Podcast: Spearfishing for Walleyes Is Coming to the Great Lakes. And That’s Not a Bad Thing

Spearfishing for walleyes and other game fish has slowly been gaining traction in the Great Lakes, and starting April 2026, the sport will enter a new phase there.

In November, after years of input from local spearfishermen, the Michigan Natural Resources Commission unanimously approved new and expanded spearfishing regulations for Lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior. Although there are some exceptions for certain areas, the new regs that go into effect next spring will allow free-diving spearfishermen to target walleyes, northern pike, and lake trout in the Michigan portions of these lakes. This is in addition to the species of rough fish, like carp and suckers, that have long been fair game for spearfishermen there.

“It’s been one of largest expansions for freshwater game fish in the history of North America,“ says Jon Durtka, a lifelong Michigan sportsman and the guest on this week’s Outdoor Life Podcast. 

As the president of the Michigan Spearfishing Association, Durtka has led the push for expanded regulations since before 2021, when he helped convince the NRC and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to establish temporary spearfishing regulations for the three game-fish species in parts of Lakes Huron and Michigan. (That trial period ended earlier this year, which led to the more permanent, expanded rules that were established in November.) 

He’s also generated some pushback — mostly from traditionally minded anglers, who view spears as less sporting and potentially more harmful than rods and reels. Durtka has confronted these stigmas with hard data, showing that spearfishing is both more challenging and, in some ways, less impactful than hook-and-line fishing.

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To give one clear example, harvest reports show that between 2022 and 2024, spearfishermen in the newly opened portions of Lakes Huron and Michigan harvested a total of roughly 430 walleyes a year (along with an annual average of 20 pike and 5 lake trout.) Compare that figure with 400,000, the estimated sport harvest of walleyes from Lake Huron in 2023, and it’s a “drop in the hat,” says Durtka.  

“We have the most fresh water in North America, and we have millions and millions and millions of walleye. We’ll never be able to harm them to any significant extent with spearfishing, especially since we have to follow the same hook-and-line [bag limits],” he explains. “And just in terms of underwater opportunities, the Great Lakes are really one of the coolest places to dive in the world.”

Along with gear restrictions and safety requirements, the new regulations will incorporate some closed-off areas to protect spawning fish and big lake trout — a species that Durtka points out is more of a mystery, since they prefer colder, deeper water, and often migrate at odd times of the year. But starting next April, for the first time ever, he and other spearo’s will be able to start cracking that code in Lake Superior. 

“It’s virgin territory, if you will,” Durtka says, his mind already turning. “With all those areas now open, there’s just endless opportunity.”