Feb. 22, 2024 Harvest Update

The warm weather today may have left some sturgeon spearers in their T-shirts. Though some colder weather is expected over the weekend, the season is drawing to a close.

There were just 5 lake sturgeon harvested system-wide. Today’s harvest included 1 juvenile female, 2 adult females and 2 males. Pipe took the lead, registering 2 lake sturgeon, while Southwest and Waverly each registered 1. No fish were harvested upriver.

View the full details in today’s harvest report.

The biggest fish of the day was an 80.4-pound, 70.0-inch, F1 lake sturgeon speared by Rick Mattes. Well done, Rick!

The Poygan, Neenah, Stockbridge and Quinney registration stations will remain closed tomorrow. All other stations will remain open.

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.

Oscar Reitz with three speared lake sturgeon in 1955. / Photo Credit: Josh Reitz

Sturgeon Spearing: A Tradition Worthy Of Retelling

Sturgeon spearing is more than just a sport on the Winnebago System; it’s a tradition that has been around since 1932.

Every year, spearers take to the ice and find themselves surrounded by generations of family and friends. Although the goal is to harvest a large, prehistoric lake sturgeon, time is spent telling stories of the old days and teaching new generations the skills, lessons, culture and history of spearing.

Here’s a story that may seem familiar:

It’s early on a chilly February morning in 1932. All is silent as a blanket of white is draped over the trees and roads. A young man scurries in and out of the barn, loading his saw, spear, warmest gear and food for the horses on the sled. With excitement rolling through him, he almost forgets food for himself, but his wife is ever so patiently waiting by the front door with his lunch to see him off and wish him luck. She watches as her husband rides away on horse and sled for the first day of Wisconsin’s lake sturgeon spearing season. Unbeknownst to anyone involved, this marks the start of a 100-year family tradition.

Time has passed for the couple. Their family has grown, and a few more sturgeon have found their way to the table. What once might have seemed a man’s sport has become a family one, with dad, mom and son preparing for a new spearing season.  This year, though, instead of horse and sled, they venture out on the ice in something new: a snowmobile. The oil lamps have been replaced with more accessible battery-powered handheld lights, and gasoline has replaced hay as the fuel of choice. 

Despite these changes to the season, Mom still waits by the door with lunch. However, this year, she is bundled up and ready to spear a fish of her own. The season proved to be a long one, cold and tiring, testing her patience and willpower. At last, with ten minutes left of the season, they see movement. Mom throws the spear and waits for the signature tug. Success! Mom speared her first lake sturgeon. This becomes a new family story – one that will be retold for years to come. 

As the years pass, the couple’s son, who has speared several lake sturgeon of his own, has himself become a father with a young son. Together, they go out on the ice where family stories are shared and the love for the sturgeon spearing season is passed on, including the commitment to the conservation and protection of sturgeon.

Many spearers will tell similar stories in their shacks this year. They will tell their grandchildren stories that were told to them by their grandparents. They may talk about what it was like to spear as regulations changed or what it was like before fancy new snowmobiles or trucks hauled the shacks to the ice. Some lived through these changes; others had their parents or grandparents tell them.

These stories and lived memories create the traditions, community and love for the sturgeon spearing season and for the conservation and protection of these fish, with many families spending decades watching these large fish spawn on the banks of the Wolf River every spring.

Ninety-two years after that young man took to the ice for the first regulated sturgeon spearing season in 1932, his great-grandson will join spearers on the ice this year for his first season as a 4th generation lake sturgeon spearer on the Winnebago system.

And so, the tradition continues with a new story to tell.

The Reitz family is one of those with a long-standing tradition of sturgeon spearing. Four generations have taken part in the Winnebago system sturgeon spearing season.

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.