Day 9 Sturgeon Report and Daily Recap and Highlights

Daily Recap and Highlights

The 2^nd weekend of the 2020 sturgeon spearing season has now concluded. The 41 fish harvested from Lake Winnebago today was the 2^nd highest daily harvest for the season, besting yesterday’s total by one fish. Our registration station at Jim and Linda’s paced the way again today with 17 fish registered followed by Wendt’s with 7 fish and Stockbridge Harbor and Quinney each with 5 fish. There were 25 fish harvested from the Upriver Lakes today with 13 fish registered at Indian Point and 12 at Critter’s. A detailed breakdown of today’s registration numbers by station is available through the following link:

Day 9 Harvest Report.pdf

The largest fish registered on the system today was 98.4 pounds, 70.2 inches and registered at Payne’s Point by Hunter Seelow. Zach Southard had the largest fish on the Upriver Lakes today when he registered his 87.1 pound, 67.5 inch lake sturgeon at Critter’s. I’ve included photos of both fish in today’s report.

We will be closing several of our registration stations during the upcoming week due to the anticipated drop in harvest. Our registration stations at Waverly Beach, Quinney, Jerry’s Bar, and Boom Bay will all be closed for the remainder of the season. Successful spearers on Lake Winnebago can register their fish at Stockbridge Harbor, Jim and Linda’s in Pipe, Wendt’s, or Payne’s Point. Successful spearers on the Upriver Lakes can register their fish at either Critter’s or Indian Point.

Good luck during the remainder of the season!

Zach Southard registered his 87.1 pound, 67.5 inch lake sturgeon at Critter’s on 2/16/2020!

Today’s Vignette: “1980 Sturgeon Spearing Season”

The 1980 sturgeon spearing season took place 40 years ago and only included a fishery on Lake Winnebago. This was the first season where spearers had to purchase their spearing license prior to the closure of the season. Additionally, the cost of a spearing license increased from $5 per tag to $5.50 per tag. Some additional highlights from the 1980 spearing season include:

• 5,040 licenses were sold.
• 2,600 shanties were out on the lake for opening day.
• The season lasted 22 days: February 9-March 1, 2020.
• Water clarity averaged 13 feet.
• 763 lake sturgeon were harvested.
• The average fish was 56 inches, 45 pounds.
• 9 fish were registered at 100 pounds or larger.

A pre-season press release from the 1980 spearing season is available through the following link:

1980 pre-season press release.pdf