Mississippi Fishing Regulations 2026 — License Fees, Seasons, Bag Limits

Notable water-body special regulations

• Grenada Lake

  35,000-acre US Army Corps of Engineers flood-control reservoir on the Yalobusha River; one of the country's premier white-crappie destinations — 2+ lb white crappie routine, 3+ lb fish documented; 12 in min crappie + 10 / angler (25-fish boat limit for boats with 3+ anglers, Corps/MDWFP rule effective July 2024 — one of the highest minimums in the country); 10 / day combined black bass (no statewide minimum length); trophy channel + flathead catfish (no statewide creel or length limit)

• Sardis Lake (Panola / Lafayette Counties)

  38,500-acre Corps flood-control reservoir on the Little Tallahatchie River; premier white-crappie water alongside Grenada + Enid + Arkabutla; 12 in min crappie + 10 / angler (25-fish boat limit, 3+ anglers); 10 / day combined black bass (no statewide minimum length); trophy channel + flathead catfish; striped + hybrid striped bass

• Enid Lake (Yalobusha / Panola Counties)

  15,500-acre Corps flood-control reservoir on the Yocona River; MS state-record white crappie 5 lb 3 oz from Enid 1957 — held as the all-tackle world record for decades; 12 in min crappie + 10 / angler (25-fish boat limit, 3+ anglers); 10 / day combined black bass (no statewide minimum length); Enid markets itself as the 'Crappie Capital of the World'

• Arkabutla Lake

  33,000-acre Corps flood-control reservoir on the Coldwater River; 4th of the 'Big 4' north-MS crappie reservoirs; 12 in min crappie + 10 / angler (25-fish boat limit, 3+ anglers); 10 / day combined black bass (no statewide minimum length); trophy channel + flathead catfish

• Ross Barnett Reservoir

  33,000-acre Pearl River Valley Water Supply District reservoir near Jackson — central-MS flagship; recurring MLF Toyota Series Central rotation venue + BASS Opens Central; largemouth harvest 14 in & under + 7 / day (bass over 14 in protected); 10 in min crappie + 30 / day; striped + hybrid striped bass; trophy channel + flathead catfish (no statewide creel or length limit); Pearl River boundary water

• Pickwick Lake

  47,500-acre tri-state Tennessee River impoundment; MS / TN / AL joint-management compact on open water; black bass (largemouth + smallmouth + spotted) harvest 15 in & under + 10 / day combined (bass over 15 in protected); trophy smallmouth on the MS side — state-record 7 lb 15 oz from the Yellow Creek Arm; trophy channel + blue + flathead catfish, 1 fish over 34 in / day (Alabama–Tennessee border-water rule); paddlefish harvest prohibited on Pickwick Lake; Pickwick Dam tailrace produces trophy smallmouth in cooler months

• Bay Springs Lake

  6,700-acre Tenn-Tom Waterway impoundment; recurring MLF Toyota Series Central stop on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway; 10 / day combined black bass (no statewide minimum length); upper Tenn-Tom smallmouth; 10 in min crappie + 30 / day; striped + hybrid striped bass; channel + flathead catfish

• Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway

  234-mile navigable canal connecting the Tennessee River at Pickwick to the Tombigbee River at Demopolis AL; multi-pool system across Bay Springs + Aberdeen + Columbus + Aliceville + Demopolis; 10 / day combined black bass (Aberdeen + Columbus pools harvest 14 in & under); 10 in min crappie + 30 / day; trophy channel + blue + flathead catfish (no statewide creel or length limit); paddlefish harvest prohibited in the Tenn-Tom Waterway + Tombigbee River + tributaries; commercial barge traffic

• Mississippi River

  Boundary water — MS or boundary-state licence honored on main stem; 10 / day combined black bass (no statewide minimum length); world-class trophy blue catfish — MS state-record 131 lb from the river near Natchez; trophy flathead + channel (no statewide creel or length limit on catfish); paddlefish 2 / day on a snagging permit — must release any paddlefish over 30 in (eye-to-fork-length); pallid sturgeon protected (must release)

• Lake Mary

  2,500-acre Mississippi River oxbow on the LA/MS boundary; trophy largemouth + crappie + bream; black bass managed under the statewide 10 / day combined aggregate — confirm the lake's protected-length rule on the MDWFP public-water-body regulations page; 10 in min crappie + 30 / day; cypress-tupelo shoreline

• Eagle Lake

  4,700-acre Mississippi River oxbow; trophy largemouth + crappie + bream; largemouth harvest 16 in & under + 10 / day (bass over 16 in protected); 10 in min crappie + 30 / day; cypress-tupelo + brush-pile crappie habitat

• Okatibbee Lake (Lauderdale County)

