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Mississippi River

The rule for this water, with the receipt.

Special regulations for Mississippi River, as the state words them

TN County · River · TN

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
anglers are restricted to a maximum of 3 hooks per rod, pole or hand-held lineStatewide
Bait
Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
Poles
there is no limit on the number of poles an angler may fish at one (1) timeStatewide
SpeciesDaily limitSize
White Bass
30 per day, no length limit-This water
Walleye
Varies by water: 28 (Tennessee Angler Recognition Program)
5min. 16 inchesStatewide
Muskellunge
Varies by water: 40 (Tennessee Angler Recognition Program)
1min. 36 inchesStatewide
Lake Trout
Varies by water: 28 (Tennessee Angler Recognition Program); limit two (2) (Statewide, exception: Lake Trout)
Only 2 trout may be Lake Trout.min. noneStatewide
Catfish
No creel limit, only one (1) fish over 34 inches in length may be harvested per day-This water
Bluegill/Redear Sunfish
20 per day, no length limit-Statewide
Black Bass
10 per day, no length limit-This water
Crappie
50 per day, no length limit-This water
Trout
Varies by water: limit Five (5) per day, no length limit (Community Fishing Program waters); limit five (5) trout per day (Gatlinburg General Streams)
Seven (7)min. NoneStatewide
Gizzard Shad
No possession limit-Statewide
Threadfin Shad
No possession limit-Statewide
Fathead Minnow
No possession limit-Statewide
Golden Shiner
No possession limit-Statewide
Goldfish
No possession limit-Statewide
Skipjack Herring
Varies by water: limit creel limit of 100 per day; possession limit is 200 (Class A Bait Fish)
100min. noneStatewide
Sunfishes
See sizemin. not more than four (4) inches in lengthStatewide
Stonerollers
no more than 100-Statewide
Creek Chub
no more than 100-Statewide
Bluntnose Minnow
no more than 100-Statewide
Bullhead Minnow
no more than 100-Statewide
Silver Carp
without limit-Statewide
Bighead Carp
without limit-Statewide
Black Carp
without limit-Statewide
Grass Carp
without limit-Statewide
Nongame fish, Paddlefish, Sturgeon
Nongame fish, except Paddlefish and Sturgeon, may be taken without limit-Statewide
Game fish
Game fish may be taken according to local limits.-Statewide
Skipjack
The creel limit for Skipjack is 100 fish.-Statewide
Nongame fish
Nongame fish may be taken without limit.-Statewide
Game fish, Sturgeon, Alligator Gar
Game fish, Sturgeon, and Alligator Gar may not be taken.-Statewide
Catfish, Paddlefish, Skipjack
Catfish, Paddlefish, and Skipjack may be harvested according to local limits.-Statewide
Largemouth/Spotted Bass
See sizemin. No length limitStatewide
Crappie (all species combined)
15min. 10 inchesStatewide
Sauger or Sauger/Walleye hybrids
10min. 15 inchesStatewide
Trout (all trout species combined)
7min. noneStatewide
Redear Sunfish (Shellcracker)
20min. noneStatewide
Alligator Gar
No harvest allowed. Must be returned to water immediately.-Statewide
Paddlefish
two (2) fish per daymin. no size limitStatewide
Shovelnose Sturgeon
No harvest allowed. Must be returned to water immediately.-Statewide
common snapping turtle
5min. 12 inches, length is determined by measuring the upper shell in a straight line from the scute directly behind the turtle's head (nuchal scute) to the base of the notch where the two most posterior scutes meetStatewide
Sunfish/Bream
50 per day, no length limit-This water
Striped Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass
Six (6) per day, no length limit-This water
Sauger
Six (6) per day, no length limit-This water
Sunfish
No length limit.
50-This water

