Sixty-one fish were harvested between Lake Winnebago and the Upriver Lakes. The season on the Upriver Lakes is closed. Spearers can be in a shanty after hours, but they cannot be in one with a spear after hours. This is it; today wrapped up the 2023 sturgeon spearing season! The annual sturgeon spearing season kicks off at 7 a.m. on Saturday and runs for 16 days or until set harvest caps are reached. Applicants authorized for an Upriver Lakes tag have until the start of the spearing season to purchase a license and cannot purchase one for Lake Winnebago. The view from the dark shanty. Track the rest of the season online here. It really is. Cold weather finally prevailed today and spearers took to the ice. She showed how she could persevere through challenges as a dinosaur fish when she endured a deadly heat wave in 1995. Congrats James! The season is from . Although regulations have changed through time, the premise of using a spear to harvest a sturgeon through the ice has remained constant. Good luck to those who brave the ice and rain tomorrow. Lake Winnebago has the. The biggest fish on the Upriver Lakes weighed in at 143.2 lbs. The DNR would love to see your highlights of the season. Today, spearers reached between 90-99% of the harvest cap on the Upriver Lakes. The heaviest sturgeon speared on record in the Lake Winnebago system weighed 212.2 pounds, caught by Ronald Grishaber in 2010. It brings families and friends together. Andy Schumacher of Oshkosh, Sandys son (right), was staring into the depths in another shack when he got a cell phone call to help his mother with a big fish. Updated: Feb 27, 2022 / 06:14 PM CST. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. This balance between a good number of big fish and fish on the smaller end of the spectrum is another indication of a healthy sturgeon population in the Winnebago system. The 2023 sturgeon spearing season has begun. Tags Sturgeon Sturgeon Spearing Sturgeon Spearing Season Lake Winnebago If records were based on length rather than weight, Thern's fish would have beaten over half of the top 11 "Heavy Hitters" of the season. Pipe continues to put up big registration numbers, with more fish registered today (18 fish) than the other shacks combined. It was a trial run for the new harvest cap system, during a time when spearing in the Upriver Lakes was limited to every two to five years. All applicants that are not awarded a permit accumulate a preference point for use in future drawings. for a successful spearing experience. Its right on the border of 12 inches, 13 inches. 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. Tomorrow, the Neenah registration station will reopen. While this fish might not be the heaviest of the year, at 80.5 inches, this is a long fish. View the full details in todays harvest report. Both resident and nonresident licenses can be purchased through the GoWild system or at any license sales location. Of that total, 353 sturgeon came from Lake Winnebago, and 169 came from the Upriver Lakes. According to the Wisconsin Department of . Then in her 50s, the lake began rumbling as the first fuel-injected snowmobile took to the ice in 1991. 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). Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | Site requirements | Accessibility | Legal | Privacy | Employee resources, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Tuesday was another nice day on the ice with sunshine and cold weather. With more snow coming, we will see what weather conditions have in store for the Winnebago spearers. Happy opening day of the 2023 Winnebago Sturgeon spearing season! The Upriver Lakes added their fishery lottery in 2007 for the same reason. David Propson of Kiel, a student at UW-Green Bay, got this awesome photo of a 61-inch, 51-pound lake sturgeon speared on Lake Winnebago by his father, Peter Propson of Kiel. During her first few years, she grew and thrived while World War II was waging in Europe. House in the Woods shanties with the proper equipment necessary. They both stayed outside the hole. Sixteen fish were harvested from Lake Winnebago (1 juvenile female, 6 adult females, 9 males) and 3 from the Upriver lakes (1 juvenile female, 1 adult female, 1 male). To everyone headed back out tomorrow, remember to be safe. Spearers with tags for the Upriver lakes can continue to spear until 1 p.m. tomorrow, Feb. 18, 2023. View the full details in today's full harvest report. LAKE WINNEBAGO, Wis. (WBAY) - Sturgeon spearing season is officially here! Small fish means more new fish are growing in the