Nevada Spearfishing Rules Card

Legal status

Saltwater RestrictedFreshwater Permitted

Nevada is a landlocked state with no saltwater, so all spearfishing is freshwater only. Divers may spearfish for unprotected (nongame/rough) fish in every Nevada water except Lake Tahoe and Topaz Lake.

License

Required: Nevada Fishing License

Resident: Resident Annual Fishing License $40; Resident Youth Combination (ages 12-17) $15; Resident Senior Combination (65+) $15; Resident 1-day permit $9 plus $3 each additional consecutive day.

Non-resident: Nonresident Annual Fishing License $80; Nonresident Youth Combination (ages 12-17) $15; Nonresident 1-day permit $18 plus $7 each additional consecutive day; Interstate Boundary Water License $30 (nonresidents fishing only the reciprocal boundary waters: Colorado River, Lake Mead, Lake Mohave, Lake Tahoe and Topaz Lake).

Gear rules

• Spearguns: A mechanical spearing device (e.g., a speargun) may be used only under the surface of the water, and the spear must be attached to.
• Pole spears: Not separately named in NDOW regulations. A hand-propelled pole spear falls under the general spearfishing rules (unprotected fish only.
• On scuba: NDOW's fishing regulations do not expressly address or prohibit SCUBA for spearfishing; they require that a mechanical spearing device be.
• A mechanical spearing device may be used only under the surface of the water
• The spear must be attached to the device by a lanyard
• A diver's flag must be displayed within 100 feet while spearfishing
• Spearfishing is not allowed at all in Lake Tahoe or Topaz Lake

Do not spear

• Game fish generally may not be speared
• Striped bass may NOT be speared in the portion of Lake Mohave from Cottonwood Cove to Davis Dam, nor from Davis Dam downriver to the Nevada state line
• Protected fish and amphibians
• Any fish in Lake Tahoe or Topaz Lake may not be taken by spear

Area restrictions

• Spearfishing is prohibited entirely in Lake Tahoe and Topaz Lake
• In Lakes Mead and Mohave and the Colorado River system, spearfishing is prohibited within 1/2 mile of any dock or swimming area
• Striped-bass spearing in Lakes Mead/Mohave is limited to the reach from Cottonwood Cove to the cable below Hoover Dam
• A diver's flag must be displayed within 100 feet of the spearfisher

Before you dive

• Never dive alone: one up, one down.
• Check current seasons and sizes the morning of the dive.
• Confirm with Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW): https://www.ndow.org