Winnebago System Sturgeon Spearing

It was a pretty slow day on the Winnebago System today.  There were 10 fish registered with 7 of those fish coming from the Upriver Lakes and 3 from Lake Winnebago.  Of the fish registered from Lake Winnebago, one fish was registered at each location of Stockbridge Harbor, Calumet Harbor (Pipe) and Wendt’s.  Critter’s paced the way on the Upriver Lakes with 5 fish being registered, while the other 2 fish were registered at Boom Bay. A more detailed breakdown of today’s harvest can be viewed through the link below:

Day 4 – Harvest Report.pdf

The largest fish harvested from Lake Winnebago today was 63.4 pounds (65.1”) and registered at Wendt’s by Matthew Michaels of Cochrane, Wisconsin.  The largest fish harvested on the Winnebago System was the 119.3 pound (75.7”) sturgeon registered at Critter’s by Kenneth Roberts of Oxford, Wisconsin. A photo of Kenneth with his fish can be viewed through the link below:

Kenneth Roberts_119.3 pound_75.7 inch_Critters_2-12-2019.jpg

The snow storm forced many schools to close today.  What better way to spend a snow day off school than out on Lake Poygan sturgeon spearing?  Congratulations to James Dutscheck of Oshkosh on your 63.0”, 75.7 pound fish! A photo of James with his fish can be viewed through the link below:

James Dutscheck_75.7 pound_63.0 inch_Critters_ 2_12_2019.jpg

I’m anticipating that effort, and in turn harvest, will increase following today’s snowstorm.  We will again have all 10 registration stations open tomorrow.

Good luck during the remainder of the 2019 sturgeon spearing season!

Today’s Vignette: “The Story Behind the 171 Pounder”

There has certainly been a lot of buzz about the 171.0 pound, 85.5” fish that was registered at Wendt’s on opening day by Jonathan Eiden.  This fish had been previously handled by DNR fisheries staff twice and had become a fish of living dreams for sturgeon spearers for years.  Today’s vignette outlines the data that DNR staff have about this fish and how it compares to some fish of past seasons.

The Story Behind the 171 Pounder.pdf

Enjoy the read!