(1) A person
possessing a valid Utah fishing or combination license may engage in underwater
spearfishing, only as provided in this section.
(2) The following waters are open to
underwater spearfishing from January 1 through December 31 for all species of
game fish, unless specified otherwise by individual water:
(a) Big Sand Wash Reservoir (Duchesne
County);
(b) Brown's Draw Reservoir
(Duchesne County);
(c) Causey
Reservoir (Weber County);
(d) Deer
Creek Reservoir (Wasatch County), except underwater spearfishing for largemouth
and smallmouth bass is closed from April 1 through the fourth Saturday in
June;
(e) East Canyon Reservoir
(Morgan County), except underwater spearfishing for largemouth and smallmouth
bass is closed from April 1 through the fourth Saturday in June;
(f) Echo Reservoir (Summit County), except
underwater spearfishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass is closed from April
1 through the fourth Saturday in June;
(g) Electric Lake (Emery County);
(h) Fish Lake (Sevier County), except
underwater spearfishing for any game fish is closed from September 10 to the
first Saturday in June the following year;
(i) Flaming Gorge Reservoir (Daggett County),
except underwater spearfishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass is closed
from April 1 through the fourth Saturday in June;
(j) Grantsville Reservoir (Tooele
County);
(k) Jordan River, for
northern pike only (Salt Lake and Utah Counties);
(l) Lake Powell (Garfield, Kane and San Juan
Counties), except underwater spearfishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass is
closed from April 1 through the fourth Saturday in June;
(m) Newcastle Reservoir (Iron County), except
underwater spearfishing is closed for all species of game fish other than
wipers and rainbow trout;
(n)
Pineview Reservoir (Weber County), except underwater spearfishing is closed
for:
(i) largemouth and small mouth bass from
April 1 through the fourth Saturday in June; and
(ii) tiger musky year round.
(o) Porcupine Reservoir (Cache
County);
(p) Quail Creek Reservoir,
for smallmouth bass only (Washington County);
(q) Recapture Reservoir (San Juan
County);
(r) Red Fleet Reservoir
(Uintah County);
(s) Rockport
Reservoir (Summit County), except underwater spearfishing for largemouth and
smallmouth bass is closed from April 1 through the fourth Saturday in
June;
(t) Sand Lake (Uintah
County);
(u) Smith-Moorehouse
Reservoir (Summit County);
(v)
Starvation Reservoir (Duchesne County), except underwater spearfishing for
largemouth and smallmouth bass is closed from April 1 through the fourth
Saturday in June;
(w) Steinaker
Reservoir (Uintah County), except underwater spearfishing for largemouth and
smallmouth bass is closed from April 1 through the fourth Saturday in
June;
(x) Utah Lake, for northern
pike and white bass only (Utah County);
(y) Utah Lake tributaries, including the
following tributaries, west of I-15: American Fork, Creek, Beer Creek, Dry
Creek, Hobble Creek, Spanish Fork River, Spring Creek and Spring Run Creek, for
northern pike only (Utah County). Spearfishing is not permitted on the Provo
River or Provo River Delta;
(z)
Willard Bay Reservoir (Box Elder County); and
(aa) Yuba Reservoir (Juab and Sanpete
Counties).
(3) Nongame
fish, excluding prohibited species listed in Section
R657-13-13, may be taken by
underwater spearfishing:
(a) in the waters
listed in Subsection (2) and at Blue Lake (Tooele County) for tilapia and pacu
only; and
(b) during the open
angling season set for a given body of water.
(4) The waters listed in Subsections (2) and
(3)(a) are the only waters open to underwater spearfishing for game or nongame
fish, except carp may be taken by underwater spearfishing from any water open
to angling during the open angling season set for a given body of
water.
(5)
(a) Underwater spearfishing is permitted from
official sunrise to official sunset only, except burbot may be taken by
underwater spearfishing at Flaming Gorge Reservoir (Daggett County) between
official sunset and official sunrise.
(b) No other species of fish may be taken
with underwater spearfishing techniques at Flaming Gorge Reservoir or any other
water in the state between official sunset and official sunrise.
(6)
(a) Use of artificial light is unlawful while
engaged in underwater spearfishing, except artificial light may be used when
underwater spearfishing for burbot at Flaming Gorge Reservoir (Daggett
County).
(b) Artificial light may
not be used when underwater spearfishing for fish species other than burbot at
Flaming Gorge Reservoir.
(7) Free shafting is prohibited while engaged
in underwater spearfishing.
(8) The
daily limit and possession limit for underwater spearfishing is the same as the
daily limit and possession limit applied to anglers using other techniques in
the waters listed in Subsections (2) and (3)(a), and as identified in the
annual Utah Fishing Guidebook issued by the Utah Wildlife Board.
