Nebraska Spearfishing Rules Card

Legal status

Saltwater RestrictedFreshwater Permitted

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

License

Required: Nebraska Fishing Permit (Aquatic Habitat Stamp included in most permits)

Resident: Resident Annual fish $38; 1-day $10; 3-day $31; 3-year $90.50; 5-year $132; Lifetime $616-$710 by age band. (Combination Resident Fish/Hunt Annual $52.) An average ~14% resident fee increase was approved for 2026 - the in-effect 2026 resident annual may be about $41; confirm current price with NGPC.

Non-resident: Nonresident Annual fish $84; 1-day $14.50; 3-day $37; 3-year $216.50; 5-year $326; Lifetime $929-$1,306 by age band.

Gear rules

• Spearguns: Legal underwater. Lawful powered types are rubber band-powered spear guns, compressed air spear guns and spring-loaded spear guns.
• Pole spears: Not named verbatim, but a hand-propelled pole spear is functionally a 'hand spear,' which is expressly lawful both as a surface spear.
• On scuba: Underwater spearfishing (which implies free-diving or SCUBA) is expressly permitted subject to the dive-flag rule; NGPC regulation does not.
• Spears used on powered spear guns must be attached to a shooting line no more than 20 feet long
• A dive flag must be displayed on a float/buoy: at least 12 inches square, red background with a white diagonal stripe one-fifth the flag.
• Underwater spearfishing is prohibited within 100 yards of any designated swimming or water-ski-jump area, boat dock, boat ramp or spillway
• Surface spearing allows only hand spears, and game fish may NOT be taken with surface spears

Do not spear

• Game fish may NOT be taken with surface spears
• Game fish may NOT be speared
• Paddlefish may be taken only by snagging in the Missouri River under the paddlefish-snagging season and limits
• Pallid sturgeon and other state/federally threatened or endangered species may not be taken by any method

Area restrictions

• Underwater spearfishing is prohibited within 100 yards of any designated swimming or water-ski-jump area, boat dock, boat ramp or spillway
• Game-fish spearing is allowed only in the named waters: Lake McConaughy, Lake Ogallala, Lake Minatare, Box Butte Reservoir, Lewis and Clark Lake.
• Spearing/bowfishing is closed in Platte River State Park, Eugene T. Mahoney State Park, and other park areas as posted
• Bowfishing: waters within city limits are generally NOT open to bowfishing; permission is required to bow fish on any private waters

Before you dive

• Never dive alone: one up, one down.
• Check current seasons and sizes the morning of the dive.
• Confirm with Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC): https://outdoornebraska.gov