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Salt vs. Freshwater Spearfishing
How To Spearfish In Freshwater
Hey there, spearos. This is The Stone Shot, a newsletter that aims to make you a better spearfisher!
This week we’re exploring the differences between saltwater and freshwater spearfishing.
We've gathered insights from three seasoned spearos who have ventured into both realms, shedding light on the unique challenges and opportunities each environment offers.
Seamus Culhane with a freshly speared walleye in South Dakota
Spearfishing In Freshwater
We know the majority of our readers reside in coastal areas, which would mean that saltwater spearfishing is your primary focus. So it’s safe to assume freshwater locations such as rivers, lakes, and ponds may seem foreign for many of us.
This prompted us to connect with some freshwater pros to gain insights into the world of freshwater spearfishing. After talking with these guys, we found three key factors that distinguish fresh from saltwater spearfishing.
Visibility
When it comes to freshwater spearfishing, there’s few people who are as seasoned as Mike Livingston. Mike is the president of the National Freshwater Spearfishing Association (NFSA), has competed at the World Freshwater Championships and has dove in 9 different inland states. And when he’s in need of some salt, he loves to dive Mexico and California.
That’s a pretty solid track record…
So, we asked Mike what was the #1 biggest difference between salt and freshwater spearfishing was:
"Visibility. Freshwater diving is usually very poor viz, whereas Saltwater is typically a lot better."
“Mentally I find salt water to be a lot easier [to dive in].”
With an average visibility of 5-12 feet, spearos must adapt their techniques to thrive in murkier waters.
This means practicing aspetto over agguato. Using shorter guns. And knowing exactly where you target species likes to hangout.
(More from Mike in a little)
No Noise = A Problem
Ryan Peterson is an experienced spearo in both saltwater and freshwater. He’s been competing on the freshwater national and world level since 2015. Ryan points out an intriguing difference between fresh and saltwater:
“The only sound you hear [in freshwater] are boats. And occasionally fish like freshwater drum that make noise. But none of the constant clicking staticky noise of the ocean. And because of that, the amount of noise you make - splashing on the surface or crashing into the bottom - can make a big difference in the amount of fish you’ll see.”
Depth and Fish Tendencies
Seamus Culhane, a spearfisher from South Dakota, highlights the significance of water depth:
“Most of the fish we shoot are less than 30’ of water because of both visibility and location of thermocline.”
A visual representation of the thermocline
Seamus' also gave insight on the behavior of some specific freshwater fish species.
“All fish have their unique characteristics. Hunting walleye is a lot like hunting pressured wahoo or white tailed deer. They are leery and you sort of have to let them come to you as it can be difficult to close distances, but if you are properly oriented to structure you can do so. Smallmouth bass are more like Bahamas hogfish, where they can be leery but they can be very curious and much easier to harvest. Carp can be all over the board. The day before a tournament you could fill a barge but the next morning you can’t find one.”
Regulations
Freshwater spearfishing regulations in the United States can vary significantly from state to state, so it's crucial to check the specific regulations for the state where you plan to engage in spearfishing. The regulations typically cover aspects such as seasons, species, size limits, bag limits, and gear restrictions.
Mike Livingston and the NFSA have recently had tremendous success in helping states work with their wildlife officials to expand the regs to better align spearfishing with normal angling rules and bag limits.
We just got several regulations changed in the State of Utah to add bodies of water and species to the list. NFSA was very active in working with the wildlife officers on that one.
Links To See Some Freshwater Spearfishing
That’s it for us! We’ll see you back here next week.
PS - Reply to this email with any crazy spearfishing stories, photos or videos of your own, we’d love to feature you! Salt