / DNR / DNR.
What is the size limit for Largemouth Bass on Mississippi River?
Minimum size for Largemouth Bass on Mississippi River is 12 inches in All Ozark Streams. Slot or maximum sizes may apply elsewhere on the water; see the table above.
What is the daily bag limit for Largemouth Bass on Mississippi River?
Daily bag limit for Largemouth Bass on Mississippi River is 6 fish in Big River Mainstem And Its Tributaries, Except As Noted Below.
Reference only. Regulations change mid-season. Always verify with the official source before keeping a catch. Last verified .