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Bull Shoals Lake

The rule for this water, with the receipt.

Special regulations for Bull Shoals Lake, as the state words them

Taney County · Lake · MO

Has its own special rules
How to read this page:Official text quoted regulationParsed fields from the ruleDerived calculated from rulesContext conditions, not a ruleAdvice our suggestion

Today's rule hereParsed

Season
Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
Gear
You may take fish by pole and line, trotline, throwline, limb line, bank line, and jug line.Statewide
Bait
Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
Poles
If you use more than three poles (or two poles on the Mississippi River) at any one time, the additional poles must be labeledStatewide
SpeciesDaily limitSize
Black bass
See size rulemin. 15" minimum length limit on largemouth and smallmouth bass; 12" minimum length limit on spotted bassThis water
Bullhead
Varies by water: limit 50, except on the Mississippi River which has a daily and possession limit of 100 (Line Methods)
Daily limit: 20-Statewide
Carp
Varies by water: limit 50, except on the Mississippi River which has a daily and possession limit of 100 (Line Methods)
Daily limit: 20-Statewide
Carpsucker & Quillback
Varies by water: limit 50, except on the Mississippi River which has a daily and possession limit of 100 (Line Methods)
Daily limit: 20-Statewide
Catfish (Blue)
Daily limit: 5 Possession limit: 10min. Size limit: noneStatewide
Catfish (Channel)
Daily limit: 10 Possession limit: 20min. Size limit: noneStatewide
Catfish (Flathead)
Daily limit: 5 Possession limit: 10min. Size limit: noneStatewide
Crappie (Black and White)
Daily limit: 30 Possession limit: 60min. Size limit: NoneStatewide
Goggle-Eye (Rock Bass) and Warmouth
Daily limit: 15 Possession limit: 30min. Size limit: minimum 7"Statewide
Muskellunge
Varies by water: 36" minimum, limit 1
Daily limit: 1 muskellunge or 1 northern pike Possession limit: 2min. minimum 36"Statewide
Northern Pike
Varies by water: limit 1
Daily limit : 1 muskellunge or 1 northern pike Possession limit : 2min. NoneStatewide
Paddlefish
Daily limit: 2 Possession limit: 4min. 32-inch minimum in most areas; 34-inch minimum on Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock Lake, Truman Lake, and their tributariesStatewide
Pickerel
Daily limit: 6 Possession limit: 12 Length limit: None-Statewide
Shovelnose Sturgeon
Varies by water: 30" maximum
Daily limit: 10 Possession limit: 20 Length limit: 30 inch maximum-Statewide
Bass: White, Yellow, Striped & Hybrids
Daily limit: 15 Possession limit: 30 Size limit: You may keep up to four fish longer than 18” per day.-Statewide
Trout
Varies by water: No size limit on rainbow trout; 15 inch minimum for brown trout in streams (Trout Areas)
4min. Rainbow: none1 Brown: 15" minimum in streamsStatewide
Common Snapping
Daily limit: 2 Possession limit: 4 Limits are combined total of all species-Statewide
Soft-shelled
Daily limit: 2 Possession limit: 4 Combined total of all species.-Statewide
Walleye and Sauger
Varies by water: 15" minimum
Daily limit: 4 Possession limit: 8min. minimum 15"Statewide
Catfish
Varies by water: limit 5 (Blue catfish)
10-Statewide
Pickerel (chain and grass)
6min. NoneStatewide
crayfish, freshwater shrimp, and non-game fish
A combined total of 150 crayfish, freshwater shrimp, and non-game fish.-Statewide
bullfrogs and green frogs
Varies by water: limit 8, combined total of both species. (Bullfrogs and Green Frogs - Daily limit)
A combined total of 8 bullfrogs and green frogs.-Statewide
Mussels and clams
5, combined total of all species (except Asian clams, which may be taken and possessed in any number). This limit applies to live and dead animals. Two shell halves (valves) shall be considered 1 mussel or clam.-Statewide
Turtles
2, combined total of all species.-Statewide
Rainbow trout
See sizemin. 12" to 20" protected slot length limitStatewide
Crappie
15 fish daily limitmin. 10" minimum length limitThis water
Striped bass
There are no length limits for whitebass, yellow bass, or their hybrids.
only 3 striped bass may be included in the aggregatemin. 20" minimum length limitThis water

The official text, verbatimOfficial text

Straight from MO's official regulations. Rules in force today lead; out-of-season rows are dimmed. Nothing is paraphrased. Not legal advice: verify the posted rules at the water.

Whole water
  • Black bass
    Size 15" minimum length limit on largemouth and smallmouth bass; 12" minimum length limit on spotted bass
  • Catfish (blue, channel, and flathead)
    Daily limit 10 fish daily limit, combined total of these three species
  • Crappie
    Daily limit 15 fish daily limitSize 10" minimum length limit
  • Walleye and sauger
    Size 18" minimum length limit
  • Striped bass
    Daily limit only 3 striped bass may be included in the aggregateSize 20" minimum length limit
    There are no length limits for whitebass, yellow bass, or their hybrids.
  • walleye and saugerFrom Feb. 20 through April 14 (dates as written)
    may be taken and possessed only between 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset
  • All fish
    Gear Trotlines, throwlines, and limb lines are prohibited.

How this answer was assembled

  1. StatewideStatewide lake rules are the base layer: default season, gear, bait, and limits.
  2. This waterSpecial rules written for this exact water replace the statewide defaults where they speak.
  3. Emergency orderEmergency orders in effect today override everything else. They sync quietly when the phone has coverage and never lock you out of the app.

Where this rule applies

This water is not yet drawn on the map. Its rules are captured and receipted; the geometry ledger records exactly why it is not drawn (an ambiguous name match or a gap in the source data), and it will never ship as a guess. Each rule above describes in the state's own words where it applies, and those written descriptions are the authoritative boundaries.

What are you fishing for here?Advice

Pick from the species named in Bull Shoals Lake's rules. Setups are checked against the gear rules in force today, and your picks are remembered on this device only. These are rule-aware suggestions, not a claim about what is biting; advice, not law, and the rules above govern.

Receipts

Statewide rules
Statewide
Checked against this official source on July 10, 2026.
Special rules - Bull Shoals Lake
This water
Checked against this official source on July 10, 2026.

Local services near Bull Shoals Lake

Tackle shops, guides, and boat launches that serve this water will appear here - a separate lane below the rules, so a local business can reach you without ever getting between you and the regulation.

Run a shop or guide service on Bull Shoals Lake? Get listed.