Upriver, there are still 3 adult females left until the 90% trigger is activated or 11 more adult females until the 100% cap is reached. Because of this, only 261 fish were harvested throughout the system (42 juvenile females, 93 adult females and 126 males). Despite the slow day, a record-setting fish was caught! As it gets warmer, of course the ice will deteriorate on top first. Locations are listed in the sturgeon season regulation packet or on the DNR sturgeon spearing webpage. The DNR has received reports of off-highway vehicles and ice fishing shacks going through the ice. Moving forward, the Neenah registration station will remain closed for the rest of the season. The DNR would love to see your highlights of the season. Registration Stations Registration stations have returned to pre-pandemic locations, and some will have drive-thru options. In 2004, the DNR partnered with multiple conservation groups to create a network of acoustic telemetry receivers to track the movements of sturgeon within the rivers, lakes and tributaries of the Winnebago System. Spearers with tags for the Upriver lakes can continue to spear until 1 p.m. tomorrow, Feb. 18, 2023. Then I turned around to adjust my stove, and when I turned back and this giant fish is in my hole. Click here to view the full Day 12 Harvest Report. It was great to see so many participants and their families come out once again to the registration stations. The 2023seasonruns a maximum of 16 days or until the pre-determined harvest caps are met. | Spearer after . If the spearhead is removed, it must be placed outside the shanty when occupied. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reported ice conditions likely kept some spearfishers on shore. The 2023 Sturgeon Spearing season starts Saturday, February 11th, 2023 at 7am ending Monday, Feb. 27th (unless the season is shortened by reaching one of the harvest . The current annual season tradition began in 2007 and addedthelottery fishery to preservation efforts, and since then, the shortest season was reported in 2012 at only two days. I tried to lift it up, and I cant hardly lift it. Korey Krupp scored the biggest fish on Lake Winnebago, a 135.5 lbs, 76.1 inch, F4 female. If you are returning to the ice tomorrow, we wish you the best of luck and, as always, please be safe. Contact:DNR Office of CommunicationsDNRPress@wisconsin.gov. It was an F4 female measuring 75.6 inches. 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). Guelig says the sturgeon was a mature adult female that had an estimated 50 pounds of highly-prized roe, which Guelig will make into caviar. Photos of spearers with their catch, cutting in, shanty life, scenic views observed during the season or any other captivating spearing traditions are encouraged. All rights reserved. This weekend, many spearers were seen pulling their shacks on both Lake Winnebago and the Upriver lakes before the forecasted warm weather and rain set for tomorrow. Keyshia Wilz speared the largest sturgeon from the Upriver Lakes with a 138.2-pound, 76.1-inch female. 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. Tuesday was another nice day on the ice with sunshine and cold weather. Yes, the person with a valid license is the only person who can spear a fish. If you plan on registering your fish there, please head to the next closest registration station. Mild weather adds to celebrations on opening day of sturgeon spearing season, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Keep close attention to local spearing/fishing club reports. 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. If you're interested in making a tax-deductible donation please. This fish was speared by Anthony Bovee. LAKE WINNEBAGO, Wis. (WBAY) - Sturgeon spearing season is officially here! Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. There are still 2 adult females left until the 90% trigger is activated or 10 more adult females until the 100% cap is reached on the Upriver lakes. Only two years lasted the full sixteen days2017 and 2020 both due to ice conditions and water clarity. 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. 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. All license holders must be a minimum of 12 years old. The largest fish from the Upriver lakes was a 162.6 lbs., 76.1-inch female from Lake Poygan. The season on Lake Winnebago has lasted the full 16 days since 2016, but the years 2000, 2001 and 2004 are tied for the shortest season at two days. shy of the system record (record is 212 . The validated tag must stay with the sturgeon until presented at a DNR-operated registration station. At 85.5 inches, Eiden's sturgeon could have surpassed a different record, ifrecords were determinedby length as well as weight. 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. It was good enough that spearers reported seeing the bottom in many locations around Lake Winnebago. Gishkowsky told Field & Stream that he had to call for help in order to hoist the giant fish from a 3-foot by 5-foot hole that he cut out of the ice with a chainsaw. Once the hole is cut, the equipment used to attract and harvest a fish is often hand-crafted heirlooms passed down through generations. Before spawning, a females belly becomes stretched out to accommodate all the eggs inside her. As the snow passes and the sun comes out, spearers are starting to take to the ice again. The questions below are some of the more frequently asked by spearers. 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. She lived through many changes in governments, environmental impacts, technological advances and regulation changes. 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. One fishery occurs on Lake Winnebago, where the number of licenses sold for that fishery is not restricted, and an individual spearer can only purchase one license per season. 