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Guide · US East Coast

Spearfishing on the US East Coast

The East Coast is the great legal mosaic of American spearfishing. From Maine to Georgia, fourteen states with different rules — and the line that matters most is a single question: can I spear striped bass? The answer changes state to state, and getting it wrong means a fine and seizure. This guide sorts it out, runs from the cold Northeast to the warm Southeast, and links to a daily forecast for every city.

The Northeast (Maine→Connecticut) is cold 8–20 °C water and structure targets: tautog, black sea bass and fluke, over rock and wrecks; June to October season. The Mid-Atlantic (NY→Virginia) adds striped bass where legal and the famous CBBT pilings. The Southeast (the Carolinas, Georgia) is warmer and wreck-driven offshore — sheepshead, cobia, and the Gulf Stream wrecks off North Carolina.

Open the flagship — Key Largo →

Striped bass, state by state

Striped bass is the Northeast's signature fish — and its spear legality is the classic trap. Never generalize; the rule is per state:

Targets: from tautog to wrecks

Beyond striped bass, the East Coast offers a spread of structure fish, all with size and season limits:

Season, water and safety

The Northeast runs June–October, with water at 12–20 °C in high summer and strong macro tides in Maine — dive the slack. The Southeast stretches to April–November and gives the best offshore visibility over the Gulf Stream wrecks. There are sharks in the Southeast: no alarm, but string your catch. A dive flag is mandatory and the stand-off varies by state (NH 75 ft from the diver, MA 100 ft, RI 50 ft from boats, VA 25 yards).

Where to dive, by region

Maine

Maine — cold Gulf of Maine, macro tides; tautog/cod/flounder, no striped bass or lobster by spear.

  • Kittery — Kittery sits at the mouth of the Piscataqua River — Whaleback Light ledges and the clear Isles of Shoals hold cod, pollock and tautog.
  • York — York's southern-Maine rocky reefs — the Nubble Light channel and Bald Head Cliff drop straight into cold, clear water for cod and pollock.
  • Portland — Casco Bay island ledges off Portland — Two Lights, Portland Head and Ram Island Ledge hold cod, pollock and tautog.
  • Boothbay Harbor — Boothbay Harbor's mid-coast ledges and offshore islands — Cuckolds Light and Damariscove hold tautog, cod and lobster.
  • Bar Harbor — Mount Desert's granite coast at Bar Harbor — Egg Rock ledges and Otter Cliffs drop into clear, cold water with lobster and pollock.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire — a tiny cold coast; striped bass appears legal (no ban), no lobster by spear.

  • Portsmouth — Portsmouth fronts the Piscataqua and the Isles of Shoals — clear-water ledges for cunner, pollock and tautog.
  • Rye — Rye's rocky ledges and Isles of Shoals access — the Odiorne Point and Pulpit Rock boulders hold tautog and cunner.
  • Hampton — Hampton fishes the Hampton River inlet jetties and the Great Boars Head ledges off Hampton Beach — tautog and striped bass on the rock.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts — Cape Cod and the islands; tautog/black sea bass/fluke, no striped bass (M.G.L. 130 §100B).

