A man waist deep in water holding a silver fish and his fishing rod

Fishing season is in accordance with state regulations. The primary fishing opportunities include the farm ponds and old mine pits containing bluegill, crappie and smallmouth bass, and the Marais des Cygnes River for channel catfish, flathead catfish and walleye. Access to the pits and ponds is by foot only. Outboard motor use is restricted to the westernmost 5.5-mile section of the Marais des Cygnes River. Non-motorized boats and electric trolling motors may be used on all open portions of the refuge, including the eastern four-mile stretch of the river. Where sections of the river border private property, only the half of the river adjacent to public property is open to public use.

Laws, rules, and regulations