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Guida · Costa Est USA

Pesca subacquea sulla Costa Est USA

La Costa Est è il grande mosaico legale della pesca subacquea americana. Dal Maine alla Georgia, quattordici stati con regole diverse — e la linea che conta di più è una sola domanda: posso arpionare la spigola (striped bass)? La risposta cambia da stato a stato, e sbagliare costa multa e sequestro. Questa guida mette ordine, va dal freddo Nord-Est al caldo Sud-Est e si collega alla previsione giornaliera di ogni città.

Il Nord-Est (Maine→Connecticut) è acqua fredda di 8–20 °C e prede di struttura: tautog, spigola nera e fluke, su roccia e relitti; stagione da giugno a ottobre. Il Medio Atlantico (NY→Virginia) aggiunge la spigola dove è legale e i famosi piloni del CBBT. Il Sud-Est (le Caroline, Georgia) è più caldo e di relitti al largo — sheepshead, cobia, e i relitti del Gulf Stream al largo del North Carolina.

Apri il punto di forza — Key Largo →

La spigola, stato per stato

La spigola è il pesce simbolo del Nord-Est — e la sua legalità al fucile è la trappola classica. Non generalizzare mai; la regola è per stato:

Prede: dal tautog ai relitti

Oltre alla spigola, la Costa Est offre una gamma di pesci di struttura, tutti con taglia e stagione:

Stagione, acqua e sicurezza

Il Nord-Est va da giugno a ottobre, con l'acqua a 12–20 °C in piena estate e forti macromaree nel Maine — immergiti nella stanca. Il Sud-Est si allunga ad aprile–novembre e dà la migliore visibilità al largo, sui relitti del Gulf Stream. Ci sono squali nel Sud-Est: nessun allarme, ma infila la preda. La bandiera sub è obbligatoria e la distanza varia per stato (NH 75 ft dal sub, MA 100 ft, RI 50 ft dalle barche, VA 25 yard).

Dove immergersi, per regione

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.

Carolina del Nord

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.

Carolina del Sud

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.
Vedi tutte le città →

Domande frequenti

Rules current as of 2026 — spearfishing law is STATE-by-state in the US. License, spearable species, 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 agency and local ordinances before you go.

In quali stati posso arpionare la spigola?

Sì in Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Delaware e Virginia; molto probabilmente sì in New Hampshire (nessun divieto). NO in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina e South Carolina. Controlla taglia e stagione (tipico 28–31", 1/giorno) sulla scheda della tua città.

Quanto costa la licenza sulla Costa Est?

Economica o gratis. New York e New Jersey hanno un registro gratuito; Maine ~$1–2; Massachusetts $10 (60+ gratis); Rhode Island $7 res/$10 non res; Delaware $8.50/$20; Virginia $17.50/$25; Florida $17/$47. La South Carolina è la più cara per i non residenti (~$75). Il New England ha reciprocità (ME/MA/RI/CT/NY).

Dove sono i migliori relitti?

Il North Carolina (il «Graveyard of the Atlantic») e il New Jersey hanno densi campi di relitti; in NC, quelli del Gulf Stream al largo danno acqua calda e limpida (20–28 °C). Rhode Island e Massachusetts hanno relitti costieri per il tautog. Segna il punto e controlla che non cada in zona no-take.

Devo essere sommerso per arpionare?

In New Jersey e Delaware, sì: la legge richiede di essere «completamente sommersi» — niente tiri dalla superficie o da una barca. A New York il fucile deve essere sommerso quando lo si usa. Altri stati non specificano, ma la pratica sicura e pulita è cacciare sempre sommersi.