Soooo this sounds goofy but I dont care. I am going to crystal river this weekend with my wife for some fun snorkeling and I am wondering if I am allowed to spearfish there.

We usually go to three sisters spring and snorkel with the manatees and OBVIOUSLY im not allowed to spearfish in the spring BUT...

Last time I was there just messing around the docks there were some MONSTER sheepies just swimming around the docks. I could have WRECKED some sheepies and snapper had I had my spear gun.

Simply put...does anyone know if I am allowed to use my speargun in that area? nowhere near manatees obviously but maybe around some hard bottom or docks?

~Dave

Regs here: Spearing

You can't shoot anything in fresh water or even possess a speargun. I don't personally know where the official transition between "fresh" and "salt" water occurs, or if it only matters how much salt is in that particular water. I'd definitely say if the water doesn't taste salty at all, you'd probably get in trouble.

I've heard the transition from brackish to fresh is near Twin Rivers marina.

I work at a dive shop on King's bay there - and I know the sheepshead you are talking about! In the morning at the Kings spring there are schools of them swimming around (and some HUGE poons)! But unfortunately you have to head out 5 or 6 miles out to the shallow rock piles if you want to start shooting in viable (and legal) conditions. But there is still a population of about 60 manatees hanging around and if you haven't had the opportunity to snorkel with them - it's a pretty cool experience. Good luck!

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Kinda off topic, but I think that manatee can only be taken by spear outside of Kings Bay anywhere inside of the bay is illegal.

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Nothing in the world is more dangerous than a sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

Only if shot in the soft tissue with atleast 20 feet of 10lb mono on a tricut. I have never tried it but I have heard it's a great ride!

We went to Puerto Rico last summer and my cousins husband who grew up there hooked us up with a local to take us Shooting on the reefs. After looking at some of the most beautiful reefs i have ever seen with not one edible fish, me and my girl spotted 2 manatee swimming down the reef. I got back to the boat and told our halfass guide and he was like "yeah there making a pretty strong comeback" I was like what happened to them did they get sick ??? He replied "No we used to eat them but were not allowed to anymore" now i understand the lack of edible fish, those people eat anything !!! My story is a bit off topic also but i figured i'd share

Where can I look for my local laws and places I want to travel to?

so 5 miles out? The reason I ask this is because I just got off the phone with the fwc. The lady there told me I was ok to spearfish in the three sisters springs canal area as long as

1. The fish I took were salt water species (no shooting fresh water fish obviously)

and

2. I didnt cross into any manatee zones or go up in the actual spring area.


I feel bad saying this but sometimes I wonder if the FWC knows their own laws.

I know Kings spring is a sanctuary because it's roped off as such. cearly I wouldnt be able to spearfish in that. Is three sisters area all a sanctuary? is the whole bay?

The law definitely prohibits the shooting of saltwater ("marine") species in fresh water. I'm still ignorant of what exactly constitutes fresh water. It seems too simple for it to just be "water without a tasteable amount of salt in it."

I'd think that brackish water isn't fresh, so maybe that's where they're agreeing that the canal / river is OK but not the springs.

You probably should just send them (FWC) an e-mail and get a response in writing. Heck, you could even paste in a Google Maps satellite photo and circle the area you want to hunt in red and ask them if it's legal to spear there. That's what I'd do. That way, if you get stopped by someone (local police / sherrif / FWC) with a different opinion, at least you have something to defend yourself with.

That is interesting to hear. I would expect for it to be illegal to shoot fish in the canal leading to the sisters. Your biggest problem here though is going to be the amount of boat traffic and people in the area. The bay is honestly a bit of a tourist trap, and on weekends usually the mouth of the canal leading to and the canal itself is crowded with "cattle" boats and manatee tours. As for Kings Spring - the sanctuary I think you are referring to was removed over a month ago because the majority of the manatees left the bay. There are still buoys in place but it's a small horseshoe shape enclosure that scuba divers are allowed to swim into and bounce down into the spring. The area around the mainspring is open to the public now.

Anyhow if you you get the O.K. to shoot fish - early in the morning on the outsides of the main spring there are those schools of sheepies swimming around. Let me know what they say!

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Found this on the FWC website. Spearing | Florida Saltwater Fishing Handbook | eRegulations.com

•Spearfishing of marine and freshwater species in freshwater is prohibited. Possession of a spear gun in or on freshwater is also prohibited.