Missouri River
The rule for this water, with the receipt.
Special regulations for Missouri River, north shore from the Confluence boat ramp then east (downstream) to the pipeline crossing (river mile 1577), and south shore from the Confluence with the Yellowstone River then east (downstream) to the pipeline crossing, as the state words them
Oliver County · River · ND
The rules for this water, verbatimOfficial text
Straight from ND'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.
- paddlefishup to seven days immediately following an early harvest closure, not to extend beyond May 21; hours 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. CT (dates as written)Daily limit no limit on number of fish that can be snagged during the day; no harvest allowed, all snagged fish must be released immediatelyGear use or possession of a gaff on snag-and-release days is illegalIf the harvest season closes early, snag-and-release will be allowed for up to seven days immediately following the harvest closure. If snaggers have in possession their own unused and current year's paddlefish tag, they can snag but must release immediately.
Statewide base layerParsed
These defaults apply where the rules above do not modify them.
- Season
- up to seven days immediately following an early harvest closure, not to extend beyond May 21; hours 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. CTThis water
- Gear
- use or possession of a gaff on snag-and-release days is illegalThis water
- Bait
- the only legal live baitfish are fathead minnows, creek chubs and sticklebacksStatewide
- Poles
- not more than two poles , each equipped with one line, in the water at any one timeStatewide
Where the verbatim rules above name a species, season, or limit, they replace the rows below. Each row is tagged with the layer it comes from.
| Species | Daily limit | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|
paddlefish Varies by water: limit no limit on number of fish that can be snagged during the day; no harvest allowed (Paddlefish Snagging, SNAG-AND-RELEASE-ONLY DAYS) | Season creel limit is one paddlefish | - | Statewide |
Walleye, Sauger, Saugeye or Combination Varies by water: limit 5 (Statewide) | 3 daily, 3 possession | - | Statewide |
Northern Pike Varies by water: limit 5 (Statewide) | 3 daily, 3 possession | - | Statewide |
Yellow Perch Varies by water: limit 20 (Statewide) | 10 daily, 20 possession | - | Statewide |
White Bass | 20 | - | Statewide |
Bluegill | 10 | - | Statewide |
Crappie | 10 | - | Statewide |
Salmon | 5 | - | Statewide |
Burbot (Ling) | 10 | - | Statewide |
Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass or Combination | 5 | - | Statewide |
Muskellunge (pure or hybrid) | 1 | - | Statewide |
Legal Live Baitfish | 150 | - | Statewide |
Leeches | 300 | - | Statewide |
Smelt | 5 gallons | - | Statewide |
Frogs | 50 | - | Statewide |
Salamanders | 50 | - | Statewide |
Crayfish | 50 | - | Statewide |
Snapping Turtle | One annually | - | Statewide |
How this answer was assembled
- StatewideStatewide river 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 section begins and ends
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
Streamflow: 13,000 cfs at missouri river at bismarck, nd (2026-10-13 05:15)
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 Missouri 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 (North Dakota)
- Who needs a fishing license. Anyone 16 or older needs a fishing license, resident or non-resident alike. Residents under 16 fish without one. Non-residents under 16 fish without a non-resident license only if they are with someone who holds a valid fishing license.
Checked against North Dakota Game and Fish Department, North Dakota Fishing License on Aug. 4, 2026.
Receipts
Local services near Missouri 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 Missouri River? Get listed.