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. One hundred and five fish were harvested between Lake Winnebago and the Upriver lakes. The 2023 sturgeon spearing season will open on Feb. 11 at 7 a.m. Spearers can fish from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. each day the fishery is open and is required to register their fish at a DNR-operated registration station by 2 p.m. of the same day the fish is harvested. Its right on the border of 12 inches, 13 inches. Because of intensive management efforts and countless habitat improvement projects, many of the lake sturgeon in the Winnebago system has the potential to live long lives. In her 40s, she started to see the technological advancements ice fishing anglers were using in the lake. Click here to view the full Day 13 Harvest Report. Your safety is a top priority. 2023 www.fdlreporter.com. (a 66.5-inch, F2 female). Please follow the signs and cones at each registration station to ensure a smooth registration. According to the Department . The highest opening-day shanty count was 5,958 scattered across the lake in 2009, and the lowest recorded was 700 in 1979. The southeast corner of Lake Winnebago saw the highest harvest for the season. This is about half the fish that were registered yesterday. 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. In 2020, the biggest fish snagged from the Upriver Lakes was140pounds and 75 inches, speared byVincent Catania of North Fond du Lac, but 2021 beat that catch by over 10 pounds with Steven Lenz's 154.5-pound,78.2-inch sturgeon from Lake Poygan. Many spearers took to the ice to enjoy the last two days of the season. The spearing season begins on the second Saturday in February and lasts for 16 days or until any of the sex-specific harvest caps for that fishery have been reached. Access points near Indian Point made it difficult to access the lake. More than 12,000 spearing licenses were purchased in 2020 . Travis Hall A darkened shack or enclosure is required for better visibility. There are six drive-thru stations. Upriver Lakes harvest numbers representing 90-99% of the harvest cap, were set at 70 juvenile females, 79 adult females and 246 males. We wish you good luck and clear water. On the Upriver Lakes, 56 out of 79 adult female sturgeon have been speared, ending the weekend with 71% of the allotted fish speared. Lake Winnebago's largest catch of 2020 was a 142-pound,80-inch sturgeon speared byWilliam Thern of Fond du Lac. Spearers can be in a shanty after hours, but they cannot be in one with a spear after hours. For many, the season is defined by the time spent with loved ones, not the harvesting of a fish. As we approach the weekend, we wish all the spearers luck. The big fish for the day was an 87.6 lbs., 72.8-inch M2 male speared by Aaron Muche. The biggest fish harvested was an F1 female that weighed 83.3 lbs. Only through the meticulous management of the lake sturgeon population in the Winnebago System can sturgeon such as this one thrive. Youth who turn 12 years of age between Nov. 1 and the last day of the spearing season can purchase a spearing license after the deadline. These scutes will then wear down, and either fall off or, as the lake sturgeon gets larger, the skin will envelop the scute. Over the years, the season has grown into a unique cultural event rich in tradition. The second heaviest was only 188 pounds, snagged in 2004. Only 11 fish were harvested today between Lake Winnebago and the Upriver lakes. According to the WDNR, Winnebago is home to one of North Americas largest lake sturgeon populations, and its one of the few places in the world with a wintertime spearfishing season for sturgeon. When spawning, females can hold 50,000-700,000 eggs. Clubs are constantly monitoring the situation on Lake Winnebago and upriver. Gishkowskys fish was a lake sturgeona prehistoric, bottom-dwelling species that first appeared on earth around the time the dinosaurs went extinct. The warm weather may have prevented many spearers from taking to the ice, but it did make for an enjoyable weekend at the registration stations. Contact Daphne Lemke atdlemke@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at@daphlemke. We look forward to what well learn from the years of tracking individual fish in the Lake Winnebago System. Decoy types are unlimited if they don't involve any artificial lights (glow sticks are illegal) or hooks. Here are some of our best shots from opening day. 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. While we get excited about seeing the big fish come in, it is also good to see smaller fish as well. Zach Schrader is among more than 500 others who speared a sturgeon on opening day, When something of this magnitude swims through the hole its quite a unique experience, Schrader told Action 2 News while standing next to his fish in the bed of his truck. More:Mild weather adds to celebrations on opening day of sturgeon spearing season. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. Rebecca and Korey weren't the only ones with stories to tell. With our big trucks we like to have at least 12 or more, Herman said. For up-to-date harvest information, visit our sturgeon spearing webpage. Two fish today were registered over 100 pounds. In 2008, cities surrounding Lake Winnebago were hit with a large storm, causing major flooding and extensive damage to many homes around Lake Winnebago. Congrats to all successful spearers. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. The lake, at its deepest, is only 21 feet, with an average depth of about 15 feet. For females, stages F1 and F2 indicate a fish that was not ready to spawn this year or even next. In 2013, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was asked about using cameras in the sturgeon hole during the sturgeon spearing season. According to the Wisconsin Department of . This small, oily forage fish has a drastic boom and bust population cycle in Lake Winnebago. Today, 26 fish were harvested on Lake Winnebago (3 juvenile females, 13 adult females, and 10 males). Like many of us, lake sturgeon are looking for warmer spring weather. 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. There were no 100 lb. Sturgeon spearing season has begun, but the . These limitationsand careful guarding against poachers allow for the long-lived tradition of sturgeon spearing to continue without fear of depleting their numbers. This year, 9,474 people applied for a tag or purchased a preference point for the Upriver Lakes. She even lived long enough to see the first commercial space flight in 2004. LAKE WINNEBAGO, Wis. - Anglers in Wisconsin are camping out on the ice this weekend, spear in hand, with the hopes of snagging a freshwater giant. Note: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the DNR urges spearers and spectators to practice social distancing and to wear a mask when social distancing is not possible. The last day continued to prove to be exciting on Lake Winnebago with cold weather and sunshine. If you are headed out tomorrow good luck and, as always, be safe. All applicants that are not awarded a permit accumulate a preference point for use in future drawings. MADISON, Wis. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is preparing for the sturgeon spearing season opener on Feb. 11, giving spearers a chance to harvest Wisconsins largest and oldest fish species. This season was one for the books, with a variety of weather patterns packed into a short 16 days: warm weather, rain and a winter storm. 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). For example, spearers typically use decoys as attractants. All it would take is a multi-yearabundance of gizzard shad fish, the sturgeon's fattiest food source, to "shake up" the record books,Ryan Koenigs wrote in the 2019 season summary from the DNR. 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. Although this female sturgeon was about 36, well within spawning age and spawning every four to five years, she was never handled or pit tagged by the DNR during the annual spawn surveys. 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). Female stages are V, 1, 2, 4 or 6, while male stages include V, 1 or 2. The opening day aerial shanty count, conducted by the DNR, found around 3,100 shacks, nearly half the number of opening day shanties from 2022. Thesystemwide caps this year are set at 350 juvenile females, 793adult females and 1,231 males. View the full details in today's full harvest report. F4 female fish is a female that is full of eggs and would have spawned this year (spring 2023). On Lake Winnebago, 21 fish were harvested with three juvenile females, nine adult females and nine males. People took a lot more precautions from going out, not going out, Mark Swanson said. 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. They both stayed outside the hole. The DNR reminds spearers that once they have successfully speared a sturgeon, the tag must be validated by tearing off the bottom portion. Contact:Ryan Koenigs, DNR Winnebago sturgeon biologistRyan.Koenigs@wisconsin.gov or 920-420-7444. F2 female from Lake Winnebago. Approximately 12,200 sturgeon spearing licenses were sold for the 2021 season. Last year, the Ziemer family tradition continued when Wyatt (center) harvested this 107.9 lbs, 73.8 inch long lake sturgeon. (WFRV) - Day eight of sturgeon spearing season proved to be a bit more fruitful for spearers out on Lake Winnebago. With the sun shining and mild temperatures with a high in the 40s, excitement was in the air across the Lake Winnebago System for opening day of the 2023 sturgeon spearing season. 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? Most spearers fish in groups comprised of family and friends. The Schumacher family has a long history on the lake, and was profiled in the Emmy-award-winning Frozen Chosen, a sturgeon-spearing documentary currently available on Netflix. I took the fish to a local taxidermist, he said. Young of year Gizzard Shad abundances in Lake Winnebago during the Lake Winnebago trawl assessment. Eight fish were harvested from Lake Winnebago (0 juvenile females, 4 adult females, 4 males) and three from the Upriver lakes (0 juvenile females, 1 adult female, 2 males). The Winnebago system is home to one of North America's largest lake sturgeon populations and hosts a unique winter spear fishery. Although a cold weather spell brought lots of snow, spring is just around the corner. While theres no residency requirement for spearfishing for Winnebago lake sturgeon, WDNR says that most of the participating anglers live within 60 miles of the lake. I mean, you can pull up to anyones shack and theyre going to congratulate you. This funding is the lifeblood of our management program. There is a big difference, Don Herman of Sunk? Kevin Naze Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. Spearers can find the full water clarity report, season forecast and daily harvest updates on theWinnebago System sturgeon spearing webpageand bysigning up for email updates. At 154 pounds with only the beginning stages of eggs, we can only imagine how big this female would have weighed next year when she would have been ready to spawn. Cold weather finally prevailed today and spearers took to the ice. For up-to-date details and numbers throughout the season, visitdnr.wisconsin.gov. Ice conditions are worsening in the Winnebago System. Not only were spearers successful today but they were also treated to some large fish. Many who took to the ice Saturday found success, with 522 sturgeon harvested. As the spearing season wraps up, many of the sturgeon ready to spawn this year are going to look towards the Upriver Lakes and the Wolf River to prepare for their migration. 