Minnesota Spearfishing Rules Card

Legal status

Saltwater RestrictedFreshwater Permitted

Minnesota is a landlocked state, so there is no saltwater spearfishing - but it is a notable inland exception. Under Minnesota Statutes 97C.371, only common carp, native rough fish, catfish, lake whitefish, cisco (tullibee), and northern pike may be speared.

License

Required: Minnesota dark house spearing license (plus an angling license); an angling license alone covers rough-fish spearing

Resident: Dark house spearing license $6 (residents age 18-89), which must be added to a resident annual angling license ($25). Short-term resident angling options also exist (24-hour $12, 72-hour $14, 3-year $71).

Non-resident: Dark house spearing license $17, which must be added to a nonresident angling license (annual $51; 24-hour $14, 72-hour $36, 7-day $43).

Gear rules

• Spearguns: Spearguns ARE affirmatively authorized for rough fish.
• Pole spears: Covered by the generic 'hand-held spear' method - permitted for the authorized species (common carp and native rough fish in open.
• On scuba: Underwater spearfishing is affirmatively contemplated - and required - for the speargun/harpoon method: Minnesota Rules 6262.0600 subp.
• Spear/harpoon take is limited to the species in Minn. Stat.
• Catfish, lake whitefish, cisco, and northern pike may be speared ONLY from a dark house
• Rough fish may be taken by speargun/harpoon ('a rubber powered gun, spring gun, or compressed air gun'), but it may be discharged ONLY when.
• An underwater harpoon or spear must be attached to the user with a tethered line not more than 20 feet long (per the DNR digest; this.

Do not spear

• Walleye and sauger may NOT be speared
• Largemouth, smallmouth, and other black bass may NOT be speared
• Muskellunge may NOT be speared
• Trout and salmon may NOT be speared; additionally, no spearing, harpooning, or dip netting is allowed at all in designated trout lakes or trout streams
• Sunfish, crappie, yellow perch, and other panfish may NOT be speared
• Lake sturgeon and other sturgeon may NOT be speared
• Only common carp, native rough fish, catfish, lake whitefish, cisco

Area restrictions

• No spearing, harpooning, or dip netting in designated trout lakes or trout streams
• No harpooning within 1,000 feet of a designated swimming beach
• Native rough fish may not be taken while dark house spearing in designated trout lakes
• Dark-house game-fish spearing (pike/catfish/whitefish/cisco) is restricted to the ice season, November 15 through the last Sunday in February

Before you dive

• Never dive alone: one up, one down.
• Check current seasons and sizes the morning of the dive.
• Confirm with Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (Minnesota DNR): https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/