Wisconsin Spearfishing Regulations: 2026–2027 Legal Guide
A practical guide to Wisconsin underwater spearfishing licenses, legal fish, rough-fish seasons, scuba rules, diver-down flags, closed counties and boundary waters.
Last reviewed July 20, 2026 · 2026–2027 fishing regulations effective April 1, 2026
Five rules to know before you enter the water
Wisconsin permits underwater spearfishing with both skin-diving and scuba equipment, but only where rough-fish spearing is open. The water, species, season, harvest limit and diving method must all be legal at the same time.
Carry a fishing license
A Wisconsin fishing license is required for spearing unless a resident exemption applies. Nonresidents under 16 still need a license to spear.
Skin diving or scuba
Wisconsin allows spears and spearguns while skin diving or scuba diving. Unlike Michigan, underwater breathing equipment is not generally prohibited.
Sunrise to sunset
Underwater spearfishing is legal only from sunrise to sunset. Nighttime bowfishing rules do not extend to divers using spears or spearguns.
Confirm water and species
The water must be open to rough-fish spearing, and the target species must also be in season on that same water. Local limits still apply.
Display a diver-down flag
Use the required red-and-white flag when diving rules apply. Except in an emergency, surface within 50 feet of the flag.
What fish can you legally spear underwater in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin law separates “rough fish” from a smaller group of additional fish that may be taken by underwater spear. Threatened and endangered species are never legal targets, even when they belong to a broader fish family listed below.
Rough fish
These species or species groups may be taken where the rough-fish spear season is open. Click a button for Wisconsin DNR identification or regulatory information.
Additional underwater targets
These fish may be taken with spears or spearguns while skin diving or scuba diving where rough-fish spearing is open, provided the target species’ own season is open.
Not on the list: Wisconsin does not create a general underwater spear season for walleye, northern pike, muskellunge, trout, salmon, largemouth bass or smallmouth bass.
Invasive carp handling
Bighead, black, silver and grass carp are prohibited invasive species in Wisconsin. Do not transport a live invasive carp. Follow current DNR reporting, euthanasia and transport instructions if one is encountered.
Where and when is underwater spearfishing open?
The statewide framework is controlled by the rough-fish spear season. Special rules apply to northern counties, the Lake Winnebago System, Great Lakes waters and interstate boundary waters.
Most inland Wisconsin waters
Rough-fish spearing has a continuous season in counties not included in the northern closure list, unless a waterbody, refuge, trout-stream designation or local rule creates a separate restriction.
Skin diving Scuba diving Sunrise–sunsetNine northern counties closed
Ordinary inland-water spearing is closed in the following counties, with only narrow exceptions described in the full regulation guide:
- Ashland
- Bayfield
- Forest
- Iron
- Menominee
- Oneida
- Price
- Sawyer
- Vilas
Lake Winnebago System
The rough-fish spear season runs April 21 through February 1. The system includes Lakes Winnebago, Poygan, Winneconne and Butte des Morts, plus specified portions of the Fox and Wolf rivers and their tributaries.
Underwater harvest of bass, panfish or bullheads is allowed only while that target species’ season is also open.
Great Lakes and outlying waters
On Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Green Bay, Sturgeon Bay, Sawyer’s Harbor and the lower Fox River to the De Pere dam, divers may spear rough fish plus white bass, yellow bass, rock bass, legal panfish and bullheads while both seasons are open.
Northern pike have a separate through-the-ice spear opportunity on Lake Superior; that is not a general open-water underwater spear season.
Wisconsin–Michigan boundary warning
There is no general open spear season on Wisconsin–Michigan boundary waters. A narrow exception allows catfish, rough fish and bullheads to be taken by bow or crossbow during the open season in Wisconsin waters only. Do not treat that exception as permission for underwater spearguns or hand spears.
Wisconsin–Minnesota boundary
The rough-fish spear season runs from the Saturday nearest April 21 through March 1. Spears may be used sunrise to sunset. Separate nighttime rules apply to bows and crossbows on the Wisconsin side.
Wisconsin–Iowa boundary
Rough-fish spearing has a continuous season. Spears may be used sunrise to sunset, while separate nighttime provisions apply to bows and crossbows.
Seasons, bag limits and local regulations
Wisconsin’s total daily limits do not override a lower waterbody-specific limit. Always check the current hook-and-line regulation for the exact lake or river before diving.
| Fish group | Underwater spear season | Statewide total limit | Important note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rough Fish | Continuous in most counties; special closures and seasonal waters apply | No general bag limit, except 600 suckers | Threatened or endangered species may not be possessed. Check northern counties, boundary waters and the Lake Winnebago System. |
| Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Yellow Perch, White & Black Crappie | Only while the target species and rough-fish spear seasons are both open | 25 panfish in total | Many individual waters use lower limits such as 10 panfish or species-specific sublimits. |
| White, Yellow & Rock Bass | Only while the target species and rough-fish spear seasons are both open | No statewide total daily bag limit | Water-specific seasons, daily limits or refuge rules can still apply. |
| Bullheads | Only while the bullhead and rough-fish spear seasons are both open | No statewide total daily bag limit | Do not confuse bullheads with channel or flathead catfish; underwater spear authorization is not the same. |
| Lake Winnebago System | Rough-fish spear season April 21–February 1 | Species-specific limits still apply | Confirm the exact system boundary and target-species season before diving. |
The Wisconsin DNR’s searchable lake tool covers inland lakes only. Rivers, boundary waters, Great Lakes waters and trout regulations must be checked in the complete state guides.