  4,144-acre Corps flood-control reservoir near Meridian on the Chunky River; 10 / day combined black bass (no statewide minimum length); 10 in min crappie + 30 / day; channel catfish + striped + hybrid striped bass

• Lake Bogue Homa (Jones County)

  850-acre south-MS state lake; trophy largemouth management — harvest 15 in & under + 5 / day (bass over 15 in protected); 10 in min crappie + 30 / day; cypress-tupelo shoreline

• Pascagoula River (Jackson + George Counties)

  Largest free-flowing river system in the lower 48 — no main-stem dams; tidal lower reaches transition into Mississippi Sound; freshwater largemouth + smallmouth + bream + spotted bass upstream (10 / day combined black bass, no statewide minimum length); trophy flathead catfish; tidal saltwater redfish + speckled trout + flounder downstream; MDWFP freshwater rules upstream, MDMR saltwater rules downstream of brackish-water line

• Pearl River

  Boundary water with Louisiana on the lower main stem; LA / MS reciprocal main-stem; freshwater largemouth + crappie + bream upstream of Pearl River Lock #1 + Lock #2; tidal saltwater zone downstream of Bogalusa; 10 / day combined black bass (no statewide minimum length)

• Big Black River (central MS)

  Central-MS tributary of the Mississippi River; stream largemouth + crappie + spotted bass + bream + channel catfish; 10 / day combined black bass (no statewide minimum length); cypress-tupelo lowland reaches

• Yazoo River

  Mississippi River backwater + tributary system; Yazoo Pass connects to the Mississippi River main stem; trophy largemouth + crappie + bream + channel + flathead catfish; 10 / day combined black bass (no statewide minimum length); no statewide catfish creel or length limit; alligator gar trophy population

• Mississippi Sound

  MDMR saltwater rules apply; 18–30 in red drum (3 / day, 30 in max protected); 15 in min speckled trout (15 / day); 12 in min southern flounder (10 / day); 14 in min sheepshead (15 / day); black drum no minimum size or daily bag limit; circle hooks REQUIRED when fishing with natural bait for red drum; recreational saltwater licence required for ages 16 – 64

• Pass Christian + Bay St. Louis estuary (Hancock County)

  Western Mississippi Sound estuary — premier inshore speckled trout + redfish + flounder + sheepshead destination; barrier-island deep cuts (Cat Island + Ship Island + Horn Island) hold trophy bull reds + cobia in summer; MDMR saltwater licence required

• Cat Island + Ship Island + Horn Island + Petit Bois Island (Gulf Islands National Seashore)

  Federal National Park Service Gulf Islands National Seashore; barrier-island offshore fishery — bull redfish + cobia + spanish mackerel + king mackerel + sharks; MDMR saltwater licence required; NPS rules apply on island shoreline + dunes

• Lake Washington

  5,000-acre Mississippi River oxbow near Greenville; trophy largemouth + crappie + bream + channel catfish; largemouth harvest 15 in & under + 5 / day (bass over 15 in protected); 11 in min crappie + 20 / day (reduced from 30 / day in 2024); cypress-tupelo shoreline

• Lake Okhissa (Franklin County)

  1,100-acre Homochitto National Forest reservoir managed by MDWFP — trophy largemouth slot fishery: 18–22 in protected slot, 10 / day with 1 over 22 in; catfish 5 / day; cypress-fringed clearwater lake

• Natchez State Park Lake

  230-acre state-park lake that produced the MS state-record largemouth (18.15 lb, Anthony Denny, 1992); 18–22 in protected slot largemouth, 7 / day with 1 over 22 in; catfish 10 / day

• Lake Lincoln

  550-acre south-MS state lake; trophy largemouth management; 10 / day combined black bass — confirm the lake's protected-length rule on the MDWFP public-water-body regulations page; 10 in min crappie + 30 / day; cypress-tupelo shoreline

• Calling Panther Lake (Copiah County)

  404-acre MDWFP State Fishing Lake 5 mi W of Crystal Springs — known for dense standing timber, deep creek channels, and a trophy-largemouth reputation; black bass + crappie + bream under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length; crappie 30 / day; bream 100 / day); catfish 10 / day (State Fishing Lake limit); rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, limblines, yo-yos, or set hooks; sport-fishing licence + State Fishing Lake permit required

• Elvis Presley Lake (Lee County)

  322-acre MDWFP State Fishing Lake just off US-78 on Veterans Blvd near Tupelo; black bass 16–22 in protected slot, 10 / day with 1 over 22 in; crappie 20 / day; bream 50 / day; catfish 10 / day; walleye stocked but harvest prohibited (all walleye must be released immediately); rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Fishing Lake permit required

• Lake Lamar Bruce (Lee County)

  300-acre MDWFP State Fishing Lake 1½ mi NE of Saltillo; stocked winter rainbow-trout fishery — trout 3 / day, no length limit; walleye harvest prohibited (all walleye must be released immediately); catfish 10 / day; black bass + crappie under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length); rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Fishing Lake permit required

