How deep do I have to dive?

At least 10 feet. Ideally, you should be comfortable 30 feet down. We take most of our fish in the 20-70 foot depth range. Lakers like it deeper than that, much deeper.

What thickness dive suit do I need?

It depends. Generally, a Great Lakes free diver has 2-3 suits. Both open-cell (dive suits) and closed-cell wetsuits (surfing suits) can be used for spearfishing in Michigan. There are pros and cons to each type of suit, which we won’t cover here. Use what works for you and your budget. In the summer, with the right wind, the water temp can drop 30 degrees in a few hours. Please use the suggestions below as a rough guideline.

• November - June : 6/5 Closed Cell or 7 mm Open Cell

• July - October: 4/3 Closed Cell or 3 or 5 mm Open Cell

Always learn towards being too warm. Diving cold sucks. It’s easy to flush a suit if you’re getting too hot. If I had to buy one suit, I’d buy a 7mm open cell dive suit.

What kind of speargun do I need?

For length, we like guns in the 60cm to 90cm range. Two bands is about the most you’ll need for spearfishing in the Great Lakes. The guns should have a shooting line that’s at least 10 feet long, but it can’t (legally) be longer than 20 feet.

For bigger fish that like to fight or run (carp) a reel or float line on a buoy is necessary. You can also use a breakaway rig for the thick boys and girls, if you don’t know what that is, please don’t use one.

Do I need to have a dive flag when spearfishing?

Yes. A dive flag is legally required when spearfishing in Michigan. According to the Natural Resources and EPA Act 451 or 1994:

“Any person diving or submerging in any of the waters of this state with the aid of a diving suit or other mechanical diving device shall place a buoy or boat in the water at or near the point of submergence. The buoy or boat shall bear a red flag not less than 14 inches by 16 inches with a 3-1/2 inch white stripe running from 1 upper corner to a diagonal lower corner. The flag shall be in place only while actual diving operations are in progress. A vessel shall not be operated within 200 feet of a buoyed diver's flag unless it is involved in tendering the diving operation. A person diving shall stay within a surface area of 100 feet of the diver's flag.”

Do I need a Boat?

Nope. You don’t need a boat to spearfish. Most spearfishing in Michigan can happen from the shore, or “shore diving.” A boat is fun, opens up more territory, but is not necessary to spearfish in Michigan