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). This years Upriver season lasted 8 days compared to 4 in 2022. Schumachers 78.5-inch beast had a huge girth and weighed 154.7 pounds. They also have registered the most fish over 100 pounds. In 2022, the longest fish speared was an 83.6-inch female weighing 157.5 pounds. On this final day of the season, 53 Lake Sturgeon were harvested (4 juvenile females, 29 adult females and 20 males). The 2023 sturgeon spearing season has begun. This makes 1,298 lake sturgeon harvested for the entire Winnebago system so far this season. If you asked some of the nearly 13,000 people on the icy surface of Wisconsins Lake Winnebago system on opening day of the 2017 lake sturgeon spearing season, youd get a wide variety of answers. Many families came out just to see some of the big fish. By This was the first year since 2020 that registration stations were back to supper clubs and other businesses, after the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shift to drive-thru stations. Only 50 lake sturgeon were harvested Upriver (11 juvenile females, 10 adult females and 29 males). At Winneconne, Griffin Hechimovich helped register Grandpa Hank Heckmovichs fish, a 67.3 inch, 75.6 lbs., M2 male. -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. When fish get to this size, they tend to slow their growth rate. Carcass tags must be validated immediately upon harvest by removing the validation stub. Locations can be found in the sturgeon season regulation packet or on the DNR sturgeon spearing webpage. In Lake Winnebago, 1995 saw the largest sturgeon harvest between 1941 and 2020, reporting 3,173 sturgeon speared during the season, before the harvest caps were implemented, according to the DNR. We will continue to post updates on what stations are open or closed. Today, 73 sturgeon were harvested on Lake Winnebago (13 juvenile females, 26 adult females, 34 males). Congratulations to all successful spearers. Lake Winnebago has the. Continue to be safe if you are headed back out tomorrow. Locations are listed in the sturgeon season regulation packet. Fifty-four fish were harvested from Lake Winnebago (5 juvenile females, 28 adult females, 21 males) and 7 from the Upriver Lakes (0 juvenile females, 3 adult females, 4 males). At around 8:30 A.M., I had a fish come through, but it stayed to the outside of the hole, he recalled. The Pipe registration shacks continue to have the highest harvest rates with a season total of 267 fish registered. This is the 7th largest fish ever speared from the Winnebago system! And as always, if you head back onto the ice tomorrow, remember to be safe. And though the DNR sold 13,219 sturgeon spearing licenses for the 2023 season, up from 12,694 in 2022, only 3,100 shacks were counted on the Feb. 11 opener, down from about 6,000 the previous year. Once again, congratulations to all our successful spearers. Do not forget to check with your local fishing club for up-to-date ice conditions. Some fish are mounted as well. 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. The biggest fish on the Upriver Lakes weighed in at 143.2 lbs. Indian Point registered the most fish Upriver with 73 fish. Tags Sturgeon Sturgeon Spearing Sturgeon Spearing Season Lake Winnebago The first modern sturgeon spearing season kicked off back in 1932, and the tradition has remained strong ever since. The second day of the 2023 Winnebago Sturgeon spearing season was considerably slower than yesterday. She showed how she could persevere through challenges as a dinosaur fish when she endured a deadly heat wave in 1995. Sunday's harvest totaled 261 sturgeon, with 211 fish from Lake Winnebago and 50 from the Upriver Lakes. What you need to know about tagging your sturgeon[PDF]. Spearers are also reminded that no ice is 100% safe. Ive been going all my life, and Ive got eight brothers and sisters who spear. The biggest fish on the Upriver Lakes weighed in at 143.2 lbs. Catching sturgeon was eventually stopped in Wisconsin due to overfishing in the early 1900s. Please check the2023 sturgeon spearing regulationsfor specifics. Sturgeon, a large fish found in rivers and lakes across the. The Otter Street Fishing Club didnt put out their vehicle bridges this year. Past warnings led to expansive investigation, prosecution of sturgeon caviar ring. Regulations related to minnow use and transportation (VHS rules) on the Winnebago system apply. Warm weather, however, made things a bit less solid by the seasons second weekend. The biggest fish speared on Lake Winnebago was a 135.5 lbs, 76.1 inches, F4 female speared by Korey Krupp. A minimum of 8 points were necessary to be drawn for a tag. This includes those shanties where the hole is temporarily covered. If youve visited a registration station, you may have seen big sturgeon with flat, or even bowl-shaped bellies. There were also 21 fish harvested over 100 lbs., with 16 from Lake Winnebago and 5 from the Upriver Lakes. It was another slow day with 11 fish harvested on Lake Winnebago no juvenile females, 5 adult females and 6 males. and measured 72.0 inches long from the Wendts registration shack. Josh Ausloos speared the final "biggest fish of the day" for this season, a 106.9 pound, 75.4 inches, F1 female registered at the Pipe registration station. According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural. harvested today. 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.