Legal methods, equipment and diver safety
Underwater spear rules
- Legal devices include spears and spearguns used while skin diving or scuba diving.
- Underwater spearfishing is permitted only from sunrise to sunset.
- The water must be open to rough-fish spearing.
- The target species’ separate season must also be open.
- Daily bag limits and length restrictions remain in force.
- Do not possess or control a spear on or along waters where the device is not authorized.
- Do not use firearms, explosives, air guns or poisons to take fish.
Wisconsin diver-down flag
The required flag is red, at least 12 inches high by 15 inches long, with a white diagonal stripe at least 3 inches wide.
- Display the flag clearly above the water when the diving statute applies.
- Except in an emergency, surface within 50 feet of the flag.
- Boats not involved in the dive operation generally must remain at least 100 feet away.
- A dive flag does not create permission to spear in a closed water.
Important closures and prohibited conduct
This section highlights the restrictions most likely to affect an underwater spearfishing trip. The full guide contains additional wildlife-area, refuge and local rules.
- Trout streams: Spearing and similar devices are prohibited in designated trout streams.
- Fish refuges and posted closed areas: Fishing with spears is prohibited.
- Devil’s Lake State Park: Possession and use of spears, bows, crossbows and similar devices are prohibited.
- Northern counties: Ordinary inland spearing is closed in Ashland, Bayfield, Forest, Iron, Menominee, Oneida, Price, Sawyer and Vilas counties.
- Menominee River: Ordinary spearing is closed on the river in Florence and Marinette counties.
- Dams, locks and fishways: Spears generally may not be possessed within 200 feet, subject to the narrow seasonal exception described above.
- Wisconsin–Michigan boundary waters: No general spear season; do not convert the bow/crossbow exception into an underwater spear opportunity.
- Local ordinances: Municipal public-safety ordinances may create additional restrictions, particularly for bows and crossbows.
- Aquatic invasive species: Remove plants and animals from equipment, drain water and do not transport live fish away from state waters unless a specific exception applies.
Separate winter burbot exception
A narrow December 15–January 31 nighttime burbot-spearing exception applies on specified northern rivers. Because ordinary underwater spearfishing is limited to sunrise–sunset, review the full regulation language before treating this as an opportunity for any particular diving or spear method.
Wisconsin spearfishing FAQ
Is underwater spearfishing legal in Wisconsin?
Yes. Wisconsin permits spears and spearguns while skin diving or scuba diving in waters where rough-fish spearing is open, from sunrise to sunset, for legal target species whose seasons are also open.
Can I use scuba while spearfishing in Wisconsin?
Yes. Wisconsin expressly allows underwater spearfishing by both skin diving and scuba diving where the water, season and target species are legal.
Do I need a special underwater spearfishing permit?
Wisconsin requires the appropriate fishing license, but the general regulations do not describe a separate free underwater-spearfishing permit like Michigan’s. Resident exemptions are limited, and nonresidents under 16 still need a license to spear.
Can I spear walleye, northern pike or muskellunge underwater?
Not under the general underwater-spearfishing authorization. The legal additional targets are white bass, yellow bass, rock bass, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, pumpkinseed and bullheads. Northern pike have a separate through-the-ice opportunity on Lake Superior.
What counties are closed to ordinary spearing?
Ashland, Bayfield, Forest, Iron, Menominee, Oneida, Price, Sawyer and Vilas counties are closed to ordinary inland spearing, subject to narrow exceptions. The Menominee River in Florence and Marinette counties is also closed.
Can I spearfish at night?
Underwater spearfishing is limited to sunrise–sunset. Wisconsin’s nighttime authorization for taking rough fish with a bow or crossbow is a different method and does not authorize a diver to use a spear or speargun after sunset.
How close must I stay to my dive flag?
Except in an emergency, Wisconsin law requires a diver covered by the statute to surface within 50 feet of the diver-down flag. Other boats generally must remain at least 100 feet from the flag unless involved in the diving operation.
Can I underwater spearfish on Wisconsin–Michigan boundary waters?
There is no general open spear season on those boundary waters. The rule contains a narrow bow-and-crossbow exception for catfish, rough fish and bullheads in Wisconsin waters only; it is not an underwater speargun exception.
Official Wisconsin resources
Save these links before a trip. Water-specific rules, emergency changes, refuge restrictions and local ordinances can change what is legal.