2026 regulation year
State Fishing Lakes + State Park Lakes 2026 — Mississippi Fishing Regulations
Mississippi statewide rules apply unless overridden below.
Last updated
State Fishing Lakes + State Park Lakes carries 3 special-regulation overlays on top of Mississippi's 2026 fishing rules — covering Blue catfish, Channel catfish, Flathead catfish. Verify the agency booklet before launching: in-season changes are not yet wired to this page.
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Per-species rules on State Fishing Lakes + State Park Lakes
10 / day (Choctaw Lake + Lake Okhissa 5 / day)
10 / day
Flathead catfish regulations →
10 / day (Choctaw Lake + Lake Okhissa 5 / day)
Official source
Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks publishes the authoritative 2026 Mississippi fishing regulations. Special-regulation lakes and rivers are listed in the agency booklet — always verify before fishing.
Visit official Mississippi fishing regulations →
Emergency-order channel
In-season closures, slot-limit changes, and run-count-driven harvest pauses are posted to Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks's emergency-order feed — check it before any Mississippi trip during the active season.
Other special-regulation waters in Mississippi
- Aberdeen Lake (Tenn-Tom)
- Aliceville Lake (Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway)
- Alligator Lake (Leroy Percy State Park)
- Arkabutla Lake
- Bay Springs Lake
- Bee Lake (Holmes County)
- Big Black River (central MS)
- Calling Panther Lake (Copiah County)
- Cat Island + Ship Island + Horn Island + Petit Bois Island (Gulf Islands National Seashore)
- Charlie Capps Lake (Bolivar County)
- Choctaw Lake (Choctaw County)
- Columbus Lake (Tenn-Tom)
Frequently asked questions
- What special fishing regulations apply at State Fishing Lakes + State Park Lakes?
- State Fishing Lakes + State Park Lakes carries 3 special-regulation overlays that override Mississippi's statewide 2026 rules, covering Blue catfish, Channel catfish, and Flathead catfish. One of them reads: "10 / day (Choctaw Lake + Lake Okhissa 5 / day)." Every overlay on this water body is listed in full above.
- Do I need a fishing license to fish State Fishing Lakes + State Park Lakes?
- Yes. State Fishing Lakes + State Park Lakes is in Mississippi, so a valid Mississippi fishing license is required just as it is anywhere else in the state, issued by Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks. The special regulations on this page change the bag, size, slot, or gear rules for State Fishing Lakes + State Park Lakes; they do not waive the license requirement. Free-fishing days and youth exemptions follow the statewide Mississippi rules.
- Do State Fishing Lakes + State Park Lakes' special rules replace Mississippi's statewide limits?
- Only where they conflict. Mississippi's statewide 2026 regulations apply on State Fishing Lakes + State Park Lakes by default; the overlays above replace the matching statewide rules for the species or gear they name, while everything not specifically overridden still follows the statewide rule. When a water-body rule and the statewide rule disagree, the water-body rule wins.
- Which species have special rules on State Fishing Lakes + State Park Lakes?
- Blue catfish, Channel catfish, and Flathead catfish have a water-body-specific rule on State Fishing Lakes + State Park Lakes, each linking to its full Mississippi regulations above. Species not listed here follow the statewide Mississippi limits.