  • Gloucester — Cape Ann's granite reefs off Gloucester — Norman's Woe and the Poling wreck hold tautog, cod and pollock.
  • Rockport (MA) — The tip of Cape Ann at Rockport — Halibut Point, Thacher and Straitsmouth Island ledges for cod, tautog and lobster.
  • Marblehead — Marblehead's rocky reefs — Halfway Rock pinnacle and the Children's Island ledges hold tautog, cod and lobster.
  • Woods Hole — Woods Hole's current-swept passage ledges in Vineyard Sound — slack-tide tautog and black sea bass in sheltered island water.
  • Falmouth — Falmouth's Vineyard Sound reefs — the Nobska Point ledges and the Port Hunter wreck hold tautog, black sea bass and fluke.
  • Edgartown (Martha's Vineyard) — Martha's Vineyard reefs off Edgartown — the Wasque Point rip and Cape Poge ledges hold tautog, black sea bass and fluke.
  • Nantucket — Nantucket's harbor-mouth ledges and jetty — Brant Point and Jetties Beach hold flounder and tautog.
  • Nahant — Nahant dives Egg Rock and the East Point / Castle Rock ledges off Nahant Bay — tautog, cunner and black sea bass on granite.
  • Scituate — Scituate works the harbour breakwater and the wave-swept Minots Ledge — tautog, cod and pollock on the rock.
  • Plymouth — Plymouth dives Gurnet Point and the Bug Light riprap at the bay entrance — tautog, black sea bass and cod in sheltered water.
  • Provincetown — Provincetown fishes the Long Point and Wood End breakwaters at the harbour mouth — tautog, black sea bass and cunner on granite.
  • Chatham — Chatham's outer-Cape bars off the light and Harding Beach Point hold black sea bass, fluke and cod over scattered hard bottom.

Rhode Island

Rhode Island — rocky shores; tautog/black sea bass, striped bass IS spearable (explicit carve-out).

  • Newport (RI) — Newport's Ocean Drive rocky cliffs — Castle Hill, Brenton Reef and King's Beach hold tautog, scup and striped bass.
  • Point Judith — Point Judith's breakwater and Whale Rock — three miles of tautog and scup structure at the West Passage mouth.
  • New Shoreham (Block Island) — Block Island's clear offshore reefs — the Lightburne wreck, Old Harbor breakwater and North Light rocks for tautog, scup and striped bass.
  • Jamestown — Jamestown offers Fort Wetherill's boulder cove and the Beavertail ledges on Conanicut Island — Rhode Island's best shore diving for tautog, scup and striped bass.
  • Narragansett — Narragansett fishes Black Point and Whale Rock off Ocean Road — tautog, scup and striped bass on rocky ledges.
  • Westerly — Westerly dives Watch Hill Reef and Napatree Point Ledge — boulder reefs off Watch Hill for tautog, scup and striped bass.

Connecticut

Connecticut — Marine District only; tautog/scup/black sea bass, no striped bass by spear.

  • Stonington — Stonington's Fishers Island Sound reefs — Noyes Rock, Latimer Reef and Napatree Point ledges for tautog and scup.
  • Groton — Groton's "Race" and Avery Point — high-current Long Island Sound reefs holding trophy tautog and scup.
  • Branford — Branford's Thimble Islands — granite reefs and Falkner Island for tautog, scup and sea bass in sheltered Sound water.
  • Niantic — Niantic works Bartlett Reef and the Black Point ledges in Niantic Bay — tautog, scup and black sea bass in the current.
  • Old Saybrook — Old Saybrook dives the Saybrook Breakwater jetty and Cornfield Point at the Connecticut River mouth — tautog, scup and black sea bass.

New York

New York — free registry, striped bass legal; submerged, ≥100 yards from beaches, muscle-power guns only.

  • Montauk — Montauk Point's rocky tip — Turtle Cove, Shagwong Reef and Camp Hero ledges for striped bass, tautog and black sea bass.
  • Orient Point — Orient Point's Plum Gut and the Race — swift-current Long Island Sound reefs holding trophy tautog.
  • Hampton Bays (Shinnecock Inlet) — Shinnecock Inlet off Hampton Bays — the NYSDEC artificial reef and twin jetties for blackfish, sea bass and fluke.
  • Fire Island Inlet — Fire Island Inlet's south-shore reef and jetties — barges, dredges and rock for striped bass, tautog and sea bass.
  • Long Beach (NY) — Long Beach's nearshore NY artificial reefs — Atlantic Beach and Hempstead reefs plus the Jones Inlet jetty for tautog, sea bass and striped bass.
  • Freeport — Freeport runs out through Jones Inlet to Hempstead Reef and the Point Lookout jetty — tautog, sea bass and striped bass.
  • City Island (Bronx) — City Island's western Long Island Sound reefs — Execution Rocks and Stepping Stones for tautog and scup in protected water.
  • Jones Beach — Jones Beach fishes the offshore Hempstead Reef and the Jones Inlet east jetty — tautog, black sea bass and striped bass.
  • Port Jefferson — Port Jefferson dives the Mount Sinai artificial reef and Old Field Point in Long Island Sound — tautog, black sea bass and scup.
  • Northport — Northport works Smithtown Reef and the Eatons Neck ledges in Long Island Sound — current-swept tautog, scup and black sea bass.

