Where to stay at Edwin A Pape Lake

Missouri fishing license

Anyone age 15 and younger (resident or nonresident) may fish without a permit, so a fishing permit is required starting at age 16. Missouri residents age 65 and older are exempt from the fishing permit entirely (though a Trout Permit or daily trout tag is still required where trout rules apply); resident landowners of 5+ acres (who own all the land around the body of water) and certain residents with qualifying disabilities are also exempt on their own land or with documentation. · Fishing is open year-round for most species in most Missouri waters; annual permits are not calendar-year — they expire at the end of February (2026 permits are valid through the end of February 2027). Key exceptions: the four trout parks have a catch-and-keep season March 1 - Oct 31 (winter catch-and-release Nov 13, 2026 - Feb 8, 2027), and black bass in streams outside the year-round zones (most streams south of the Missouri River) are catch-and-release only March 1 through late May.

Prices as published by Missouri Department of Conservation, 2026.