Colorado Spearfishing Rules Card

Legal status

Saltwater RestrictedFreshwater Permitted

Colorado is a landlocked state with no saltwater, so there is no marine spearfishing.

License

Required: Colorado Fishing License

Resident: Resident Annual (ages 18-63) $44.87; Resident Senior (64+) $12.96; Resident Youth (16-17) $12.96; Resident 1-day $18.07. An annual Habitat Stamp ($12.76) is also required for most license buyers ages 18-64.

Non-resident: Nonresident Annual (16+) $124.01; Nonresident 5-day $41.04; Nonresident 1-day $21.90. There is no discounted nonresident youth license. A Habitat Stamp also applies to annual licenses.

Gear rules

• Spearguns: Permitted for underwater spearfishing of the allowed species. CO2 guns or cartridge-powered spears are prohibited.
• Pole spears: Not separately named in CPW regulations; hand-propelled spears fall under 'underwater spearfishing' and are subject to the same species.
• On scuba: CPW's fishing regulations do not prohibit SCUBA for underwater spearfishing; divers must stay within a radius of 100 feet of a float.
• CO2 guns or cartridge-powered spears are prohibited
• Spearguns must be loaded and unloaded only while the gun is submerged
• Divers must stay within a radius of 100 feet of a float bearing the National Divers' Symbol (dive flag)
• Spears must be attached by a safety line

Do not spear

• All game fish are off-limits to spearing except as specifically authorized. This includes trout
• Kokanee salmon may NOT be taken by underwater spearfishing
• Northern pike is generally allowed to be speared statewide, BUT at some waters the use of spearfishing, archery, slingbows and gigs to take northern pike is prohibited by special regulation
• Any native, nongame, threatened or endangered species not classified as legal to take by these methods

Area restrictions

• Divers engaged in underwater spearfishing must remain within a 100-foot radius of a float bearing the National Divers' Symbol (dive flag)
• Individual waters carry special regulations that may prohibit or restrict spearing/archery/gigging (see CPW 'Special Regulations: Fishing Waters').
• Land-management agencies (state parks, federal reservoirs, municipalities) may impose additional diving or method restrictions on specific waters

Before you dive

• Never dive alone: one up, one down.
• Check current seasons and sizes the morning of the dive.
• Confirm with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW): https://cpw.state.co.us/rules-and-regulations