Island Spear Co.

Regulations Colorado

Spearfishing Regulations in Colorado

Checked against the primary source (CPW) on July 5, 2026state

Governing agency: Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). Last verified July 5, 2026 by independent primary-source check.

Summary

Colorado is a landlocked state with no saltwater, so there is no marine spearfishing. In fresh water, spearfishing (underwater spearfishing, archery, slingbows and gigs) is legal but tightly limited: statewide it may be used only to take carp and northern pike (and, east of the Continental Divide, gizzard shad and white or longnose suckers), plus any species specifically authorized at an individual water. Game fish such as trout, bass, walleye and kokanee generally may NOT be speared. Anyone 16 or older needs a Colorado fishing license, and specific gear rules apply to spearguns.

License

What you need to be legal

LegalA license is required
License
Colorado Fishing License
Who needs it
Any person 16 years of age or older must buy and carry a valid Colorado fishing license to take fish by any method, including underwater spearfishing, archery, slingbow or gig. Those under 16 may fish and take a full bag/possession limit without a license. 3
Resident cost
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. 3
Non-resident cost
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. 3
Where to buy
Online at CPWShop.com, at CPW offices, or from license agents statewide. 3

Exemptions

  • Anyone under 16 years of age (may take a full bag and possession limit without a license) 3
  • During CPW's annual Free Fishing Days - the first full weekend of June - anyone may fish (including by legal spearing methods) statewide without a license or Habitat Stamp; verify the exact current-year dates with CPW 4

The full story

The full story

Colorado is landlocked, so the whole question of 'spearfishing' here is a freshwater one, and it is far more restricted than in coastal states. Under CPW's Methods of Take rules, underwater spearfishing, archery, slingbows and gigs are treated as a single limited-method group and, statewide, may be used only to take carp and northern pike. East of the Continental Divide you may also take gizzard shad and white or longnose suckers. Everything else must be specifically authorized for the individual water you are on. In practice this means the state's popular game fish - trout, bass, walleye, kokanee, catfish, crappie and panfish - are effectively off-limits to a speargun. This mirrors the common rough-fish-only pattern: game fish are for rod and reel, while nongame/rough fish may be speared, gigged or bow-fished.

On the license question there is no law-vs-practice gap: Colorado genuinely issues and enforces a fishing license, and its statutory definition of 'fishing' expressly includes underwater spearfishing, archery, snagging and gigging - so a spearfisher 16 or older must carry a license just like any angler.

Two specifics that circulate on dive/retailer blogs did NOT check out against the current CPW primary source and should be treated with caution. First, some sources state the spear safety line may 'not exceed 10 feet' - the current CPW brochure requires a safety line but states no length limit. Second, some sources describe a statewide ban on underwater spearfishing 'within 100 feet of any marina, boat ramp, swim beach or dam.' The current statewide rule is instead a 100-foot diver-float radius requirement; any marina/dam standoff, where it applies, is a specific-water or land-manager rule, not the statewide statute. Both are listed as unverified below until confirmed against the exact water's special regulations or the current CCR text.

Where it's legal

Saltwater & freshwater

Saltwater

Not permitted

Colorado is landlocked and has no marine or saltwater waters, so saltwater spearfishing does not exist here. All spearfishing occurs in fresh water (reservoirs, lakes and streams) under CPW rules.

Freshwater

Legal

Underwater spearfishing, archery, slingbows and gigs may be used statewide only for taking carp and northern pike; east of the Continental Divide, gizzard shad and white or longnose suckers may also be taken, unless otherwise prohibited in the Special Regulations: Fishing Waters section. Other species may be speared only where specifically authorized for a given water. Game fish (trout, bass, walleye, catfish, crappie, perch, etc.) may not be speared. Kokanee salmon may be taken by archery/slingbow only where a water is otherwise open to snagging (not by underwater spearfishing). Bullfrogs may be taken by archery, slingbows and gigs. 12

Gear

What you can carry

Speargun
Permitted for underwater spearfishing of the allowed species. CO2 guns or cartridge-powered spears are prohibited. Spearguns must be loaded and unloaded only while the gun is submerged. Spears must be attached by a safety line. 12
Pole spear
Not separately named in CPW regulations; hand-propelled spears fall under 'underwater spearfishing' and are subject to the same species limits and the safety-line requirement. The CO2/cartridge-power ban and submerged load/unload rule are written for spearguns. 2
Hawaiian sling
Not named in Colorado regulations. As a hand-powered underwater spearfishing device it would fall under the general 'underwater spearfishing' rules (allowed species only, safety line attached, no CO2/cartridge power). Not expressly authorized or prohibited by name. 2
Spearfishing 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 bearing the National (Alpha) Divers' Symbol. Individual waters, state parks or land managers may impose their own diving restrictions. 12

Gear restrictions

  • CO2 guns or cartridge-powered spears are prohibited 12
  • Spearguns must be loaded and unloaded only while the gun is submerged 12
  • Divers must stay within a radius of 100 feet of a float bearing the National Divers' Symbol (dive flag) 12
  • Spears must be attached by a safety line 12
  • For archery/slingbow take of kokanee: bows must have a reel, fishing line and arrow attached, and an arrow safety-slide mechanism that keeps the line in front of the arrow at all times 2

Do not spear

Prohibited species

  • All game fish are off-limits to spearing except as specifically authorized. This includes trout (brown, brook, cutthroat, golden, lake/Mackinaw, rainbow, cutbow, splake, tiger trout), Arctic char, grayling, whitefish, smallmouth/largemouth/spotted/striped/white bass and wiper, black and white crappie, bluegill and other sunfish, yellow and Sacramento perch, walleye/sauger/saugeye, tiger muskie, drum, and blue/channel/flathead/bullhead catfish 2
  • Kokanee salmon may NOT be taken by underwater spearfishing (it may be taken by archery/slingbow only where a water is open to snagging) 2
  • 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 - confirmed at Williams Fork Reservoir, Harvey Gap Reservoir and Hat Creek 25
  • Any native, nongame, threatened or endangered species not classified as legal to take by these methods

Where you can't

Area restrictions

  • Divers engaged in underwater spearfishing must remain within a 100-foot radius of a float bearing the National Divers' Symbol (dive flag) 12
  • Individual waters carry special regulations that may prohibit or restrict spearing/archery/gigging (see CPW 'Special Regulations: Fishing Waters'); e.g., Williams Fork Reservoir, Harvey Gap Reservoir and Hat Creek prohibit spear/archery/slingbow/gig take of northern pike 25
  • Land-management agencies (state parks, federal reservoirs, municipalities) may impose additional diving or method restrictions on specific waters 12

Worth knowing

Notable rules, seasons & limits

  • Colorado has no saltwater; all spearfishing is freshwater only
  • Spearfishing is a restricted method, NOT a general angling method: statewide you may spear only carp and northern pike (plus gizzard shad and white/longnose suckers east of the Continental Divide) unless a specific water authorizes more 12
  • 'Fishing' is legally defined in Colorado to include underwater spearfishing, archery, snagging and gigging, so all of these require a fishing license 24
  • Bullfrogs may be taken by archery, slingbows and gigs (with a license) 2
  • Snagging is permitted only for kokanee salmon on specific listed waters; any other species snagged must be released immediately 2

What divers here typically use

Gear up for Colorado spearfishing

Where spearfishing is allowed in Colorado, this is the core kit divers assemble before their first day in the water. Our honest guide to the Beginner Spearfishing Gear List walks through what to look for — curated from published specs and community consensus, not paid placement.

If you break them

Penalties

Fishing by any method (including spearing) without a valid license, or taking a species/using a method not authorized, is a violation of Colorado wildlife law (C.R.S. Title 33) and CPW regulations, punishable by fines, license suspension and possible loss of fishing privileges. Specific dollar fines and surcharges are set by statute and the Wildlife Commission and were not enumerated on the CPW pages consulted.

Not yet independently confirmed — verify directly

  • That the spear safety line may 'not exceed 10 feet' - the current CPW brochure requires a safety line but states no maximum length; the 10-foot figure was not confirmed in the current statewide primary source.
  • A statewide prohibition on underwater spearfishing 'within 100 feet of any marina, boat ramp, swim beach or dam' - the current statewide rule found is a 100-ft diver-float radius, not a marina/dam standoff; any such restriction appears to be specific-water or land-manager rule and was not confirmed statewide.
  • Exact penalty/fine dollar amounts for fishing without a license or unlawful method/species take (set in C.R.S. Title 33 and Wildlife Commission regulations; not stated on the CPW pages consulted).
  • Precise current-year Free Fishing Days calendar dates - the recurring rule (first full weekend of June, no license/Habitat Stamp needed statewide) is CONFIRMED via CCR (s4), but the exact 2026 calendar dates were not pinned to a CPW page during this check.

Confirm these points directly with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) before you rely on them.

Primary sources

Sources

Every fact above is drawn from these official sources. Each was retrieved on the date shown; regulations can change after that date.

  3. Source 3: Colorado Parks and Wildlife - Fishing Licenses and Dates (2026-2027 license costs and age requirements)

    Retrieved July 5, 2026https://cpw.state.co.us/activities/fishing/fishing-licenses-and-dates

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

Is spearfishing legal in Colorado?
Saltwater spearfishing is restricted in Colorado, and it is permitted in fresh water, subject to license, gear, species, and area rules. Colorado is landlocked and has no marine or saltwater waters, so saltwater spearfishing does not exist here. All spearfishing occurs in fresh water (reservoirs, lakes and streams)…
Do you need a license to spearfish in Colorado?
Yes. Colorado requires the Colorado Fishing License. Resident cost: 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 cost: 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.
Can you spearfish on scuba in Colorado?
CPW's fishing regulations do not prohibit SCUBA for underwater spearfishing; divers must stay within a radius of 100 feet of a float bearing the National (Alpha) Divers' Symbol. Individual waters, state parks or land managers may impose their own diving restrictions.
What can't you spear in Colorado?
Protected or no-take species you may not spear in Colorado include: 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. Always check the full prohibited-species list and current seasons before diving, and confirm with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW).

Stay current

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Last verified July 5, 2026. Regulations change — always confirm the current rules with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) before you dive.

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