Mississippi Fishing License & Regulations
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Mississippi — License & Regulations
Agency: Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP)
| Resident annual fee | data pending verification |
|---|---|
| Non-resident annual fee | data pending verification |
| Source | verify locally — see Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) current license fees and regulations. |
Size & bag limits (representative)
| Species | Min size | Bag limit | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| All species | — | verify locally | see Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) current fishing regulations. |
License fees and size/bag limits for Mississippi are pending verification. Each state sets its own resident and nonresident fees and per-species limits — always confirm with Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) before fishing.
How the Mississippi rules fit together
A Mississippi fishing trip is governed by four separate layers, and they are set by different parts of the same agency. The license establishes that you may fish at all. The statewide size, bag, and possession limits set the default for any water not given special treatment. Waterbody-specific regulations override those defaults on named lakes, rivers, and zones. And season and gear restrictions can close a fishery entirely for part of the year or limit it to artificial lures or catch-and-release.
The order matters. Where a specific water has its own rule, the specific rule wins over the statewide default — so a legal statewide limit does not make a fish legal on a special-regulation lake, and a statewide season does not override a closed section of river. Whatever a summary page tells you, the enforceable answer for the water in front of you comes from the current Mississippi regulation booklet or the agency’s own site.
Two further layers are easy to miss. A stamp, validation, or report card may be required on top of the license for specific species or waters — you can hold a valid license and still be non-compliant. And aquatic invasive species rules apply to your boat and trailer rather than your catch, which means they can stop the trip at the ramp before a line is ever wet.
Because fees, limits, and seasons are revised annually and often mid-season, treat every number on this page as a starting point dated to the last verification and confirm the current figure with Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) before you buy a license or keep a fish.
Mississippi license, limits and reporting
Drawn from FishFig's verified Mississippi data layer. Every figure names the agency source it came from, and anything unverified is shown as "verify locally" rather than estimated.
What a Mississippi fishing license costs
A resident annual license for Mississippi is $10.00, and the non-resident annual license is $68.00 — a difference of $58.00. The non-resident rate is roughly 6.8 times the resident rate — meaning the license is usually the smallest expense in the trip budget.
Short-term options as published: Nonresident 1-day freshwater $10.00; 3-day freshwater $30.00; 3-day saltwater $15.00.
At the published short-term prices, a resident annual license breaks even at about 1 single days, 1 three-day passes. Below that trip count the short-term pass is cheaper; above it the annual license is. (Break-even arithmetic from the published fees — confirm current products with Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP).)
Saltwater: Saltwater annual $10.00 resident / $30.00 nonresident (required south of U.S. Hwy 90; free ROLP for snapper/amberjack/grouper/triggerfish/cobia); resident 65+ must buy lifetime saltwater license $5.00..
Senior and reduced-rate options: Residents 65+ exempt from freshwater license but must buy lifetime recreational saltwater license to fish coastal waters..
Source: Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) — 2026 License Prices. https://www.mdwfp.com
Size and bag limits tracked for Mississippi
Mississippi has 11 statewide limits resolved in this tool — Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Crappie, Flathead Catfish, Flounder, Largemouth Bass, Red Drum (Redfish) and Smallmouth Bass, among 11 in the tracked set. Each entry below carries the agency citation it came from.
Bluegill: bag 100 (combined bream); season Year-round. Citation: Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks — General Fishing Rules & Regulations (2026).
Channel Catfish: bag 100 (combined channel & blue; State Fishing Lakes 10); season Year-round; No statewide minimum on most waters.. Citation: Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks — General Fishing Rules & Regulations (2026).
Crappie: bag 30 (black & white combined); season Year-round; No statewide minimum; Sardis/Enid/Grenada/Arkabutla 12 in min; Horseshoe Lake 11 in min.. Citation: Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks — General Fishing Rules & Regulations (2026).
Flathead Catfish: bag 10; season Year-round. Citation: Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks — General Fishing Rules & Regulations (2026).
Flounder: minimum length 12 in; bag 10 per person; season Year-round. Citation: Mississippi Department of Marine Resources — 2026 Recreational Saltwater Fishing Regulations.
Largemouth Bass: bag 10 (combined black bass); season Year-round; No statewide minimum; several State/Park lakes have slots (e.g., Bill Waller 18-24 in, Percy Quin 16-22 in, Natchez 18-22 in).. Citation: Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks — General Fishing Rules & Regulations (2026).
These are statewide general rules only. Slot limits, special-regulation waters, catch-and-release stretches, and zone-by-zone seasons override them — and a general rule that is absent from this list is not the same as no restriction. Confirm the rule for the exact water you are fishing with Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) before keeping a fish.
Mandatory harvest reporting in Mississippi
Mississippi requires mandatory harvest reporting or registration for specific species. The tracked rule set covers Red Snapper.
Reporting window: Trip must be created before departure; report when trip is complete (one report per vessel per trip). How to report: Tails n' Scales app (TailsNScales.org) or dmr.ms.gov. Note: Mandatory for recreational and for-hire vessels landing red snapper in MS. MS Recreational Offshore Landing Permit (MS-ROLP) also required for reef fish and cobia possession/landing. Citation: Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) — Tails n' Scales mandatory red snapper reporting
A reporting requirement usually attaches to the fish, not the license: you can be fully licensed and still be out of compliance for failing to register a tagged or sensitive species within the stated window. Record the tag number and the date before you leave the water.
Free fishing days in Mississippi
Reported license-free dates for 2026: June 6–7 & July 4, 2026. Most states waive the license only, not the rules — size and bag limits, gear restrictions, seasons, and any required report card still apply, and some states still require a free or zero-cost license to be issued before you fish.
Reported for 2026 by public aggregators and may not match the official state schedule. Always confirm the current year’s dates and any species/stamp exceptions with the agency before planning.
Source: Compiled from 2026 public Free-Fishing-Day roundups (modefreefinds.com, heyitsfree.net, fishkillflea.com). Not an official source — verify with the state agency. (compiled 2026-08-29).
Boat inspection and invasive species rules in Mississippi
No statewide AIS stamp or universal inspection mandate for Mississippi is tracked here, so this section states the baseline rule that applies everywhere rather than a state-specific one.
Mississippi requires vessels and trailers to be free of aquatic organisms and all water drained before leaving or entering a waterbody (Clean, Drain, Dry). No paid AIS decal or pre-launch inspection is required. Verify current AIS rules with MDWFP / MDMR before launching.
The baseline is not optional in practice. Water, mud, and plant fragments carried on a trailer or in a livewell are the main transport path for zebra mussels, Eurasian watermilfoil, and spiny water flea, and an inspection station can turn you around at the ramp. Clean, drain, and dry the hull, trailer, anchors, waders, and any livewell before you leave the water, and again before you launch somewhere new.
Citation: Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) — mdwfp.com
State agency & contact
Licenses, regulations, and stocking are set by the agency below. When FishFig can’t verify a figure, contact them directly.
Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP)
FishFig is an independent guide and is not affiliated with Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP). Verify every figure with the agency before purchasing a license, keeping fish, or relying on stocking data.