Local guide · AlpenaSpearfishing in Alpena: spots, seasons and rules
Updated 2026-09-04 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher
Alpena is the flagship. Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the first NOAA sanctuary on the Great Lakes, holds roughly a hundred wrecks from 1842 to 1966 inside its boundary and buoys the sites every year. Beyond the wrecks there are limestone walls and reefs off Thunder Bay Island and South Point and the sinkholes of Misery Bay. Legally Alpena sits inside a named 2026 water: the Lake Huron underwater-spear water runs from the Thunder Bay River pier at Alpena south to Fort Gratiot Light, so lake trout, northern pike and walleye are on the table alongside the year-round list. Freedive only, daylight only, and a free underwater spearfishing licence on top of the fishing licence, with no monthly reporting since the 2026 season.
TL;DR
- Alpena is the flagship.
- Alpena is inside Michigan's Lake Huron game-fish zone: lake trout, northern pike and walleye may be taken with an underwater spear, on top of the year-round list.
- Two licences: the All Species fishing licence plus a free but mandatory underwater spearfishing licence with no monthly reporting since the 2026 season. Freedive only, daylight only, spear fired submerged on a line of 20 ft or less.
- Marks worth the trip: Monohansett, Oscar T. Flint, M. V. Nordmeer, with depths from a snorkel to 29 m. Ice runs from January to March, reliably in Saginaw Bay and along the Thumb, and the dive season is June to October.
Where are the dive and hunting spots near Alpena?
Depths below are the published site depths, not a promise about conditions. Outside the buoyed preserve sites you find the mark yourself.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|
| Monohansett | Wreck | 5.5 m | Beginner, snorkel-friendly | Boat, NOAA buoy in season | A wooden steamer burned in 1907 off Thunder Bay Island, in clear water with boiler and hull framing intact. The standard first dive of Shipwreck Alley. |
| Oscar T. Flint | Wreck | 10 m | Beginner to intermediate | Short boat run from Alpena, buoyed | Wooden bulk freighter that caught fire and sank in 1909, sitting upright inside Thunder Bay. Engine, boiler and a cargo of stone remain in place. |
| M. V. Nordmeer | Wreck | 12 m | Intermediate | Boat, buoyed; exposed to north wind | German steel freighter grounded on a shoal in 1966. Large sections still break the surface, plating, hatch coamings and machinery are easy to follow, and the wreck holds fish. |
| E. B. Allen | Wreck | 29 m | Advanced | Boat, sanctuary buoy | An 1871 schooner sunk after a collision, standing upright and largely intact with her hull sides rising several metres off the bottom. One of the sanctuary's most photographed wrecks. |
Is spearfishing allowed in Alpena?
Yes, and Alpena sits in the better half of the map. Michigan is the only Great Lakes state with a purpose-built underwater-spearfishing regime, and its Lake Huron game-fish zone runs from the southernmost pier of the Thunder Bay River at Alpena south to Fort Gratiot Light. Inside that zone lake trout, northern pike and walleye may be taken with an underwater spear, on top of the year-round list that applies in all Michigan waters. Everything rests on one instrument: the Bow & Spear Fishing Regulations table of the Michigan Fishing Guide, a Fisheries Order under NREPA Part 487.
Which fish can you spear at Alpena?
The year-round Michigan list is the backbone: bowfin, bullheads, burbot, common carp, catfish, cisco, freshwater drum, gizzard shad, goldfish, grass carp, longnose gar, rainbow smelt, suckers and lake whitefish. On these lakes whitefish, cisco and burbot are real targets on it, not a consolation prize. Inside the zone add lake trout, northern pike and walleye: pike 24 in minimum and a possession season of 1 July to 15 March by underwater spear, walleye 15 in and five a day. Lake trout limits are zone-specific — read the DNR table before you go. Lake sturgeon is off the table: spearing it is prohibited except in a special Black Lake winter season, and on every water here it is closed or release-only. Michigan's table is an enumerating one: trout and salmon other than lake trout, bass, sunfishes and crappie are not named, so they are not open.
What licence and gear does Michigan require?
Two licences, not one. You need the Michigan All Species fishing licence — 26 USD resident, 76 USD non-resident, 10 USD a day, from age 17 — plus a free annual underwater spearfishing licence, which is mandatory — though its monthly effort-and-harvest report was abolished for the 2026 season. The gear rules are just as concrete. A rubber- or spring-propelled spear may be fired only while you are fully submerged, and it must be tethered to a line no longer than 20 ft. Scuba and rebreathers are prohibited while underwater spearfishing, so this is a freedive discipline. Daylight only, bands unloaded whenever you move between areas, and 150 ft off swimming areas, docks, boat access sites and power intakes — which effectively closes harbour mouths.
What do the preserve and sanctuary rules mean for you?
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is a heritage sanctuary, not a fishing closure. Under 15 CFR 922.193 what is prohibited is recovering, altering, destroying or possessing an underwater cultural resource, and grappling or anchoring on a buoyed cultural-resource site; fishing is not on the list. In practice: look, photograph, take nothing off a wreck, use the sanctuary moorings, and let Michigan's spear rules — not the sanctuary — decide what you may shoot.
When is the season and what is the water like at Alpena?
Ice runs from January to March, reliably in Saginaw Bay and along the Thumb, and the dive season is June to October. Plan for a thick suit with hood, gloves and boots, or a drysuit: the thermocline shapes every dive here, and what feels workable at the surface is a different lake ten metres down. There is no tide on the Great Lakes — the level moves with wind and pressure.
What are the safety risks at Alpena?
Cold is the first risk and it is not seasonal: below the thermocline the water stays a few degrees above freezing all summer, and the freedive-only rule leaves you no gas reserve to buy time with. The second is exposure. Most of these sites sit in open lake with no shelter and, outside the buoyed preserves, no mooring at all, so weather windows are short and a shot line is your own responsibility. Finally, ice: the water freezes for months, and frazil and shore ice make the shoulder seasons a different sport.
FAQ
Can you spear walleye or pike at Alpena?
Yes. This is inside Michigan's Lake Huron underwater-spearfishing zone, which runs from the Thunder Bay River pier at Alpena south to Fort Gratiot Light and covers lake trout, northern pike and walleye.
Can you use scuba for spearfishing in Michigan?
No. Scuba, rebreathers and similar devices are prohibited while underwater spearfishing: Michigan is freedive-only.
What licence do you need?
The Michigan All Species fishing licence plus a free annual underwater spearfishing licence, whose mandatory monthly effort-and-harvest report was abolished for the 2026 season.
Can you spear at night?
No. It is prohibited from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise, and you must stay 150 ft off swimming areas, docks, ramps and power intakes.
Does Thunder Bay sanctuary ban fishing?
No. 15 CFR 922.193 prohibits recovering, altering, destroying or possessing an underwater cultural resource and anchoring on buoyed sites; fishing is not on the list.
When is the best time to dive Alpena?
Ice runs from January to March, reliably in Saginaw Bay and along the Thumb, and the dive season is June to October..
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