Missouri Best Fishing Times Today
Solunar major and minor periods, sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset and the moon phase for every Missouri county, today and for the next 7 days.
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The list holds every Missouri county, 115 in all; the times start on Cole County, the county around Jefferson City.
Today’s solunar periods, sunrise, sunset and the moon for Cole County, Missouri load here.
Missouri times are worked out in your browser with SunCalc for each county’s internal point in the Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer, shown in that county’s local time. Check any Missouri day against the US Naval Observatory sun and moon tables.
What the Missouri fishing times mean
Major periods, roughly 2 hours long, are centred on the moon passing overhead and underfoot; minor periods, roughly 1 hour, are centred on moonrise and moonset. This is the solunar theory John Alden Knight set out in 1926, a traditional guide for Missouri waters and not a guarantee of bites.
Because the moon runs about 50 minutes later every day, the Missouri periods drift through the week; the cards make it easy to spot a day when one meets sunrise or sunset.
Traditional tables give their best ratings to days near a new or full moon, so each Missouri card also carries the phase and how much of the moon is lit.
All 115 counties keep Central time. Clock sunrise is not the same across Missouri: on June 21 it ranges from 5:37 a.m. in St. Louis (city) to 6:00 a.m. in McDonald County, 23 minutes apart.
In Cole County, the county around Jefferson City, the longest day of the year is 14 hours 51 minutes and the shortest 9 hours 28 minutes. From Worth County in the north to Dunklin County in the south the county centres are 4.3 degrees of latitude apart; on June 21 that is 15 hours 4 minutes of daylight against 14 hours 37 minutes.
Missouri sunrise, sunset and day lengths above are computed for the 115 Census 2023 Gazetteer county internal points with the same SunCalc formulas the widget uses.
Missouri fish to plan around today's times
Where to find each fish in Missouri, with its limits and records.
- American Eel
- Bighead Carp
- Bigmouth Buffalo
- Black Buffalo
- Black Bullhead
- Black Crappie
- Black Redhorse
- Blue Catfish
- Blue Sucker
- Bluegill
- Bowfin
- Brown Bullhead
- Brown Trout
- Burbot
- Chain Pickerel
- Channel Catfish
- Common Carp
- Flathead Catfish
- Flier
- Freshwater Drum
- Gizzard Shad
- Goggle-eye
- Golden Redhorse
- Goldeye
- Grass Carp
- Grass Pickerel
- Green Sunfish
- Highfin Carpsucker
- Hybrid Striped Bass
- Hybrid Sunfish
- Largemouth Bass
- Longear Sunfish
- Longnose Gar
- Mooneye
- Muskellunge
- Northern Hog Sucker
- Northern Pike
- Paddlefish
- Quillback
- Rainbow Trout
- Red Spotted Sunfish
- Redear Sunfish
- River Carpsucker
- River Redhorse
- Sauger
- Shorthead Redhorse
- Shortnose Gar
- Shovelnose Sturgeon
- Silver Redhorse
- Skipjack Herring
- Smallmouth Bass
- Smallmouth Buffalo
- Spotted Bass
- Spotted Gar
- Spotted Sucker
- Striped Bass
- Walleye
- Warmouth
- White Bass
- White Crappie
- White Perch
- White Sucker
- Yellow Bass
- Yellow Bullhead
- Yellow Perch
Lakes in Missouri to fish in the next period
Every Missouri lake page has access points, species and a level box where a gauge sits on the lake.
- A Perry Philips Park Lake
- Agate Lake
- Amarugia Highlands Lake
- Atkinson Lake
- August A. Busch Memorial and Weldon Spring Conservation Areas
- Belcher Branch Lake
- Ben Branch Lake
- Bennitt (Rudolf) Lake
- Bilby Ranch Lake
- Binder Community Lake
- Blackwell Lake
- Blind Pony Lake
- Blue Springs Lake
- Brookfield City Lake
- Buffalo Bill Lake
- Bull Shoals Lake
- Bushwhacker Lake
- Harry S Truman Lake
- Lake Taneycomo
- Lake of the Ozarks
- Mark Twain Lake
- Pomme de Terre Lake
- Stockton Lake
- Table Rock Lake
Questions on Missouri fishing times
What are the best fishing times today in Missouri?
In Missouri, the major periods: about 2 hours around the moon overhead and underfoot, then the minor periods around moonrise and moonset. Pick your county above; the list starts on Cole County.
How many Missouri counties does the list cover?
All 115 Missouri counties, each with its Census 2023 Gazetteer internal point and its own time zone.
Does Missouri have more than one time zone?
No. All 115 counties keep Central time. The widget still uses each county centre, so Missouri times shift a few minutes from east to west.
How much does sunrise differ across Missouri?
On June 21 the earliest sunrise is 5:37 a.m. in St. Louis (city) and the latest 6:00 a.m. in McDonald County, a 23 minute spread.
How long is the longest day around Jefferson City?
14 hours 51 minutes on the June solstice in Cole County; the December solstice gives 9 hours 28 minutes.
Is a major period better than a minor one in Missouri?
For Missouri anglers, solunar theory rates major periods (moon overhead or underfoot, about 2 hours) above minor ones (about 1 hour at moonrise and moonset). It is a traditional guide; Missouri weather and water conditions matter as much.
Why is there no major period on some Missouri days?
Over Missouri the moon passes overhead or underfoot about 50 minutes later each day, so roughly once a month one of the two falls just past midnight and that county day card shows a single major period.
Do solunar times change Missouri fishing rules?
No. Seasons, limits and hours come from the Missouri regulations; see the license and regulations page for Missouri.
Can I check the Missouri times against an official source?
Yes. The US Naval Observatory publishes sun and moon rise, set and transit times for any place and date; enter the county centre coordinates for a Missouri day.