Feb. 25, 2023 Harvest Update

Many spearers took to the ice to enjoy the last two days of the season. It was nice to see families and friends taking advantage of the last weekend of this spearing season. Today, 29 fish were harvested on Lake Winnebago with 3 juvenile females, 15 adult females and 11 males. Pipe continues to put up big registration numbers, with more fish registered today (18 fish) than the other shacks combined.

Two fish today were registered over 100 pounds. Both came from the Pipe registration shack, including the fish speared by Alex Wilkens at 101.6 lbs. (a 66.5 inch, F2 female).

View the full details in today’s harvest report.

With so many big fish registered this year, many might have noticed that these larger individuals look slightly different from younger Lake Sturgeon in the population. When sturgeon are young, they have sharp scutes along their bodies that are modified scales used for protection. As sturgeon grow to larger sizes, such as the 100-pound fish we see during the spearing season, they do not need the protection from these scutes. These scutes will then wear down, and either fall off or, as the lake sturgeon gets larger, the skin will envelop the scute. While other species of sturgeon, such as Atlantic and Gulf sturgeon, have scutes, these sturgeon will keep the scutes for their lifetime. Unlike Lake Sturgeon, these species have to contend with large predators such as sharks even after they grow to big sizes.

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.

Telemetry Part 3

We have tracked Sturgeon 21147 for six years. This male was captured, tagged and released in the spring of 2016 on the Fox River in Princeton. Measuring just under four and a half feet long, he was probably close to 25 years old when he was tagged.

Soon after tagging, in May 2016, he left Princeton and entered Lake Butte des Morts where he stayed for nearly two years. By March 2018, he left Lake Butte des Morts heading back up the Fox River. Males typically spawn every two to three years, so it’s likely that he made his spawning run in 2018.

During this time, he spent three weeks in Eureka before returning to Princeton in late April 2018. It is also not uncommon for sturgeon to spawn at multiple locations. This means he might have spawned at both Eureka and possibly again in Princeton. He left Princeton in May 2018 and swam back to the Upriver Lakes later that month.

However, this time 21147 did not stay in Lake Butte de Morts but entered Lake Winneconne. He stayed there for nearly three years. In March 2021, he once again returned to the Fox River, heading towards Princeton. Only this time, Princeton was not his final stop. Three days after arriving in Princeton, 21147 was detected below Lake Puckaway. He was not detected again for over two weeks. It’s unclear whether he entered Lake Puckaway or remained in the river, but it’s exciting to see 21147 expand his horizons.

While many sturgeon return to the same spawning site annually, there are a few sturgeon, like 21147, that visit multiple different sites within a river system between years. We last tracked 21147 to Lake Butte des Morts in May 2021 and are excited to see what else we learn from this fish.

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.