General Fishing Rules & Regulations

• Fishing Creel Limits and Length Limits
• Sportfishing Rules and Regulations
• Statewide Creel and Size Limits 

Resident

Each resident of the State of Mississippi ages sixteen (16) through sixty-four (64), fishing in the fresh or marine waters of Mississippi, including lakes and reservoirs but NOT to include privately owned ponds and streams, shall be required to buy a fishing license. A saltwater license is required south of U. S. Highway 90 and a freshwater or saltwater license is valid between I-10 and U. S. Highway 90. Saltwater license is not valid north of I-10. Any person sixty-five (65) or older, or any person otherwise exempt from obtaining a freshwater fishing license, must have documentation with him/her at all times while fishing as described in Exemptions. [MS. Code 49-7-9] Effective July 1, 2010, residents 65 years of age or older are required to purchase a lifetime recreational saltwater fishing license ($7.29, includes all fees).

Non-Resident 

All non-resident anglers, except minors under the age of sixteen (16), are required to obtain a fishing license while fishing in the fresh or marine waters of the State of Mississippi.

NOTE: Louisiana residents must purchase both the Non-Resident Freshwater Fishing and Non-Resident LA Saltwater Fishing License to fish in the marine waters of Mississippi.

Definition of Game Fish

Miss. Code of 1972 defines game fish to include all bream (redear, bluegill, longear, warmouth, green sunfish), all crappie (white, black), all black bass (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted), shadow bass, walleye, sauger, yellow perch, hybrid striped bass, striped bass, white bass, yellow bass, and all pickerel (red fin, grass, and chain).

Legal Methods

Game fish may be taken only by hook and line with one or more hooks (including rod and reel with artificial bait), trotlines, throwlines, limblines, set hooks, free floating fishing devices (jugs), and yo-yos.  Each person having a valid fishing license may use no more than 100 hooks per person.

Illegal Methods

It is unlawful to take any fish species by muddying and by the use of lime, poison, explosives, electrical devices, wire baskets, fish traps, or dip net.  It is unlawful to take game fish with minnow seines for use as bait and to fail to return to the water any game fish taken by net, seine, or other commercial fishing gear.  It is unlawful for any person to fish any equipment in the waters of the state of any size or type that is not allowed by the commission.

Bait

Minnows may be taken for bait with seines not more than 25 feet long and 4 feet wide, and with minnow traps or jars (no wings or leads) not more than 30 inches long and 12 inches in diameter with an entrance of not more than 1 inch in diameter.  Shad and minnows may only be taken with the aid of dip/landing nets, cast nets, boat mounted scoops, and wire baskets by residents for personal use during sport-fishing.

Game fish can be used as bait as long as they were legally captured and possession does not exceed the daily creel limit for each species.

Sale of Game Fish

It is unlawful for any person to buy or sell, offer for sale, or exchange any game fish taken within Mississippi or coming from another state.  It is also illegal for any restaurant or public eating establishment to possess or offer for sale any game fish.  However, they may prepare and serve game fish for any person who has taken the fish legally.

Transporting Fish

No person shall take in any one calendar day, no more than the daily creel or bag limit of fish.  No person at any time, by any means, or in any manner, may transport more than seven (7) daily creel or bag limits of fish for each qualified angler present in the vehicle.  A single angler may only transport his or her own limit(s) of fish, not to exceed seven (7) daily limits.

Commercial Fishing

For rules and regulations concerning commercial fishing please visit the Commercial Fishing Page.