• Lake Bill Waller (Marion County)

  168-acre MDWFP State Fishing Lake 7 mi SE of Columbia; trophy-bass management — black bass 18–24 in protected slot, 10 / day with 1 over 24 in (one of the widest protected slots in the state-lake system); catfish 10 / day; crappie + bream under statewide limits; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Fishing Lake permit required

• Lake Mary Crawford (Lawrence County)

  128-acre MDWFP State Fishing Lake 5 mi W of Monticello on US-84 — a distinct water from Lake Mary, the Mississippi River oxbow on the Louisiana line; black bass 16–22 in protected slot, 10 / day with 1 over 22 in; crappie 20 / day; catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Fishing Lake permit required

• Lake Monroe (Monroe County)

  99-acre MDWFP State Fishing Lake between Aberdeen and Amory off US-45; black bass 18–24 in protected slot, 10 / day with 1 over 24 in; crappie 20 / day; catfish 10 / day; walleye harvest prohibited (all walleye must be released immediately); rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Fishing Lake permit required

• Simpson County Lake

  76-acre MDWFP State Fishing Lake 5 mi N of Magee on US-49 in Simpson County; black bass 18–24 in protected slot, 10 / day with 1 over 24 in; crappie 20 / day; bream 50 / day; catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Fishing Lake permit required

• Charlie Capps Lake (Bolivar County)

  40-acre MDWFP State Fishing Lake in the Charlie Capps WMA in the Mississippi Delta; drained 2005, re-stocked 2010, reopened 2013; reduced black-bass creel — 5 / day combined (no minimum length); crappie 20 / day; catfish 10 / day; closed to fishing November 1 – February 15; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Fishing Lake permit required

• Lake Tom Bailey (Lauderdale County)

  182-acre MDWFP State Fishing Lake 8 mi E of Meridian on Hwy 11; black bass + crappie + bream under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length); catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Fishing Lake permit required

• Lake Claude Bennett (Jasper County)

  71-acre MDWFP State Fishing Lake 20 mi E of Bay Springs near Rose Hill; opened 1961, named for a former University of Southern Mississippi president; black bass + crappie + bream under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length); catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Fishing Lake permit required

• Lake Mike Conner (Covington County)

  79-acre MDWFP State Fishing Lake 5 mi W of Collins off US-84; built 1957, renovated 1989; black bass + crappie + bream under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length); catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Fishing Lake permit required

• Lake Jeff Davis (Jefferson Davis County)

  100-acre MDWFP State Fishing Lake near Prentiss; opened 1963, renovated 2010 (dam repairs left standing willow timber for cover); black bass + crappie + bream under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length); catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Fishing Lake permit required

• Lake Columbia (Marion County)

  84-acre MDWFP State Fishing Lake 7 mi SE of Columbia; black bass + crappie + bream under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length; crappie 30 / day); catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Fishing Lake permit required

• Tippah County Lake

  145-acre MDWFP State Fishing Lake 2½ mi N of Ripley on Hwy 15 in Tippah County; opened 1974, noted for trophy redear sunfish + bluegill; bream 100 / day, black bass + crappie under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length); catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Fishing Lake permit required

• Prentiss Walker Lake (Smith County)

  81-acre MDWFP State Fishing Lake 4 mi SW of Mize off Hwy 35; black bass + crappie + bream under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length); catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Fishing Lake permit required

• Lake Perry (Perry County)

  68-acre MDWFP State Fishing Lake 3 mi S of Beaumont off US-98; black bass + crappie + bream under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length); catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Fishing Lake permit required

• Lake Walthall (Walthall County)

  55-acre MDWFP State Fishing Lake 8 mi SE of Tylertown off Hwy 48; black bass + crappie + bream under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length); catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Fishing Lake permit required

• Lake Tangipahoa (Percy Quin State Park)

  490-acre Percy Quin State Park lake fed by the Tangipahoa River, 6 mi S of McComb in Pike County off I-55; opened 1939, drained after Hurricane Isaac (2012) and reopened in 2014 after dam repairs; black bass 16–22 in protected slot, 10 / day with 1 over 22 in; crappie 20 / day; catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; sport-fishing licence + State Park fishing permit required

• Alligator Lake (Leroy Percy State Park)

  60-acre Leroy Percy State Park lake in Washington County (Mississippi Delta), 5 mi W of Hollandale off Hwy 12; reduced black-bass creel — 5 / day combined (no minimum length); catfish 10 / day; crappie + bream under statewide limits; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Park fishing permit required

• Trace State Park Lake (Pontotoc County)

