How to Spearfish In Michigan

 

Basic Gear

What do you need to start spearfishing? Technically, you can spearfish in boardshorts with a polespear and a diving mask. But, the Great Lakes are cold and polespears don’t have much range.

Keep reading below for a proper gear list.

Where to Go

Finding a spot to spearfish isn’t very hard. But finding a location that holds fish at a depth you can dive can be tricky.

How to Dive

Don’t over think it. Take a deep breath and dive beneath the surface. Don’t forget to equalize your ears.

Once you’re down there, relax, look for fish, and embrace the silence. Welcome to the few places in your life where you can’t get a text message.

Bow Hunting Underwater

Spearfishing is hunting. If you have a background in hunting, you’re off to a good start. Bow hunter? Even better. Spearing is more than snorkeling with a speargun until you see something to shoot. But sometimes, it’s just like that.

To be a productive spearo, you’ll need to take into account all the different variables that can make or break a hunt - currents, tempreature, terrain, body language, weather, visibility.

Or, you can just hop in the water and learn as you go, which we encourage as long as it’s done safely.

Why Do My Ears Hurt?

A commonly overlooked, but necessary, skill when freediving is equalizing your ears. You know that pain in your ears that increases the deeper you dive? That’s air pressure building up. If you keep going deeper without equalizing, you’ll burst your eardrums, which is a huge, painful bummer.

Equalizing is easy for some and for others it can take weeks of practice. Some people can’t even do it. Do not continue diving deeper until you learn how to equalize your ears. There are several methods - Valsalva, Lowry, Frenzel - find which one works for you and your body. There are great resources online to teach you how to do each and help you find your preferred method, this website not one of them.

Fish Identification

Identifying fish in the murky depths is hard. In some cases, by the time you get a good look, your shot opportunity is gone. Never pull the trigger on something you haven’t identified. Since spearfishing in Michigan can take place in low-vis waters, which it makes it even harder.

For beginners, we don’t recommend spearing in these conditions due to the difficulty in identifying fish.

In order to become proficient, you’ll need to learn the outline/silhouette of all fish species, not just the ones you’re targeting.


Spearfishing Gear List

What gear do you “need” to get started spearfishing in Michigan? Not much. The items in bold are the bare minimum. But if you had a choice, start with this list:

  • Wetsuit

  • Fins

  • Mask

  • Snorkel

  • Dive flag

  • Weight belt

  • Dive weights

  • Speargun

  • Fin booties

  • Dive gloves

  • Dive knife

  • Dive float

  • Floatline

  • Speargun reel

Dive Weights, really?

Yup, really. Strapping 5-10 pounds of lead to your body before you go diving is a little intimidating, but necessary. Wearing a wetsuit adds buoyancy and you need to counteract this with weight. Otherwise, you’ll spend excessive amounts of energy trying to swim down to the surface. More energy used = more oxygen consumed = less time on the bottom.

How much weight do you need? It depends on how much you weigh, the thickness of your suit, and other variables. You should aim to float in the water at eye level with empty(ish) lungs with all your gear on.