New Jersey

New Jersey — free registry, striped bass legal; fully submerged only, NJSP inlet zones.

  • Sandy Hook — Sandy Hook's jetties and nearshore reef — the oldest NJ reef plus "The Rip" for tautog, sheepshead and striped bass.
  • Manasquan Inlet — Manasquan Inlet's jetty and Sea Girt Reef — zone-restricted jetty diving plus offshore rubble for tautog and sea bass.
  • Point Pleasant Beach — Point Pleasant Beach's jetty and Axel Carlson Reef — a wreck-diving hub for tautog, black sea bass and sheepshead.
  • Barnegat Light — Barnegat Inlet's north jetty and offshore reef — tautog, fluke and striped bass, with NJSP diving-zone rules.
  • Atlantic City — Atlantic City's nearshore reef and Absecon Inlet jetties — tautog, black sea bass and sheepshead.
  • Cape May — Cape May's southern-tip reef and Coast Guard Jetty — tautog, black sea bass and striped bass.
  • Long Branch — Long Branch fishes the famous Shrewsbury Rocks and the Seven Presidents groins — tautog, black sea bass and striped bass on hard structure.
  • Asbury Park — Asbury Park dives the 8th Avenue jetty and the offshore Sea Girt Reef — tautog, black sea bass and striped bass.
  • Belmar — Belmar works the Shark River Inlet jetties and the Sea Girt Reef — tautog, striped bass and fluke.
  • Beach Haven — Beach Haven runs to the Garden State South and Little Egg reefs off LBI's south end — tautog, black sea bass and sheepshead.
  • Ocean City — Ocean City fishes the Ocean City and Great Egg reefs off Corson's and Great Egg inlets — tautog, black sea bass and sheepshead.
  • Wildwood — Wildwood dives the Wildwood Reef and the Hereford Inlet jetty — tautog, sheepshead, black sea bass and striped bass.

Delaware

Delaware — hook-and-line parity, striped bass legal; reef sites hook-or-spear only.

  • Indian River Inlet — Indian River Inlet's jetty and the DNREC reef sites just off the mouth hold tautog, sheepshead and flounder in strong tidal current.
  • Lewes — Lewes shelters behind Cape Henlopen on Delaware Bay, with the Roosevelt Inlet jetties and a nearby bay reef site for flounder, tautog and black drum.
  • Cape Henlopen — Cape Henlopen dives the Delaware Breakwater inner wall and the Harbor of Refuge outer wall — tautog, sheepshead, black sea bass and striped bass on granite.
  • Rehoboth Beach — Rehoboth runs to Delaware Reef Sites 9 and 10 offshore — tautog, sheepshead and black sea bass on reefs that explicitly allow spear.

Maryland

Maryland — spear/spear-gun legal but no striped bass; 100-yard rule around people/flags/vessels.

  • Ocean City — Ocean City's inlet jetty plus its offshore wrecks and reefs — Isle of Wight and the African Queen — hold tautog, sheepshead and sea bass.
  • Annapolis — Annapolis dives the Chesapeake Bay Bridge 'spider' pilings and nearby DNR reefs, where sheepshead graze the barnacles at slack tide.
  • Point Lookout — Point Lookout guards the Potomac–Chesapeake confluence — riprap, a DNR reef and the WWII U-1105 wreck (a protected preserve) for sheepshead and tautog.
  • Solomons — Solomons dives the Cedar Point and Little Cove Point DNR reefs at the Patuxent mouth in the mid-Chesapeake — sheepshead and black drum on low-relief structure.