  565-acre Trace State Park lake between Pontotoc and Tupelo in Pontotoc County — the largest of the MS State Park lakes; black bass + crappie + bream under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length; crappie 30 / day); catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Park fishing permit required

• Geiger Lake (Paul B. Johnson State Park)

  225-acre Paul B. Johnson State Park lake in Forrest County, 10 mi S of Hattiesburg off US-49; black bass + crappie + bream under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length); catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Park fishing permit required

• Lake Lowndes State Park Lake (Lowndes County)

  150-acre Lake Lowndes State Park lake 10 mi SE of Columbus off Hwy 69 in Lowndes County; black bass + crappie + bream under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length); catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Park fishing permit required

• Shadow Lake (Roosevelt State Park)

  150-acre Roosevelt State Park lake in Scott County, 2 mi S of Morton off I-20; black bass + crappie + bream under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length); catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Park fishing permit required

• Tombigbee State Park Lake (Lee County)

  90-acre Tombigbee State Park lake near Tupelo in Lee County, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps 1934–1938; long-standing bream + crappie fishery with an over-abundant largemouth population (anglers encouraged to harvest small bass) — black bass under the statewide 10 / day combined, no minimum length; catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Park fishing permit required

• Lake Ivy (Clarkco State Park)

  65-acre Clarkco State Park lake in Clarke County, 20 mi S of Meridian off US-45 near Quitman; black bass + crappie + bream under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length); catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Park fishing permit required

• Mayes Lake (LeFleur's Bluff State Park)

  50-acre LeFleur's Bluff State Park lake in Hinds County, off Lakeland Dr in Jackson — an urban Pearl River-corridor fishery; black bass + crappie + bream under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length); catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Park fishing permit required

• Spring Lake (Wall Doxey State Park)

  40-acre clear spring-fed lake in Wall Doxey State Park near Holly Springs in Marshall County — nearly half filled with standing cypress; black bass + crappie + bream under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length); catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Park fishing permit required

• Tishomingo State Park Lake (Tishomingo County)

  45-acre Tishomingo State Park lake at mile 304 of the Natchez Trace Parkway near Belmont in Tishomingo County; black bass + crappie + bream under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length); catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Park fishing permit required

• Golden Memorial State Park Lake (Leake County)

  15-acre Golden Memorial State Park lake 5 mi E of Walnut Grove off Hwy 35 in Leake County; black bass + crappie + bream under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length); catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Park fishing permit required

• Perry Martin Lake (Great River Road State Park)

  25-acre Great River Road State Park lake in Bolivar County, 1 mi SW of Rosedale off Hwy 1 — a Mississippi River-corridor oxbow; black bass + crappie + bream under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length); catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Park fishing permit required

• Lake Toppasha (Legion State Park)

  12-acre Legion State Park lake in Winston County, 2 mi N of Louisville on North Columbus Ave; black bass + crappie + bream under statewide limits (10 / day combined black bass, no minimum length); catfish 10 / day; rod-and-reel or pole only — no trotlines, juglines, or set hooks; State Park fishing permit required

• Moon Lake (Coahoma County)

  2,300-acre Mississippi River oxbow in Coahoma County near Lula — a storied Delta lake of Clarksdale-area blues + literary history; reduced black-bass creel 5 / day (no minimum length); crappie under 10 in released (10 in min), 30 / day; trophy catfish + bream under statewide limits; MDWFP-managed public oxbow

• Wolf Lake (Yazoo River oxbow)

  1,000-acre Yazoo River oxbow northwest of Yazoo City; black bass under 12 in released (12 in min, 5 / day) — a size minimum unusual for MS, which sets no statewide black-bass length; crappie + bream + catfish under statewide limits; MDWFP-managed public oxbow

• Bee Lake (Holmes County)

  1,400-acre Mississippi Delta oxbow in Holmes County near Tchula; reduced black-bass creel 5 / day (no minimum length); alligator gar harvest PROHIBITED (0 / day — the only MS public water that fully protects alligator gar, vs the statewide 2 / day); crappie + bream + catfish under statewide limits

• Horseshoe Lake (Holmes County)

  800-acre Holmes County lake near Tchula surrounded by Delta farmland, with a public boat ramp built by MDWFP and the Holmes County Board of Supervisors; reduced black-bass creel 5 / day (no minimum length); crappie under 11 in released (11 in min), 20 / day; bream + catfish under statewide limits

• Aliceville Lake (Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway)

  8,300-acre Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway pool on the Mississippi–Alabama line, running 28 mi from the Columbus (Stennis) Lock & Dam to the Aliceville (Tom Bevill) Lock & Dam; crappie under 9 in released (keep only over 9 in), 30 / day; catfish no creel limit at or under 34 in but only 1 over 34 in / day (AL/MS Tenn-Tom border rule); black bass under the statewide 10 / day combined (no minimum length); commercial barge traffic

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