St. Francis River
The rule for this water, with the receipt.
Special regulations for St. Francis River, from the Missouri state line to the Payneway Structure, as the state words them
St. Francis County · River · AR
The rules for this water, verbatimOfficial text
Straight from AR'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.
- catfishJan. 1-Feb. 15 - does not apply todayDaily limit 5, of which no more than 2 flathead catfish, and no more than 1 paddlefish
Statewide base layerParsed
These defaults apply where the rules above do not modify them.
- Season
- Jan. 1-Feb. 15This water
- Gear
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Bait
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Poles
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Black Bass | 10 combined | - | Statewide |
Smallmouth Bass Varies by water: 12 inches (Ozark Zone) | 4 | min. 10 inches | Statewide |
Bream Varies by water: limit No limit on bream shorter than 4 inches (Statewide) | 50 combined | - | Statewide |
Catfish Varies by water: limit half the daily statewide limit or half the limit of the waters being fished (pages 57-81), whichever is smaller (Bowfishing statewide) | 10 combined | - | Statewide |
Bullhead catfish | No limit | - | Statewide |
Crappie | 30 combined | - | Statewide |
Alligator Gar Varies by water: Over 36 inches (trophy alligator gar), limit 1 for current calendar year (Statewide); over 36 inches, limit one alligator gar over 36 inches per calendar year (Alligator Gar Trophy Tag) | 1 | min. Under 36 inches | Statewide |
Paddlefish | 2 | - | Statewide |
Rock Bass | 10 | - | Statewide |
Sauger | 6 | - | Statewide |
Saugeye | 6 | - | Statewide |
Shovelnose Sturgeon | No limit | min. 21 inches or longer | Statewide |
Striped Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass | 6 combined | - | Statewide |
White Bass | 25 | - | Statewide |
Trout | 5 | - | Statewide |
Walleye | 6 | - | Statewide |
aquatic turtles | 6, common snapping turtles and spiny softshell turtles combined | - | Statewide |
Bullfrogs | 18 per day (from noon to noon); possession limit 36 | - | Statewide |
game fish; catfish; paddlefish | Half the game fish daily limit may be taken by snagging, or the lesser whole number nearest one-half the limit; a full limit of catfish and paddlefish may be taken | - | Statewide |
Suckers | 20, possession limit 40 | - | 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.
Season at a glanceDerived
Next change: opens Jan. 1, 2027.
Sampled mid-month from the dated rows; short windows can slip between samples. The rows above are authoritative.
At the water nowContext
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 St. Francis 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 (Arkansas)
- Who needs a fishing license. Anyone 16 or older must carry a valid fishing license to take or attempt to take aquatic wildlife in Arkansas. The only exception the page states is fishing in a licensed "put-and-take" pay lake. The requirement is written by age, with no nationality condition, so visiting family members 16 and older need a license; those who are not Arkansas residents buy the nonresident licenses below.
Checked against Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) - Fishing License Descriptions and Fees on Aug. 4, 2026.
Receipts
Local services near St. Francis 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 St. Francis River? Get listed.