Virginia

Virginia — the most spear-friendly Chesapeake state; striped bass legal, CBBT pilings legendary, no sharks.

  • Virginia Beach — Virginia Beach fishes the CBBT pilings and offshore reefs off the oceanfront — sheepshead, tautog and sea bass, with cobia in summer.
  • Cape Charles — Cape Charles works the Eastern-Shore CBBT islands and bayside VMRC reefs — Cherrystone and The Cell — for sheepshead and tautog.
  • Kiptopeke — Kiptopeke's nine scuttled WWII concrete ships form a breakwater reef right off the state-park beach, backed by the shallow Cabbage Patch reef.
  • Wachapreague — Wachapreague runs out its barrier-island inlet to the kite-shaped Wachapreague Reef and the deeper Parramore Liberty-ship reef for sea bass and flounder.
  • Norfolk — Norfolk fishes the East Ocean View and Newport News Middle Ground reefs in Hampton Roads — tautog, sheepshead and black sea bass.
  • Chincoteague — Chincoteague runs to Blackfish Bank Reef and Winter Quarter Shoal off the barrier-island coast — black sea bass, tautog and flounder.
  • Hampton — Hampton fishes the Bluefish Rock and Back River reefs in the lower Chesapeake — tautog, sheepshead, black sea bass and summer cobia.

North Carolina

North Carolina — Gulf Stream wrecks; sheepshead/cobia/black sea bass, no striped bass/red drum/sharks.

  • Nags Head — Nags Head has the shallow, shore-swimmable USS Huron preserve and the boxcar-and-barge AR-140 just off the beach.
  • Oregon Inlet — Oregon Inlet runs to the twin Liberty-ship AR-160 and the vessel-plus-aircraft AR-145 for amberjack, sheepshead and sea bass.
  • Buxton — Buxton sits on Cape Point at Diamond Shoals — the deep Empire Gem and the hull of the British Splendour are the closest Graveyard wrecks, for amberjack and sea bass.
  • Hatteras — Hatteras runs the 'Torpedo Junction' wrecks Dixie Arrow and Proteus — grouper and amberjack over famous Graveyard-of-the-Atlantic structure.
  • Morehead City — Morehead City is a wreck hub — the shark-thick U-352 U-boat, the Atlas tanker and the Aeolus reef — for amberjack, grouper and sea bass.
  • Atlantic Beach — Atlantic Beach dives the upside-down Papoose, the Indra reef and the shallow AR-315 Liberty ship for amberjack, sheepshead and sea bass.
  • Wrightsville Beach — Wrightsville Beach works the AR-370 Liberty-ship reef and the natural Ten Mile Rock live-bottom for hogfish, sheepshead and triggerfish.
  • Wilmington — Wilmington runs the Cape Fear approaches — the AR-378 reef and the deeper AR-382 dredge wreck off Kure Beach — for sheepshead and sea bass.
  • Kill Devil Hills — Kill Devil Hills has the shallow Triangle Wrecks off Avalon Pier and the AR-130 nearshore reef — sheepshead, flounder and black sea bass.
  • Ocracoke — Ocracoke runs to the deep AR-250 and AR-255 offshore reefs from the inlet — black sea bass, gag grouper and amberjack on a remote, boat-only stretch.
  • Beaufort — Beaufort fishes the Fort Macon jetty, the AR-315 nearshore reef and the iconic U-352 U-boat wreck — sheepshead, black sea bass, amberjack and grouper.
  • Emerald Isle — Emerald Isle runs the Onslow Bay AR-342 and J.
  • Swansboro — Swansboro fishes the close AR-342 and the Rotary Club AR-345 reefs off Bogue Inlet — sheepshead, black sea bass, amberjack and grouper.
  • Southport — Southport works the Oak Island AR-425 and AR-420 reefs and the far Frying Pan Tower reef — sheepshead, black sea bass, amberjack and grouper.

