Solid Start To Sturgeon Spearing
OASHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The 2022 sturgeon spearing season in the Lake Winnebago System is now underway.
The Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources says 431 total fish were harvested in the system on Saturday.
Of those, 197 were harvested in the Upriver Lakes (Butte des Morts, Poygan and Winneconne), and 234 were speared on Lake Winnebago.
DNR officials say spearers reached 61 percent of the allotted adult female harvest cap in the Upriver Lakes. Based on that, officials say, they estimate the season in the Upriver Lakes could end on Sunday, or Monday.
This would be shorter than last season in the Upriver Lakes, which lasted 8 days.
Officials say the juvenile and adult male caps on the Upriver Lakes remain far out of reach, and the Indian Point registration station saw the most Saturday, with 76 sturgeon registered.
On Lake Winnebago, officials say the harvest was low, as they expected, because of less-than-ideal water clarity conditions.
Saturday’s harvest on Lake Winnebago only reached 14 percent of the adult female harvest cap, which leaves officials to believe there will be a long season on Lake Winnebago, unless the harvest dramatically increases.
The juvenile female and adult male harvest was only 9 percent to the harvest cap on Lake Winnebago.
The Stockbridge Harbor registration station led all on Lake Winnebago, with 79 registrations.
The DNR says 19 sturgeon harvested were over 100 pounds.
The largest on Lake Winnebago was 141 pounds and 75.5 inches long, speared by Brian Olson.
The largest on the Upriver Lakes was 138.2 pounds and 76.1 inches long, speared by Keyshia Wilz.
