Arkansas vs Missouri fishing license
For a visitor fishing fresh water for 3 days, Missouri is $3 cheaper than Arkansas. For a visitor's annual fresh-water license, Missouri is $3 cheaper than Arkansas. You need a license from age 16 in Arkansas and in Missouri.
- Free
- Official sources first
- Checked monthly
- Independent, not a state website
What visitors pay
Cheapest way for an adult non-resident to cover the trip, including required stamps, worked out from each state's price list. The cheaper state is marked.
| Trip | Arkansas | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh water | ||
| 1 day | $15 | $9 |
| 3 days | $30 | $27 |
| 7 days | $60 | $57 |
| 1 year | $60 | $57 |
| Residents, annual | ||
| Fresh water | $10.50 | $14 |
| Prices for | 2026-27 | 2026 |
Rules side by side
| Arkansas | Missouri | |
|---|---|---|
| License needed from age | 16 | 16 |
| Senior residents | Resident 65 Plus annual fishing license: $3.50 (ages 65+) Resident 65 Plus lifetime fishing license: $10.50 (ages 65+) | Free (fresh): Missouri residents aged 65 or over |
| Senior visitors | Normal visitor prices | Normal visitor prices |
| Required stamps | None | None |
| Next free fishing day | Not yet announced | Not yet announced |
| On a charter | Yes: everyone who fishes needs their own license | Yes: everyone who fishes needs their own license |
| License on your phone | Accepted | Accepted |
| Annual licenses last | 12 months from purchase | To Last day of February |
| Last checked | Nov 4, 2026 | Nov 4, 2026 |
Full details and sources: Arkansas fishing license · Missouri fishing license
Shared waters
Bull Shoals, Norfork and Table Rock lakes (Arkansas-Missouri) (Arkansas rules)
Arkansas residents can fish the Missouri parts of these lakes with the $10 White River Border Lakes license instead of a Missouri non-resident license. Official source
St. Francis River (Arkansas) (Missouri rules)
Missouri permits are honored on the flowing waters of the St. Francis River where it forms the Arkansas border (not backwaters, oxbow lakes or the bank). Here you follow the regulations of the state that licensed you. Official source
Limits for fish found in both states
Guide only. Statewide rules; many waters have their own. Check each state's official rules before you keep a fish.
| Fish | Arkansas | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass |
Black bass |
Black bass |
| Smallmouth bass |
Black bass |
Black bass |
| Trout |
bag 5 in total; no more than 2 brown, 2 cutthroat and 2 brook |
Rainbow: none. Brown: 15" minimum in streams; bag 4 in total (Statewide; 1 more) |
| Walleye |
bag 6 |
Walleye and sauger |
| Crappie |
bag 30 |
None statewide (many lakes 9" to 10"); bag 30 (15 on many lakes) |
| Catfish |
Catfish (except bullhead) |
Channel catfish Blue catfish |
Questions
Is a Arkansas fishing license valid in Missouri?
No. Each state needs its own license, except on shared waters covered by a border agreement: Bull Shoals, Norfork and Table Rock lakes (Arkansas-Missouri); St. Francis River (Arkansas).
Which is cheaper for visitors, Arkansas or Missouri?
1 day (fresh water): Arkansas $15, Missouri $9. 1 year (fresh water): Arkansas $60, Missouri $57.
At what age do you need a fishing license in Arkansas and Missouri?
You need a license from age 16 in Arkansas and in Missouri.