South Carolina

South Carolina — non-gamefish only (§50-5-1700); gamefish hook-and-line only, bang-sticks/powerheads banned.

  • Charleston — Charleston fishes the 'Charleston 60' complex plus the Capers and nearshore reefs — sheepshead, black sea bass, amberjack and grouper over built structure.
  • Murrells Inlet — Murrells Inlet runs to the close-in Paradise Reef and the deeper Ten Mile Reef — sheepshead, black sea bass and amberjack.
  • Folly Beach — Folly Beach works the Kiawah and N. Edisto nearshore reefs southwest of town — grouper, amberjack, sheepshead and black sea bass. South Carolina makes…
  • Hilton Head Island — Hilton Head dives the Hilton Head Reef and the Port Royal Sound structure — Fish America and the Gordon Wreck — for sheepshead, sea bass and grouper.
  • Myrtle Beach — Myrtle Beach runs to the Paradise and Ten Mile reefs on the Grand Strand — sheepshead, black sea bass, spadefish and amberjack.
  • Georgetown — Georgetown fishes the CCA-North Inlet and Georgetown Nearshore reefs off Winyah Bay — sheepshead, black sea bass and flounder.

Georgia

Georgia — speargun status ambiguous in state water; real hunting on federal SMZ reefs, Gray's Reef banned.

  • Tybee Island — Tybee's federal reefs — SAV, KC and the close-in BSF — sit 4–9 nm out with cages, culvert and barges for sheepshead, sea bass and grouper.
  • Brunswick — Brunswick runs to the federal F and A reefs east of Jekyll and Cumberland — rubble, reef balls and landing craft for grouper, amberjack and sheepshead.
  • St. Simons Island — St. Simons shares the F Reef field and the ALT Reef off Little St Simons — federal SMZ structure for sheepshead, grouper and sea bass. In Georgia,…
  • Jekyll Island — Jekyll Island runs to the federal F Reef and A Reef offshore — grouper, amberjack, sheepshead and black sea bass on built structure.
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Frequently asked questions

Rules current as of 2026 — spearfishing law is STATE-by-state in the US. License, which species you may spear (e.g. striped bass is legal in RI/NY/NJ/DE/VA but banned in ME/MA/CT/MD/NC/SC), powerhead rules and beach/pier buffers all vary; federal sanctuaries (Gray's Reef, FL Keys, Flower Garden Banks) ban spearfishing. Always confirm with the state fish & wildlife agency and local ordinances before you go.

In which states can I spear striped bass?

Yes in Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Virginia; most likely yes in New Hampshire (no ban). NO in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina and South Carolina. Check size and season (typically 28–31", 1/day) on your city page.

How much is the license on the East Coast?

Cheap or free. New York and New Jersey use a free registry; Maine ~$1–2; Massachusetts $10 (60+ free); Rhode Island $7 res/$10 non-res; Delaware $8.50/$20; Virginia $17.50/$25; Florida $17/$47. South Carolina is the priciest for out-of-staters (~$75). New England has reciprocity (ME/MA/RI/CT/NY).

Where are the best wrecks?

North Carolina (the «Graveyard of the Atlantic») and New Jersey have dense wreck fields; in NC, the Gulf Stream wrecks offshore give warm, clear water (20–28 °C). Rhode Island and Massachusetts have nearshore wrecks for tautog. Mark the spot and check it doesn't fall in a no-take zone.

Do I need to be submerged to spear?

In New Jersey and Delaware, yes: the law requires being «completely submerged» — no shooting from the surface or a boat. In New York the speargun must be submerged when used. Other states don't specify, but the safe, clean practice is to always hunt submerged.