Louisiana Spearfishing Rules Card

Legal status

Saltwater LegalFreshwater Permitted

Louisiana has a large Gulf of Mexico coast, so spearfishing is legal in both salt and fresh water for divers who are submerged in the water using standard spearing equipment (a speargun or hand spear).

License

Required: Louisiana Basic Recreational Fishing License (plus a Saltwater License to fish south of the saltwater line)

Resident: Basic Fishing License $17; Saltwater License $15 (resident). A combined Basic + Saltwater package is available.

Non-resident: Basic Fishing License $68 (nonresident 5-day $30); Saltwater License $60 (nonresident 5-day $30).

Gear rules

• Spearguns: Legal. A speargun is 'standard spearing equipment' and is lawful when used by a skin diver who is submerged in the water, in both salt.
• Pole spears: Legal. A pole spear is standard hand-held spearing equipment used by a submerged skin diver.
• On scuba: Permitted. 'Scuba gear' is expressly listed by LDWF among the gears that REQUIRE a recreational fishing license, which contemplates.
• The diver must be submerged in the water while spearing, you cannot lawfully spear from the surface or from a boat
• Standard spearing equipment is the ONLY legal spearing method for taking fish; general 'spears' (and spears/guns as a taking method) are.
• A barbless spear or a multi-pronged barbed gig may be used ONLY in salt water and ONLY for taking flounder
• Speared fish are subject to the same size limits, bag/creel limits and seasons as fish taken by any other gear

Do not spear

• FRESH WATER: all freshwater game fish may NOT be speared, largemouth bass, spotted bass, shadow bass, black crappie, white crappie, white bass, yellow bass, striped bass, hybrid striped bass, and any species of bream
• SALT WATER: the saltwater game fish may NOT be speared, sailfish, blue marlin, black marlin, striped marlin, hatchet marlin, and white marlin
• Federally threatened/endangered and prohibited species off-limits to all take: Gulf sturgeon, pallid sturgeon, shovelnose sturgeon, sea turtles, smalltooth and largetooth sawfish, goliath grouper, Nassau grouper, and the NOAA-listed prohibited sharks

Area restrictions

• Louisiana state waters extend seaward roughly 3 marine leagues (about 9 nautical miles) from shore in the Gulf, farther than most states, so state.
• Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), refuges and wetlands conservation areas have their own access permits and restricted/no-take areas; a WMA Access.
• No statewide fixed distance-from-swimmers/pier spearfishing setback was located in the state fishing regulations; local ordinances and specific.

Before you dive

• Never dive alone: one up, one down.
• Check current seasons and sizes the morning of the dive.
• Confirm with Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF): https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov