Spearfishing Regulations in Minnesota

License

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

Who needs it

To spear the game/regulated fish that require a dark house (northern pike, catfish, lake whitefish, cisco), residents age 18-89 and nonresidents age 18 and older need BOTH a dark house spearing license AND an angling license; youth age 16 and 17 need only an angling license 145. To spear common carp and native rough fish (which do not require a dark house), an angling license is required for anyone age 16 and older 35. Nonresidents may spear from a fish house or dark house 1.

Resident cost

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). 5

Non-resident cost

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). 5

Where to buy

Online at mndnr.gov/buyalicense, at any of roughly 1,400 licensed agent locations statewide (bait, tackle, and sporting-goods retailers), or at DNR license centers. First-time lifetime licenses require in-person purchase at the DNR License Center in St. Paul. 56

Speargun

Spearguns ARE affirmatively authorized for rough fish. Minnesota Rules 6262.0600, subpart 1a, expressly allows rough fish (common carp, buffalo, sucker, redhorse, freshwater drum, bowfin, gar, goldeye, bullhead) to be taken 'by harpooning with a rubber powered gun, spring gun, or compressed air gun' - that is precisely a band/rubber-powered or pneumatic (compressed-air) speargun. This is legal in all inland waters during the open-water/underwater season (May 1 through the Sunday before the third Monday in February, sunrise to sunset), but the speargun/harpoon 'may be discharged only when both the equipment and operator are entirely beneath the surface of the water' (you must be fully submerged - i.e., a freedive/underwater shot, not from a boat or the surface), may not be used within 1,000 feet of an established swimming beach, and may not be carried cocked while out of the water 2. The Minnesota DNR fishing digest adds that the underwater harpoon/spear must be attached to the user with a tethered line not more than 20 feet long 3. Spearguns are NOT a legal method for the dark-house game/regulated species (northern pike, catfish, lake whitefish, cisco) - those are taken by hand-held spear from a dark house only 1.

Pole spear

Covered by the generic 'hand-held spear' method - permitted for the authorized species (common carp and native rough fish in open water/ice; northern pike, catfish, whitefish, cisco only from a dark house). Minnesota Rules 6262.0600 authorize taking rough fish 'by hand-held spears in open water or through the ice.' 23

Hawaiian sling

Not named by that term, but a Hawaiian sling is an elastic (rubber-powered) spear launcher, so for rough fish it most naturally falls under the 'rubber powered gun' method affirmatively authorized in Minnesota Rules 6262.0600 subp. 1a - meaning it is a plausible legal method for underwater rough-fish spearing subject to the same conditions (fully submerged discharge, 1,000 ft from swimming beaches, DNR digest's 20-foot tether). A hand-thrown sling could alternatively be treated as a hand-held spear. For the dark-house species (pike, catfish, whitefish, cisco) only a hand-held spear from a dark house is authorized. Confirm intended gear with the Minnesota DNR before use. 23

Spearfishing on SCUBA

Underwater spearfishing is affirmatively contemplated - and required - for the speargun/harpoon method: Minnesota Rules 6262.0600 subp. 1a states harpooning equipment 'may be discharged only when both the equipment and operator are entirely beneath the surface of the water,' so an underwater (submerged) speargun shot at rough fish is expressly legal 2. What the code does NOT specifically distinguish is the diver's breathing method - freedive versus open-circuit SCUBA. Freediving to take rough fish with a speargun is clearly within the rule; SCUBA is neither separately named nor prohibited, so SCUBA-specific use should be confirmed with the DNR (see unverified). 23

• Walleye and sauger may NOT be speared - they are not on the Minn. Stat. 97C.371 list of spearable species 1
• Largemouth, smallmouth, and other black bass may NOT be speared (not listed) 1
• Muskellunge may NOT be speared - despite being a large predatory fish like northern pike, muskellunge is not on the statutory spearing list 1
• 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 13
• Sunfish, crappie, yellow perch, and other panfish may NOT be speared (not listed) 1
• Lake sturgeon and other sturgeon may NOT be speared (not listed) 1
• Only common carp, native rough fish, catfish, lake whitefish, cisco (tullibee), and northern pike may be speared - anything not on that list is prohibited 1

• No spearing, harpooning, or dip netting in designated trout lakes or trout streams 3
• No harpooning within 1,000 feet of a designated swimming beach 3
• Native rough fish may not be taken while dark house spearing in designated trout lakes 4
• Dark-house game-fish spearing (pike/catfish/whitefish/cisco) is restricted to the ice season, November 15 through the last Sunday in February 1
• Certain waters have special or experimental spearing regulations and northern pike possession limits vary by zone (Northeast, North-central, Southern) - check the current DNR regulations and any water-specific notices before spearing 4

• Minnesota is a rare state that lets you spear a GAME FISH: northern pike may be legally speared, but only from a dark house during the winter ice season (Nov 15 - last Sunday in Feb) 1
• Catfish, lake whitefish, and cisco (tullibee) may also be speared, but likewise only from a dark house 1
• Common carp and native rough fish (buffalo, sucker, redhorse, freshwater drum, bowfin, gar, goldeye, bullhead) may be speared in open water or through the ice, no dark house required 23
• Dark-house spearing requires a separate dark house spearing license in addition to an angling license for residents 18-89 and nonresidents 18+ 45
• While spearing from a dark house you cannot also use tip-ups or multiple angling lines; you may angle with one line only if any hooked fish is immediately released or placed on the ice 1
• Spearguns ARE legal for rough fish: Minn. Rules 6262.0600 authorizes taking rough fish by 'a rubber powered gun, spring gun, or compressed air gun' (a band or pneumatic speargun), but only when the operator and equipment are entirely submerged - a genuine underwater/freedive speargun harvest for carp and native rough fish 2
• Underwater harpoons/spears must be tethered to the user (line 20 feet or less per the DNR digest), and harpoons/spearguns may not be carried cocked while out of the water 23
• 'Native rough fish' is being actively re-examined by the Minnesota DNR - species eligibility for spearing/bowfishing can change, so confirm the current list before you go 3

Spearing a species not authorized by Minn. Stat. 97C.371 (for example, walleye, bass, muskellunge, trout, panfish, or sturgeon), spearing game fish outside a dark house or outside the season, spearing in trout waters, or fishing/spearing without the required licenses violates Minnesota's game and fish laws (Minn. Stat. chapter 97C and Minn. Rules chapter 6262). Violations are generally misdemeanors or, for more serious or high-value takings, gross misdemeanors, carrying fines, possible jail, restitution for the value of illegally taken fish, and license revocation/suspension; equipment (spears, harpoons) used in a violation may be subject to seizure. Exact fine and restitution schedules were not read from the primary penalty statutes in this pass (see unverified). 13

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

1. [1]
   Source 1: Minnesota Statutes section 97C.371 - Spearing Fish (Office of the Revisor of Statutes) - species that may be speared, dark house requirement, ice-spearing season, angling-while-spearing rule, nonresident provision

   Retrieved July 5, 2026 · https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/97C.371

2. [2]
   Source 2: Minnesota Rules part 6262.0600 (Office of the Revisor of Statutes) - hand-held spears for rough fish in open water/through the ice, rough-fish and sucker spearing seasons, crossbow prohibition

   Retrieved July 5, 2026 · https://www.revisor.mn.gov/rules/6262.0600/

3. [3]
   Source 3: Minnesota DNR Fishing Regulations (official DNR digest, eRegulations) - Bowfishing, Spearing, Harpooning and Dip Netting: authorized rough-fish/carp species, trout-water prohibition, tethered-harpoon and 1,000-foot-from-beach rules, closed-season possession ban, combined-limit rule

   Retrieved July 5, 2026 · https://www.eregulations.com/minnesota/fishing/bowfishing-spearing-harpooning-and-dip-netting

4. [4]
   Source 4: Minnesota DNR Fishing Regulations (official DNR digest, eRegulations) - Dark House Spearing, Ice Angling and Ice Shelters: dark-house species, license requirement, pike/catfish/whitefish seasons and limits, trout-lake rough-fish restriction

   Retrieved July 5, 2026 · https://www.eregulations.com/minnesota/fishing/dark-house-spearing-ice-angling-and-ice-shelters

5. [5]
   Source 5: Minnesota DNR Fishing Regulations (official DNR digest, eRegulations) - Fishing Licenses & Fees: dark house spearing license ($6 resident / $17 nonresident), angling license fees, youth-under-16 exemption, where to buy

   Retrieved July 5, 2026 · https://www.eregulations.com/minnesota/fishing/fishing-licenses-fees

6. [6]
   Source 6: Minnesota DNR - Fishing licenses (agency page)

   Retrieved July 5, 2026 · https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/licenses/fishing/index.html

Is spearfishing legal in Minnesota?

Saltwater spearfishing is restricted in Minnesota, and it is permitted in fresh water, subject to license, gear, species, and area rules. Minnesota is a landlocked Upper Midwest state with no ocean coastline and no marine (saltwater) waters, so there is no saltwater spearfishing. All Minnesota spearfishing occurs in…

Do you need a license to spearfish in Minnesota?

Yes. Minnesota requires the Minnesota dark house spearing license (plus an angling license); an angling license alone covers rough-fish spearing. Resident cost: 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 cost: 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).

Can you spearfish on scuba in Minnesota?

Underwater spearfishing is affirmatively contemplated - and required - for the speargun/harpoon method: Minnesota Rules 6262.0600 subp. 1a states harpooning equipment 'may be discharged only when both the equipment and operator are entirely beneath the surface of the water,' so…

What can't you spear in Minnesota?

Protected or no-take species you may not spear in Minnesota include: 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. Always check the full prohibited-species list and current seasons before diving, and confirm with Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (Minnesota DNR).