population. The heat index ranged from 120-128F during the summer, some of Wisconsins highest temperatures recorded. This array expanded from 22 receivers in just the Wolf River in 2004 to more than 60 as of 2022 throughout the entire Winnebago system, including Lake Winnebago and the upper and parts of the lower Fox River. Only 3,100 shacks were counted during Saturday's aerial counts, down significantly from the almost 6,000 shacks last year. A bar on the lake by the name of T.J.s Bar and Restaurant is going to mount it and hang it in their bar.. That fish is incredible! Then I turned around to adjust my stove, and when I turned back and this giant fish is in my hole. The first modern sturgeon spearing season kicked off back in 1932, and the tradition has remained strong ever since. Photos of spearers with their catch, cutting in, shanty life, scenic views observed during the season or any other captivating spearing traditions are encouraged. Years with good Gizzard Shad populations correlate with years when Lake Sturgeon increased weight due to the fat deposits from this fatty forage source. By the time itwas speared byJonathan Eiden in 2019, its weight had reached only 171 pounds, though this still-impressive catch demonstrated the potential for the lake system's fish. After spearing his fish, he registered it at the Indian Point registration station. Spearers with tags for Lake Winnebago may continue to harvest sturgeon on Lake Winnebago until harvest caps are reached or until the Lake Winnebago System harvest caps are reached. 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. In 2008, cities surrounding Lake Winnebago were hit with a large storm, causing major flooding and extensive damage to many homes around Lake Winnebago. The system-wide harvest caps are 430 juvenile females, 950 . Indian Point registered the most fish Upriver with 73 fish. Track the rest of the season online here. Two surveys were conducted in 2013 and 2018 to evaluate spearers opinions on technology. A person who spears a sturgeon must accompany the fish to a DNR-operated sturgeon registration station by 2 p.m. on the day it was speared. 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. If 100% is reached, then the season will close that afternoon. We cant wait to see everyone out on the ice next year. Click here to view the full Day 12 Harvest Report. Most decoys are carved into the shape of a fish, but spearers are also superstitious by nature and have been known to deploy just about anything as a decoy, including copper jello molds, CDs, and white coffee cups. Only through the meticulous management of the lake sturgeon population in the Winnebago System can sturgeon such as this one thrive. What would possess a person to spend days, years or even decades waiting for a chance to propel a spear into a beast of a fish? Photos are a great way to show the spearing tradition and keep the memories alive for years to come. -Many of our spearers who stuck it out today were rewarded with their first speared fish, including 12-year-old Trent Rotering successfully spearing a 59.9 lbs., F1 female on the east side of Lake Winnebago and Larry Gordon spearing his first sturgeon on the west side of the lake. Tomorrow, the Neenah registration station will be closed. The DNR has received reports of off-highway vehicles and ice fishing shacks going through the ice. Despite the slow day, a record-setting fish was caught! Click here to view the full Day 13 Harvest Report. Sturgeon spearers are allowed to harvest fish from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and must register their catches by 2 p.m. each day at a DNR-operated registration station. Lake sturgeon spearing is highly regulated in Wisconsin, with limited numbers collected annually in the Winnebago system. This female was an F4 or black egg fish. Many spearers took to the ice to enjoy the last two days of the season. Sunday's harvest totaled 261 sturgeon, with 211 fish from Lake Winnebago and 50 from the Upriver Lakes. Some locations will continue to offer the drive-thru registration option. In the Upriver Lakes, the largest harvest was in 2000, and saw2,169 sturgeon speared. I called him up, and I said, Sean I need some help over here.'