2022 sturgeon spearing opening weekend had 716 successful spearers Many who took to the ice today found success, with 522 sturgeon harvested. The last day continued to prove to be exciting on Lake Winnebago with cold weather and sunshine. Every February, people migrate to the Winnebago System to take part in the annual lake sturgeon spear fishery, said Ryan Koenigs, DNR Winnebago sturgeon biologist. Congrats James! Its a family atmosphere. Then in her 50s, the lake began rumbling as the first fuel-injected snowmobile took to the ice in 1991. Follow her on Twitter at @daphlemke. OSHKOSH, Wis. - The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds those interested in sturgeon spearing that they have until Oct. 31, 2022, to purchase a license for the 2023 Lake Winnebago sturgeon spearing season. This means there is still 1 adult female left until the 90% trigger is activated or 9 more adult females until the 100% cap is reached on the Upriver Lakes. It was nice to see families and friends taking advantage of the last weekend of this spearing season. Paul registered a 91.3-pound, 68.8-inch, F1 female, while his son, Eli, nabbed a bigger fish at 111.2 pounds, 74.7 inches, F1 female. This years harvest caps have been set at: If harvest caps are met early, a closure notice will be posted to the DNRsWinnebago System sturgeon spearing webpage. At the start of the new millennium, at about 60 years old and roughly 74 inches long, she started to feel vibrations from the music playing around the lake after the convenience of the iPod was invented by Apple in 2001. Paynes Point Hook and Spear told Action 2 News there is 13 to 16 inches of ice in the area right now but its starting to melt. Dive and Ice Service said. Copyright 2023 WBAY. Of these fish, 1,169 sturgeon were harvested from Lake Winnebago, resulting in a success rate of 9.6%, making it the second-highest success rate in seven years. Ice fisherman spears 177-pound sturgeon, joins Heavy Hitters Club They are full of an additional 20-30 pounds of eggs. Two surveys were conducted in 2013 and 2018 to evaluate spearers opinions on technology. In a press release, the WDNR called Gishkowsys sturgeon an F4 fish, meaning it was full of up to 30 pounds of eggs and would have spawned in the spring. Photos of cutting in, shanty life, spearers with their catch or any other part of the spearing tradition are encouraged. Locals report some decent Gizzard Shad values in this southeastern section of Lake Winnebago which is likely drawing spearers to this area. Pipe continues to put up big registration numbers, with more fish registered today (18 fish) than the other shacks combined. Clubs are constantly monitoring the situation on Lake Winnebago and upriver. Spearing season runs for a maximum of 16 days or until harvest caps are met. Keep close attention to local spearing/fishing club reports. Both require a spearing license to participate. Tomorrow, the Neenah registration station will be closed. Sturgeon spearing is a sport of contrasts: The cold air outside, the warmth of a propane flame inside; the blinding white of snow on the lake, the dark interior of the shanty; long hours. Today, only 19 fish were harvested between Lake Winnebago and the Upriver lakes. It is the proportion of Lake Sturgeon harvested that have these tags from the spring to the sturgeon harvested that do not have tags that help the DNR understand the general population size of Lake Sturgeon in the system. I threw the spear out, and I held onto the rope andby GodI hit it., Related: Angler Catches Massive 16-Pound Walleye While Ice Fishing on Lake Ontario. We wish the best of luck to everyone! For those unfamiliar with sturgeon spearing, it is "a sport rich in tradition" in the Winnebago system, as stated on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website.. This is the first time weve seen harvest this slow since 2019 when we had a few days with only 10 fish harvested. and measured 76.1 inches long. Catching sturgeon was eventually stopped in Wisconsin due to overfishing in the early 1900s. ATTENTION STURGEON SPEARERS: The sturgeon spearing season on the Upriver Lakes is now closed and Upriver Lakes spearers with unfilled tags can no longer harvest a sturgeon. To everyone headed back out tomorrow, remember to be safe. There were plenty of big fish to see this season, with 46 fish over 100 pounds for the season (9 fish from the Upriver Lakes and 37 fish from Lake Winnebago). After a spawn, most of her eggs have been released and she is often left with a concave, empty belly. Even though it was a slower day, it was still full of big fish. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | Site requirements | Accessibility | Legal | Privacy | Employee resources, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. If the 90% trigger is hit, there will only be one more day to spear after that. The lake is 35 miles long. fishing . Sturgeon in the Upriver Lakes average even smaller, at 36.5 pounds and 53.6 inches. However, the most licenses sold was 13,190 in 2016, a year that only saw3,831 shanties on opening day. Both fish were among 21 sturgeon weighing more than 100 pounds speared on Saturday, and 26. While only 5 fish harvested today were over 100 pounds, Samuel OConnell speared a gigantic 162.6 lbs., 76.1 inches, F4 female on Lake Poygan. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | Site requirements | Accessibility | Legal | Privacy | Employee resources, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Wisconsin 2023 Sturgeon Spearing Season Opens Feb. 11 Fair to good water clarity is considered to be 12to 15 feet deep, though several years have reported up to 18 feet. Proving that you dont need a fancy decoy to attract a sturgeon, Chuck Wagner of Algoma lured a sturgeon close enough to spear with a homemade painted piece of PVC pipe. With our big trucks we like to have at least 12 or more, Herman said. The biggest fish harvested was an F1 female that weighed 83.3 lbs. Any fish harvested from Lake Winnebago must be registered at one of the registration stations on Lake Winnebago. Wisconsin DNR to use drive-through registration for sturgeon (WFRV) - The 2022 sturgeon spearing season officially wrapped up on Sunday with spearers already looking forward to next year.
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