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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
- From Feb. 20 through April 14This water
- 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
| Species | Daily limit | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|
Black bass | See size rule | min. 15" minimum length limit on largemouth and smallmouth bass; 12" minimum length limit on spotted bass | This 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 |
Crappie (Black and White) | Daily limit: 30 Possession limit: 60 | min. Size limit: None | Statewide |
Goggle-Eye (Rock Bass) and Warmouth | Daily limit: 15 Possession limit: 30 | min. Size limit: minimum 7" | Statewide |
Muskellunge Varies by water: 36" minimum, limit 1 | Daily limit: 1 muskellunge or 1 northern pike Possession limit: 2 | min. minimum 36" | Statewide |
Northern Pike Varies by water: limit 1 | Daily limit : 1 muskellunge or 1 northern pike Possession limit : 2 | min. None | Statewide |
Paddlefish | Daily limit: 2 Possession limit: 4 | min. 32-inch minimum in most areas; 34-inch minimum on Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock Lake, Truman Lake, and their tributaries | Statewide |
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) | 4 | min. Rainbow: none1 Brown: 15" minimum in streams | Statewide |
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 |
Pickerel (chain and grass) | 6 | min. None | Statewide |
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 size | min. 12" to 20" protected slot length limit | Statewide |
Catfish (blue, channel, and flathead) | 10 fish daily limit, combined total of these three species | - | This water |
Crappie | 15 fish daily limit | min. 10" minimum length limit | This water |
Walleye and sauger | See size rule | min. 18" minimum length limit | This water |
Striped bass There are no length limits for whitebass, yellow bass, or their hybrids. | only 3 striped bass may be included in the aggregate | min. 20" minimum length limit | This 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 bassSize 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
- CrappieDaily limit 15 fish daily limitSize 10" minimum length limit
- Walleye and saugerSize 18" minimum length limit
- Striped bassDaily limit only 3 striped bass may be included in the aggregateSize 20" minimum length limitThere 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 fishGear Trotlines, throwlines, and limb lines are prohibited.
How this answer was assembled
- StatewideStatewide lake rules are the base layer: default season, gear, bait, and limits.
- This waterSpecial rules written for this exact water replace the statewide defaults where they speak.
- 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.
You also need (Missouri)
Missouri and Arkansas share this water. Which licence you need depends on which state's water you are fishing, and the two states may or may not honour each other's. Some shared waters have their own licence or a written agreement, often with places it does not cover. Check both states before you go; the list below is Missouri only.
- Daily Fishing Permit (short-term, sold to non-residents). Missouri sells a Daily Fishing Permit that both residents and nonresidents can buy, and it can be purchased to cover multiple days. It covers fish, frogs, mussels, clams, turtles, crayfish and live bait.
- White River Border Lakes Permit (Missouri / Arkansas reciprocity). Missouri and Arkansas residents can buy a White River Border Lakes Permit to fish the other state's part of Bull Shoals, Norfork and Table Rock lakes without buying that state's nonresident fishing permit. Trout are excluded, and you must still hold a fishing permit (or an exemption) from your own state of residence. The permit runs from purchase through the last day of February.
Checked against Missouri Department of Conservation - Fishing Permits on Aug. 4, 2026.
Receipts
Statewide rules
StatewideChecked against this official source on July 10, 2026.
Special rules - Bull Shoals Lake
This waterChecked 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.