. At 30 years old, she was most likely enjoying the warmth and searching for some tasty chironomids below the waters surface in 1969, the same time Neil Armstrong was looking down on earth, becoming the first man to walk on the moon. F4 female fish is a female that is full of eggs and would have spawned this year (spring 2023). Send us your photosfrom the season, and we may use them in future DNR outreach efforts. The Gizzard Shad population during the Winnebago trawl assessment saw a small uptick in densities but nothing compared to previous boom years. It won't be long before spring become summerand Sign up for the Field & Stream newsletter and get the latest intelligence straight to your inbox. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reported ice conditions likely kept some spearfishers on shore. Not only were spearers successful today but they were also treated to some large fish. The Pipe registration station took the lead in the number of fish registered on opening weekend with 124 fish and has consistently had the highest registration numbers throughout the season with a final count of 399 fish. Following the drawing, there is no deadline for those who are successful to purchase a license on the Upriver Lakes. Gishkowsky, who lives on the lake, said hes having the sturgeons roe processed into caviar, and hell be smoking the meat. Only 7 fish were harvested from Lake Winnebago today, with 1 juvenile female, 3 adult females and 3 males. For those who are still enjoying the winter and spearing season, good luck this weekend. Ive been going all my life, and Ive got eight brothers and sisters who spear. If youd planned on registering your fish there, please head to the next closest registration station. You could see a line of trailers along Merritt Avenue in Oshkosh that people used to get their four-wheelers out onto the ice. All license holders must be a minimum of 12 years old. RELATED:Sturgeon spearing 2021 second weekend brings in 256 catches; Upriver Lakes season closes with record harvest, RELATED:Fog, flurries bless frigid opening day of 2021 sturgeon spearing season on Lake Winnebago, Upriver Lakes. Check out the Heavy Hitters Club, the largest fish speared over 170 pounds on the Lake Winnebago system since 1941. Any fish harvested from Lake Winnebago must be registered at one of the registration stations on Lake Winnebago. According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), the fish weighed a whopping 177.3 pounds and measured 79.9 inches in length or 6.6 feet. The partnerships we have with the spearing community, the funding generated from sturgeon spearing and the donations from various sportsmans groups have made our movement, or telemetry, program possible. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is preparing for the sturgeon spearing season opener on Feb. 11, giving spearers a chance to harvest Wisconsin's largest and oldest fish species. Continued warm weather today likely caused spearers to leave the ice early. Red worm abundance was up on the Upriver Lakes this year, but the harvest was more affected by ice conditions than anything else. 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. Particularly those that are tagged during the spring sturgeon spawn. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) would like to remind interested spearers that they have until Oct. 31, 2020 to purchase a license for the 2021 Lake Winnebago sturgeon spearing season. | Ice conditions will likely continue to change as the season progresses, and the DNR recommends checking with local fishing clubs for up-to-date information before heading out on the ice. There is only one more day for the 2023 sturgeon spearing season for anyone who has not yet filled their harvest tag for Lake Winnebago. The tag does not need to be attached to the sturgeon unless the license holder leaves the fish. There are six drive-thru stations. The last fish to be registered this size Upriver was in 2012. Spearers in the Upriver Lakes harvest 320 sturgeon. In 1953, sturgeon enthusiasts were quick to find previous catches that had already broken Schroeder'srecord, citing Arthur Haferman and Michael Goyke's 187.5-pound catch on a set-line in Oshkosh from 1913 and Glen Marsh's 211-pound sturgeon from 1911 in Northwest Wisconsin, caught by a pike pole spear. In 2020, the biggest fish snagged from the Upriver Lakes was 140 pounds and 75 inches, speared by Vincent Catania of North Fond du Lac, but 2021 beat that catch by over 10 pounds with Steven Lenz's. He'll also have a mount of the fish made to commemorate the catch. Liv Halbach, his daughter studying fisheries at Stevens Point, was working the station as a volunteer with the DNR. This year, 9,474 people applied for a tag or purchased a preference point for the Upriver Lakes. The Pipe registration station continues to see the highest harvest of the season, with a daily total of 59 fish. As we approach