Discover the best time of day to catch bass, trout, catfish, panfish, walleye, carp, and many more depending on the season, moon phases, and weather. Spearfishing is a popular fishing method most commonly associated with saltwater bodies of water.
It is practiced as a recreational form of take in developed countries and as a means of subsistence and survival in many poorer nations.
Spearfishing is important to many people for various reasons. We know spearfishing has its place in saltwater, but what about in freshwater? Can you spearfish in freshwater? In the United States, many states prohibit the practice of spearfishing in freshwater, whereas, other states now allow it with proper license. There are a number of states that now permit legal freshwater spearfishing assuming the fishermen is licensed and special regulations are adhered to.
In most states, spearfishing in freshwater has never been legal. There is a hot debate over the ethics associated with spearfishing freshwater game fish. Others contend spearfishing is actually harder and much more physically challenging that regular rod-and-line fishing which is legal in every state in America in freshwater.
This article is going to take an in-depth look at the controversial topic of freshwater spearfishing. I did a fair amount of research on this topic to hopefully give you the guidance you need relevant to your location and intentions.
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Click here to visit Fishing Booker and book your trip of a lifetime at very affordable prices. Spearfishing in freshwater is a state-by-state issue that is growing support on both sides of the topic.
Each state seems to have a different opinion and policy regarding this practice. For example, in Florida, it is unlawful for spearfishing to occur in freshwater. Alabama seemingly goes a step further and allows it statewide as long as you purchase a license.
Laws and regulations are constantly evolving. Young and other spearos, as they're called, have dealt with heavy opposition from traditional anglers, many of whom find spearfishing unsportsmanlike and worry it will decimate the bass population. In , a group of Central Valley fishermen began petitioning the state's fish and game commission to recriminalize it. Young has received threats online and on the river. One fisherman tried to ram him with his boat; others have cast lures at him.
That is, a foot-deep barrel that you enter without air and with 30 pounds of lead strapped to your waist. During the past year, Young has been sucked into whirlpools created by the river current, gotten snagged in tangles of hooks and fishing line, and once landed on a two-foot lamprey, a jawless fish whose circular mouth is filled with razor-sharp teeth for boring holes through the flesh of its prey.
We drift downriver, spearing along the way until stars dot the horizon. After six hours fighting currents, avoiding exposed rocks, untangling grass from fins, and generally trying not to drown, it's abundantly clear that this is a far cry from sitting on a dock with a line and bobber. So they resent us and try to stop us from doing it. We pull our boat onto Dick Point, a stretch of sand that once had an eight-foot-tall pile of driftwood on it.
We roll out sleeping bags on cots coated in raccoon and rat hair. Young lights a grill with gasoline and a plumbing torch. A half-hour later, we sit on the bank, drinking cold beer and eating two-pound striper steaks. There are two types of regulations regarding spearfishing in Hawaii.
The other protects certain species of fish and marine life. Rather, they focus on the size of the fish and limit each person to have one bag per day. This is another region with a long and layered history that was shaped by fishing.
As a land populated by generations of fishermen, there was no need to have a license to go fishing since that was just about the only available job for any able man women stayed behind and manned the local bars, taverns, and canneries while men went whaling and fishing.
This means that if you get a fishing license in New Hampshire for example you can use it in Maine. This is quite helpful not just for the local hobbyists, but also for tourists looking to enjoy spearfishing in the whole Northeastern Coast region. A license in Maine is pretty cheap. This license will cover you for the whole year and as we mentioned it is valid in the rest of New England.
The rules and regulations in Maine are mostly for freshwater fishing and spearfishing. For example the different varieties of trout brook, brown, rainbow, and togue are limited to 2 pieces per bag and the minimum size ranges from 6 inches for brook trouts to 18 inches for togues.
Other rules dictate that you should use a flag to mark your diving area and to stay away from crowded areas to avoid accidents. Rhode Island is part of that New England heritage and culture. Here spearfishing is allowed in fresh and saltwater.
Not just that but you can also go after the prized striped bass. We mentioned earlier that New England as a whole recognizes the fishing licenses issued by its individual states.
That will hardly break the bank or give you bad vibes. Most fish species such as bluefish, monkfish, scup, striped bass, and weakfish are open all year round. You can also bag as many as 15 bluefish a day without getting on the wrong side of the law. Other fish however are completely banned from any form of fishing including spearfishing. A notable example is the river herring and the American shad. Both of these species are endangered. Massacusetts accepts all fishing licenses issued in all other New England states except for Maine.
Massachusetts is a bit strict when it comes to protecting certain fish species from the prongs of spearfishers. The following fish are not to be speared, stabbed, snagged, or snatched:. There are other regulations for the size of the fish and the bag limitations that you can read about here. You can go spearfishing here both in freshwater and saltwater. Any other license from New England will work just fine in Connecticut.
The reason being the license and permit system here is rather complex. There are fishing licenses for inland, marine, underage, above age , and combination of fishing and hunting licenses. Connecticut follows Massachusetts suit in employing some of the strictest fishing regulations this side of the Atlantic. Fish species such as the alewife and blueback herring is prohibited from any form of fishing. As for striped bass, you can only get it with a rod and line.
Spearing this species is now allowed. The allowed fish size and bag limits vary from one fish species to the next. You can find out more information here. New York is famous for its great lakes among other things. So as you can imagine freshwater fishing is a big thing for New Yorkers and visitors from the neighboring states. In fact the top two fishing categories here are cold water and warm water fishing.
So to say that New York and its lakes act as a magnet for spearos all year round is actually putting it mildly. Only when the lakes freeze over during the winter do spearfishers abandon it for more accessible bodies of water down south.
In New York you can get a regular license or obtain a lifetime license. However, not everyone is required to get a fishing license to go spearfishing.
Visually impaired residents of the state for example are exempt from having a fishing license. Native Americans from the Shinnecock and Poospatuck tribes or the Six Nations who reside in the state get free lifetime licenses.
Apart from the generous permits and licenses system, the state of New York knows the importance of fishing and spearfishing for the wellbeing of people whether they are residents or visitors.
The rules reflect that in their leniency and permissiveness. Some fish species such as the brown trout, lake trout, and yellow perch are available all year round. In the case of yellow perch there are no limits on the fish size and your bag can have 50 of the species on a good day without having an officer of the marine law batting an eye. The only notable exception here is the lake sturgeon which is considered a protected species and all forms of fishing are outlawed.
New Jersey is the younger sister who looks up to its more attractive sibling, New York, with envy.
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