Feb. 24, 2023 Harvest Update

As the snow passes and the sun comes out, spearers are starting to take to the ice again.  It was another slow day with 11 fish harvested on Lake Winnebago – no juvenile females, 5 adult females and 6 males. In total, 115 juvenile females have been harvested, 481 adult females, and 442 males on Lake Winnebago. Southwest Winnebago had four fish registered, the highest on the lake today. The big fish for the day was an 87.6 lbs., 72.8 inch M2 male speared by Aaron Muche.

View the full details in today’s harvest report.

Although a cold weather spell brought lots of snow, spring is just around the corner. As 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. Just like many of us, lake sturgeon are looking to warmer weather in the spring. That warmer weather isn’t the only thing that triggers them to begin their migration upriver to their spawning grounds, higher water flows in the spring from rain and winter run-off are also major triggers.

For those who are still enjoying the winter and spearing season, good luck this weekend. Be safe!

Telemetry Part 2

We have tracked Sturgeon 33932 for nearly a decade using the network of acoustic telemetry receivers. She was first captured in September 2013 on the Wolf River north of Leeman, measuring just under four and a half feet and likely 25 years old. She was then tagged and transferred over the Shawano Dam to Keshena Falls.

By August 2014, she had not only swam below the Shawano Dam but had made her way back to the area north of Leeman, where she was initially caught. After only one month, she left Leeman …  and never returned! In fact, over the next eight years, she never traveled north of Shiocton. She spends most of her year in Lake Winneconne, but she swam her way up to Shiocton during the springs of 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2022.

We have found that many sturgeon make almost annual runs up the Wolf River during the spring, just like Sturgeon 33932. It’s likely that not all the fish that run up the river annually are spawning, particularly females. But these data reveal exciting information, and we hope to learn more from our telemetry data in the future. We last tracked Sturgeon 33932 to Lake Winneconne in June 2022. We look forward to seeing where she heads next!

Season Photos Needed

The DNR is looking for spearers to submit photos that help tell a story through a photo submission form. Photos could be of spearers with their catch, cutting in, shanty life, scenic views observed during the season or anything else that captures the spearing tradition.

Please make sure the photos are age appropriate. Select photos will be used for future DNR outreach efforts.