The biggest fish for day 6 of the season was a 109.8-pound, 70.8-inch, F4 female lake sturgeon speared by Devin Bovee.

Feb. 15, 2024 Harvest Update

Day 6 was another slow day for the 2024 Winnebago System sturgeon spearing season. The wet, heavy snow that fell Tuesday night combined with the cloudless day today likely played a role in the low number of fish harvested.

Today on Lake Winnebago, 0 juvenile females, 7 adult females and 5 males were harvested. The Southwest registration continues to have the highest fish count with 9 fish for today and total of 107 fish registered there for the season. Altogether, 155 fish have been speared on Lake Winnebago thus far this season.

It was just as slow on the Upriver Lakes with 0 juvenile females, 2 adult females and 1 male harvested today, bringing the Upriver total to 61 lake sturgeon for the season.

Today’s biggest fish was a 109.8-pound, 70.8-inch, F4 female speared on Lake Winnebago by Devin Bovee.

View the full details in today’s Harvest Report.

On Tuesday, we highlighted Josh Roloff, who speared a nice fish on Lake Winnebago. Not to be outdone, his father, Kory Roloff, speared a 68-inch, 97.5-pound, F1 female on Lake Winnebago today. Although Josh’s fish was only 0.4 inches longer than his father’s, Kory’s fish was an impressive 12.4 pounds heavier than his son’s fish.

It isn’t uncommon to see lake sturgeon of similar lengths have drastically different weights. There are many different factors that go into a sturgeon’s weight, including what they typically eat. For example, some sturgeon will only eat chironomids, which are plentiful and can easily sustain a lake sturgeon, but they will not add extra fatty weight the way other forage fish like gizzard shad will.

The actual food source isn’t the only factor in how much a lake sturgeon weighs. Other factors, like when in its life a sturgeon starts allocating energy and resources to gonad production (eggs or sperm) as opposed to growth, will be a factor in the weight of a fish.

For those heading to Lake Winnebago tomorrow, the Stockbridge, Quinney and Neenah registration stations will continue to be closed. All other registration stations will remain open.

On the Upriver Lakes, the Poygan registration station will re-open tomorrow, and all three Upriver registration stations (Winneconne, Poygan and Indian Point) will be open the remainder of the weekend.

We will continue to include registration station updates in our daily emails, or you can check the DNR Winnebago System Sturgeon Spearing webpage for updates.

Kory Roloff showing off the 68-inch, 97.5-pound, F1 female lake sturgeon he speared from Lake Winnebago today. This fish is about the same length but 12 pounds heavier than the fish his son speared on Tuesday.

No Ice Is 100% Safe

Here are a few basic ice safety tips to remember:

• Carry a cell phone, and let people know where you are going and when you’ll return home.
• Wear proper clothing and equipment, including a life jacket or a float coat, to help you stay afloat and to help maintain body heat.
• Wear ice creepers attached to boots to prevent slipping on clear ice.
• Carry a spud bar to check the ice while walking to new areas.
• Carry a few spikes and a length of light rope in an easily accessible pocket to help pull yourself – or others – out of the ice.
• If you fall in, remain as calm as possible. While attempting to get out of the water, call for help. Anyone who attempts to rescue you should use a rope or something similar to avoid falling through themselves.
• Do not travel in unfamiliar areas or at night.

Have a plan in place noting where you will be and when you plan to return. Along with leaving a written note of your plans, keeping a charged cell phone is also recommended.

Check out the DNR’s Ice Safety webpage for more information on staying safe on the ice, including tips for creating ice claws and what to do if you fall through ice.

Additional information on the Winnebago system sturgeon spearing season can be found on the DNR website.