The official text, verbatimOfficial text

Straight from TN'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
    Daily limit 10 per day, no length limit
  • Sunfish/Bream
    Daily limit 50 per day, no length limit
  • Catfish
    Daily limit No creel limit, only one (1) fish over 34 inches in length may be harvested per day
  • Crappie
    Daily limit 50 per day, no length limit
  • Striped Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass
    Daily limit Six (6) per day, no length limit
  • Sauger
    Daily limit Six (6) per day, no length limit
  • White Bass
    Daily limit 30 per day, no length limit
  • Skipjack Herring
    May not be transported away from the water alive from these waters. This restriction does not apply to the Duck River above Normandy Dam.
  • Gizzard Shad
    May not be transported away from the water alive from these waters. This restriction does not apply to the Duck River above Normandy Dam.
  • Threadfin Shad
    May not be transported away from the water alive from these waters. This restriction does not apply to the Duck River above Normandy Dam.
  • All fish
    This state agrees to honor either license on the flowing waters described. The following common regulations apply (see separate species-specific rules).
  • Black Bass
    Daily limit 10
    No length limit.
  • Sunfish
    Daily limit 50
    No length limit.
  • Crappie
    Daily limit 50
    No length limit.
  • Striped Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass
    Daily limit 6
    No length limit.
  • Sauger
    Daily limit 6
    No length limit.
  • All fish
    Persons possessing a valid sportfishing license in either state may fish in these waters within the boundaries of the other state. They may fish from or attach any device or equipment to land under the jurisdiction of the other state. Persons licensed in only one state may not fish in the Mississippi River tributaries of the other state. Anglers must comply with the fishing regulations of the state where they are fishing and, when fishing where they are not licensed, will comply with the most restrictive state's regulation. Persons legally exempted from license requirements of either state are entitled to these privileges and provisions. Except where shown to be elsewhere, the center of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers navigation channel is the boundary between Tennessee and Missouri.

How this answer was assembled

  1. StatewideStatewide river 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 section begins and ends

Loading map…

The drawn shape is the named water, matched from the official list against OpenStreetMap and accepted only because the name resolved to a single feature in this water's county.

Different sections of this water can have different rules. The exact section boundaries are not marked on the map yet; each rule above describes in plain words where it starts and ends, and that written description is the authoritative boundary. Map boundaries come water by water, never as a guess.

At the water nowContext

Overnight
67°F
Clear
Wind 5 mph · 0% precip
Tuesday
94°F
Sunny
Wind 5 to 10 mph · 4% precip
Tuesday Night
73°F
Mostly Clear
Wind 5 mph · 4% precip

Streamflow: 437,000 cfs at mississippi river at memphis, tn (2026-10-13 04:00)

Forecast: National Weather Service. Flow: nearest active USGS gauge in this water's area, which may sit on a different reach. Conditions are context, not rules.

What are you fishing for here?Advice

Pick from the species named in Mississippi River'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 (Tennessee)

Tennessee / Arkansas licence agreement: This state agrees to honor either license on the flowing waters of the Mississippi River, adjacent sloughs, bayous, and old river runs, which are accessible by boat from the river proper, and the old river chutes forming a common boundary, excluding all wildlife management areas established by either state and the Wolf, Loosahatchie, Hatchie, Forked Deer, and Obion rivers. The following common regulations apply:
Tennessee / Missouri licence agreement: Persons possessing a valid sportfishing license in either state may fish in the Mississippi River and its backwaters within the boundaries of the other state and any oxbow lakes through which the Missouri-Tennessee boundary passes. They may fish from or attach any device or equipment to land under the jurisdiction of the other state. Persons licensed in only one (1) state may not fish in the Mississippi River tributaries of the other state. Anglers must comply with the fishing regulations of the state where they are fishing and when fishing where they are not licensed will comply with the most restrictive state’s regulation. Persons legally exempted from license requirements of either state are entitled to these privileges and provisions.

    Receipts

    Statewide rules
    Statewide
    TN official fishing regulations
    Checked against this official source on July 11, 2026.
    Special rules - Mississippi River
    This water
    TN official fishing regulations
    Checked against this official source on July 11, 2026.

    Local services near Mississippi River

    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 Mississippi River? Get listed.