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Missouri River

The rule for this water, with the receipt.

Special regulations for Missouri River downstream below Gavins Point Dam to the Kansas border and all other rivers and streams located east of U.S. Hwy. 81 from the South Dakota border to York, north of Interstate 80 from York to Lincoln, and east of U. S. Hwy. 77 from Lincoln to the Kansas border, as the state words them

Cass County · River · NE

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
Hook-and-line fishing is allowed year-round throughout the stateStatewide
Gear
Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
Bait
Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
Poles
Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
SpeciesDaily limitSize
baitfish, listed amphibians
100-Statewide
crayfish
no daily possession limit-Statewide
baitfish and/or listed amphibians
100-Statewide
Black Bass
Possession limit: 10.
5min. 12-inch minimum; One 21 inches or longerThis water
Striped Bass, White Bass and Wiper
one-over: daily bag limit may include one fish 18 inches or longer-Statewide
Paddlefish
See pages 18-21 for special archery and snagging information; possession limit 2 (special tags required)
2 (special tags required)-This water
Shovelnose Sturgeon
No harvest allowed; possession 0; exception to statewide Shovelnose Sturgeon limit
0-This water

The official text, verbatimOfficial text

Straight from NE'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
  • baitfish
    The use of baitfish seined by anglers from these rivers and streams may only be used at the body of water from which they were captured.
  • Shovelnose Sturgeon
    Daily limit 0
    No harvest allowed; possession 0; exception to statewide Shovelnose Sturgeon limit
  • Paddlefish
    Daily limit 2 (special tags required)
    See pages 18-21 for special archery and snagging information; possession limit 2 (special tags required)
  • paddlefish and nongame fishunder season dates specified in the Paddlefish snagging section (dates as written)
    Daily limit under limits specified in the Paddlefish snagging sectionGear snagging
    All other state waters are closed to snagging for all species at all times. All fish snagged accidentally or otherwise foul-hooked must be returned to the water immediately.
  • Black Bass
    Daily limit 5Size 12-inch minimum; One 21 inches or longer
    Possession limit: 10.
  • Black Bass
    Daily limit 5Size No minimum; One 21 inches or longer
    Possession limit: 10.
  • Paddlefish
    Gear bow and arrow
    Paddlefish may be taken by bow and arrow and possessed in a designated area of the Missouri River only during the season.
  • PaddlefishJune 1-30 (dates as written)
    Legal Hours – sunrise to sunset
  • Paddlefish
  • Paddlefish
    Closed Area – This includes the north wall of the spillway and immediately below the Gavins Point Dam powerhouse downstream to a line extending from the east end of the south cement wall of the discharge canal northwest to the east end of the north wall of the discharge canal during the archery paddlefish season. See image below. The use of crossbows is not allowed in the area from the Gavins Point Dam downstream to the U.S. Highway 81 bridge.
  • Paddlefish
    NOTE: From the open area below Gavins Point Dam to 0.6 miles downstream, archers may harvest paddlefish if they possess a valid Nebraska resident or Nebraska nonresident archery paddlefish permit as well as a valid Nebraska fishing permit or a South Dakota resident archery paddlefish permit. A South Dakota nonresident fishing permit/tag is not valid in this area. In the remainder of the river open to archery paddlefish, South Dakota nonresident archery paddlefish permits are valid.
  • Paddlefish
    Gear snagging
  • PaddlefishOct. 1-31 (dates as written)
    Legal Hours – 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Paddlefish
    Gear snagging
    Fishing restrictions near the dam: red-striped area is closed to all paddlefish and archery fishing during the archery paddlefish season; snagging and archery fishing are also prohibited off the north wall (green zone). Fishing is closed entirely when spillway gates are open.
  • Paddlefish
    Gear snagging
    Requirements – Snaggers must have in their possession an unfilled paddlefish tag while actively snagging, in addition to a valid fishing permit, if required. From Gavins Point Dam to 0.6 miles downstream, snaggers must possess a valid Nebraska resident or Nebraska nonresident snagging permit or a South Dakota resident snagging permit. A South Dakota nonresident fishing permit/tag is not valid in this area. In the remainder of the river open to snagging, South Dakota nonresident permits are valid.
  • Paddlefish
    Gear snagging
    Possession – Paddlefish harvested by snagging may be possessed only on the Missouri River during the open season in the designated open area.
  • Channel Catfish
    The “one-over” size restriction on fish from the Missouri River is removed.

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
53°F
Mostly Clear
Wind 7 mph · 12% precip
Tuesday
65°F
Mostly Sunny
Wind 8 mph · 14% precip
Tuesday Night
52°F
Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Wind 8 to 12 mph · 35% precip

Streamflow: 27,100 cfs at missouri river at decatur, ne (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 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 (Nebraska)

Nebraska and Iowa and Kansas and Missouri and South Dakota and North Dakota and Montana 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.

    Receipts

    Statewide rules
    Statewide
    NE official fishing regulations
    Checked against this official source on July 12, 2026.
    Special rules - Missouri River
    This water
    NE official fishing regulations
    Checked against this official source on July 12, 2026.

    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.