the weekend, we wish all the spearers luck. These catches do show, along with DNR observations, thateven larger sturgeon are lurking in the depths, evading capture. Photos of spearers with their catch, cutting in, shanty life, scenic views observed during the season or any other captivating spearing traditions are encouraged. She lived through many changes in governments, environmental impacts, technological advances and regulation changes. This is half of what was counted in 2022. Warmer temperatures this winter prevented biologists from safely conducting water clarity assessments until this week. Both came from the Pipe registration shack, including the fish speared by Alex Wilkens at 101.6 lbs. Lake Winnebago's largest catch of 2020 was a 142-pound,80-inch sturgeon speared byWilliam Thern of Fond du Lac. The big fish for the day was an 87.6 lbs., 72.8-inch M2 male speared by Aaron Muche. There were 169 lake sturgeon harvested Upriver (20 juvenile females, 46 adult females and 103 males) and 353 harvested on Lake Winnebago (35 juvenile females, 171 adult females and 147 males). The Otter Street Fishing Club didnt put out their vehicle bridges this year. The social and traditional aspects of the sport keep most people coming back year after year. Any sturgeon harvested from Lake Winnebago must be registered at one of the registration stations on Lake Winnebago. I tried to lift it up, and I cant hardly lift it. The other fishery takes place on the Upriver Lakes (Butte des Morts, Winneconne, and Poygan). I think I see a few less shacks out there. As she continued to grow, she swam through the Winnebago System for about 13 years, dodging the set lines on the Upper River lakes until 1952, when set lining was eliminated. Season Photos Sturgeon spearing in Wisconsin is a sport rich in tradition. Congratulations to all successful spearers. Because of the warm weather and the concern about ice conditions after the expected rain tonight, we are temporarily closing the Neenah registration station. In the spring, as sturgeon migrate through rivers to their spawning grounds, the DNR collects data on their health and population through stock assessments, as well astagging and tracking. The longest-held record was Elroy Schroeder's 1953 catch, measuring 180 pounds and 79 inches. at the Poygan registration station, speared by Rebecca Van Handel. The biggest fish speared on Lake Winnebago was a 135.5 lbs, 76.1 inches, F4 female speared by Korey Krupp. The sturgeon spearing season length is usually dictated in part by water clarity of the Upriver Lakes and Lake Winnebago. Further, the system is one of only two locations where lake sturgeon can be harvested with a spear (Black Lake, Michigan is the other). Yet both spearers and biologists report good numbers of shad within sturgeon stomachs, particularly in the southern portion of the lake. 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. The DNR reminds spearers that once they have successfully speared a sturgeon, the tag must be validated by tearing off the bottom portion. The largest fish this season was a 177.3 pound, 79.9 inches, F4 female that was speared on Lake Winnebago and registered at the Southwest Winnebago registration station. Congrats to everyone who successfully speared a fish. Many who took to the ice Saturday found success, with 522 sturgeon harvested. The spearing season for this prehistoric fish will open on Feb. 13, 2021 for Lake Winnebago and the Upriver Lakes of Butte des Morts, Winneconne and Poygan, running for a maximum of 16 days or until any of the pre-determined harvest caps are reached. Click here to view the full Day 8 Harvest Report. Decoy types are unlimited if they don't involve any artificial lights (glow sticks are illegal) or hooks. | The latest water clarity report is available for review:Lake Winnebago Water Clarity Report, 2023. Prosecutors have charged Ryan Koenigs, a top sturgeon expert at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), with obstructing an investigation after he alleged that his workers were. Today, 12 lake sturgeon were harvested from the Upriver Lakes (0 juvenile female, 1 adult female, and 11 male). Mild weather adds to celebrations on opening day of sturgeon spearing season, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Sturgeon spearing season's opening weekend brought in more thana quarter of thetotal sturgeon needed to meet the harvest cap in Lake Winnebago and around 71% of the Upriver Lakes harvest cap for adult females with weekend total of 783 fish. 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