See every public fishing venue in Missouri on the map, with boat ramps, camping, parking and full rules for each one.
James River is a public river in Stone County, Greene County, Webster County and Christian County, Missouri, managed by State of Missouri (public / navigable water). You can fish it on a Missouri fishing permit; bank access is at road crossings, parks, MDC river accesses, the Mark Twain National Forest and the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, and riparian owners control the bank on non-navigable reaches. A trout permit is required to fish for or keep trout at the trout parks, Lake Taneycomo and the Ribbon areas. Public access confirmed via marquee water.
The James River above Table Rock Lake near Springfield — a strong smallmouth-bass float (a Special Management Area with a 15-18 inch protected slot), plus spotted and largemouth bass, goggle-eye, and catfish. The lower river backs up into the James River Arm of Table Rock.
It runs roughly 77 miles through the Southwest region. Anglers here mostly fish for smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, spotted bass, rock bass; longear sunfish, green sunfish, channel catfish, flathead catfish are also on record. Live flow and gauge height come from the James River near Boaz, MO USGS station shown below. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Farmer Branch and Lake Springfield.
Species from PiscaMaps water-type profiles, MDC trout designations and hand research.
Night fishing: No statewide night-fishing closure in Missouri. The trout parks are day-only (30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset in season); many MDC-area lakes gate at night or post hours, and some conservation areas are day-use only. Trotlines, throwlines, limb lines, bank lines and jug lines are legal on most waters (not trout water, not the trout parks) with the gear tagged, and gigging and snagging have their own seasons.
Boats: Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock, Bull Shoals, Truman, Stockton, Pomme de Terre, Smithville, Mark Twain, the Missouri and Mississippi have no horsepower limit; idle / no-wake zones are marked near ramps, marinas, dams and coves. Most MDC-area and community lakes are electric-motor-only or have a small gas-hp cap (shown at the ramp), and the Ozark float streams are canoe, kayak and jon-boat water. Missouri requires a boater-education card for operators born after 1 Jan 1984.
Bank & bivvy camping: Camp at Missouri state parks (which sit on the best lakes and rivers — Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock, Stockton, Pomme de Terre, Wappapello, and Bennett Spring, Montauk, Roaring River, Meramec, Sam A. Baker on the trout and float streams), Corps campgrounds on Truman, Stockton, Mark Twain, Smithville, Bull Shoals and Wappapello, the Mark Twain National Forest (dispersed camping across most of it), and the gravel bars of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways (Current and Jacks Fork).
Tackle: Statewide black-bass daily limit is 6 (12-inch minimum on most impoundments; 15-inch on Table Rock, Bull Shoals, Norfork and many Ozark streams; a protected slot on the Smallmouth Bass Special Management Areas). Crappie 15-30 depending on the lake; walleye 4 (15-inch); white bass 15; catfish limits vary; paddlefish snagging is 2 per day with a 34-inch body-length minimum on most waters. Trout limits and tackle rules depend on the area (trout park, Blue/Red/White Ribbon, Lake Taneycomo zone). Check the current MDC regulations for this water.
Boat ramps: 4 mapped — Boat ramp, Ralph Cox Memorial Access, Kerr Access, Boat Ramp.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors.
Loading live flow & gauge height…
Live from USGS gauge 07052250 — James River near Boaz, MO. Full gauge data →
Anyone 16-64 needs a Missouri Department of Conservation fishing permit — the resident annual is about $13, the non-resident annual about $52, and 1-day and 3-day permits are sold (a 1-day permit needs no trout permit to fish trout parks that day). A trout permit (about $10 resident / $12 non-resident) is required to fish for or possess trout anywhere in the state EXCEPT with a daily 1-day fishing permit; the trout parks also charge a separate daily trout tag. Missouri residents 65 and older, and anyone 15 or under, do not need a permit (the trout permit and daily tag still apply). A single permit covers the Corps and MDC reservoirs. Buy from MDC at mdc.mo.gov. A Missouri fishing permit covers navigable rivers. The Mississippi River is fished on a Missouri, Illinois, Iowa or Kentucky permit in the border reaches. A trout permit is required on the trout parks, Lake Taneycomo and the Blue/White/Red Ribbon trout areas.
Every water carries species, bank & boat access, current regulations and live water conditions — and members get Swim Mapper, Catch Logger and Trip Planner. It's the only US map with a dedicated carp-water layer.
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