Mississippi Public Waters

Public waters in Mississippi covered here

This state hub indexes 3 notable public water bodies: 1 reservoir, 1 lake, 1 river. The dataset is a curated list of destination waters rather than every public access point, so a productive local pond or municipal lake near you may still be missing.

Species profiles exist for 3 of the 3 tracked waters. Commonly indexed destinations include Ross Barnett Reservoir, Grenada Lake and Mississippi River.

Use the "Fishing near me" sorter on this page to reorder the list by straight-line distance from your location. Straight-line distance is a planning estimate, not a drive time — a water 20 miles away across a ridge or a bay can take far longer to reach than one 40 miles down a highway, and seasonal closures, launch fees, and permit requirements are set by the managing agency rather than by this list.

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

Stocking in Mississippi

A statewide annual stocking total for Mississippi is pending verification in this dataset, so this tool shows no number rather than an estimate. Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) publishes stocking by water, county, and species.

Stocking totals for Mississippi are pending verification. State fish agencies publish annual stocking lists by water, county, and species; consult Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) for current figures before relying on any number.

Source: verify locally — see Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) stocking reports.

Why stocking matters to planning: put-and-take fisheries are the most catch-rate-sensitive to plant timing, so a water that fishes poorly in April can fish well in May once the trucks arrive. Check the current-year plant list before writing off a water, and check it again before assuming a hot bite will last.

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.

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).