Some fish are mounted as well. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources published their opening day report. Wisconsin DNR to use drive-through registration for sturgeon Tomorrow, the Neenah registration station will reopen. F6 females are fish that spawned last season (spring of 2022). Its a family atmosphere. Wisconsin, a state that prides itself on outdoor traditions such as hunting and fishing, holds a sturgeon spearing season every February on the Lake Winnebago system near Oshkosh, about 90 miles northwest of Milwaukee. 2023 sturgeon spearing season photos on Lake Winnebago, Upriver Lakes There are 2 more shanties in need of sponsoring. With one of the largest lake sturgeon populations in North America, the Winnebago System supports an annual spearing season that will run for a maximum of 16 days (Feb. 26) or until any of the predetermined harvest caps have been met. Zach Schrader is among more than 500 others who speared a sturgeon on opening day, When something of this magnitude swims through the hole its quite a unique experience, Schrader told Action 2 News while standing next to his fish in the bed of his truck. As we approach the weekend, we wish all the spearers luck. When Gizzard Shad populations are plentiful, they prove to be a good food source for the Lake Sturgeon. I mean, you can pull up to anyones shack and theyre going to congratulate you. Spearers in the Upriver Lakes harvest 320 sturgeon. We look forward to what well learn from the years of tracking individual fish in the Lake Winnebago System. All applicants that are not awarded a permit accumulate a preference point for use in future drawings. Track the rest of the season online here. There were no 100 lb. Spearers who wish to participate in Lake Winnebago must purchase a license for Lake Winnebago before the Oct. 31 deadline. When spawning, females can hold 50,000-700,000 eggs. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. Tomorrow, the Neenah registration station will be closed. Remember to be safe and that no ice is 100% safe. 431 Sturgeon harvested on day 1 of spearing season There were 3 fish harvested today over 100 pounds. With 285 fish harvested Upriver this spearing season, there was just over a 50% success rate for spearers with Upriver tags. Not only were spearers successful today but they were also treated to some large fish. Any sturgeon harvested from Lake Winnebago must be registered at one of the registration stations on Lake Winnebago. This balance between a good number of big fish and fish on the smaller end of the spectrum is another indication of a healthy sturgeon population in the Winnebago system. Upriver, there are still 3 adult females left until the 90% trigger is activated or 11 more adult females until the 100% cap is reached. The season on the Upriver Lakes is closed. Its a memory Schrader now shares with his 11-year-old son, who was in the shack with him. In total, 115 juvenile females have been harvested, 481 adult females, and 442 males on Lake Winnebago. Sturgeon spearing on Wisconsin's Lake Winnebago has a long and rich tradition, according to the DNR's website. Contact Daphne Lemke at 920-907-7968 or dlemke@gannett.com. This year's season came to an end for the Upriver Lakes on Saturday, yielding the largest harvest since 2007 with 364 sturgeon. All license holders must be a minimum of 12 years old. If you are headed out tomorrow good luck and, as always, be safe. Once the hole is cut, the equipment used to attract and harvest a fish is often hand-crafted heirlooms passed down through generations. Regulations related to minnow use and transportation (VHS rules) on the Winnebago system apply. Catching sturgeon was eventually stopped in Wisconsin due to overfishing in the early 1900s. If you're interested in making a tax-deductible donation please. Ice conditions will likely continue to change as the season progresses, and the DNR recommends checking with local fishing clubs for up-to-date information before heading out on the ice. So if you have wind and sun at the same time, thats a bad thing, Swanson explained. The lake is 35 miles long. In total, 127 fish were harvested throughout the system, with 100 from Lake Winnebago (7 juvenile females, 53 adult females, 40 males) and 27 from the Upriver lakes (1 juvenile female, 9 adult females, 17 males). This tag has no battery, a distinct 15-digit ID number and will last practically forever. Prosecutors have charged Ryan Koenigs, a top sturgeon expert at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), with obstructing an investigation after he alleged that his workers were. The opening day aerial shanty count, conducted by the DNR, found around 3,100 shacks, nearly half the number of opening day shanties from 2022. This years harvest caps have been set at: If harvest caps are met early, a closure notice will be posted to the DNRsWinnebago System sturgeon spearing webpage. You could see a line of trailers along Merritt Avenue in Oshkosh that people used to get their four-wheelers out onto the ice. These efforts have helped strengthen and grow sturgeon populations nationwide, including in Tennessee, Georgia and Kentucky. With our big trucks we like to have at least 12 or more, Herman said. She lived through many changes in governments, environmental impacts, technological advances and regulation changes. LAKE WINNEBAGO, Wis. - Anglers in Wisconsin are camping out on the ice this weekend, spear in hand, with the hopes of snagging a freshwater giant. Wisconsin's top sturgeon expert charged with lying about caviar scheme It was good enough that spearers reported seeing the bottom in many locations around Lake Winnebago. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) would like to remind interested spearers that they have until Oct. 31, 2020 to purchase a license for the 2021 Lake Winnebago sturgeon spearing season. The Pipe registration station continues to have the highest daily harvest, with 11 fish and 354 fish for the season. Happy opening day of the 2023 Winnebago Sturgeon spearing season! With better water clarity this year, we should see a good harvest, though the warm weather could deteriorate ice conditions which may reduce spearing success. Sturgeon spearing is a sport of contrasts: The cold air outside, the warmth of a propane flame inside; the blinding white of snow on the lake, the dark interior of the shanty; long hours. The current annual season tradition began in 2007 and addedthelottery fishery to preservation efforts, and since then, the shortest season was reported in 2012 at only two days. Call 1-888-936-7463 (TTY Access via relay - 711) from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Ryan Koenigs, DNR Winnebago sturgeon biologist. On the Upriver Lakes, 56 out of 79 adult female sturgeon have been speared, ending the weekend with 71% of the allotted fish speared. Track the rest of the season online here. Sixty-one fish were harvested between Lake Winnebago and the Upriver Lakes. The heaviest sturgeon speared on record in the Lake Winnebago system weighed 212.2 pounds, caught by Ronald Grishaber in 2010. I think it supersedes deer hunting, Averkamp said. MADISON, Wis. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is preparing for the sturgeon spearing season opener on Feb. 11, giving spearers a chance to harvest Wisconsins largest and oldest fish species. Yes, the person with a valid license is the only person who can spear a fish. The season opens Feb. 11, 2023, for Lake Winnebago and the Upriver Lakes of Butte des Morts, Winneconne and Poygan. People are also reading OUR VIEW: 6 big reasons to vote today Please visit the fishing license webpage for more information. The final day of spearing season wrapped up on Sunday, Feb. 23 with a total of 811 sturgeon harvested from the Lake Winnebago system and the upriver lakes. This means there is still 1 adult female left until the 90% trigger is activated or 9 more adult females until the 100% cap is reached on the Upriver Lakes. Guide to Wisconsin Spearing, Netting, and BaitHarvest Regulations2020-2021 Effective April 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021 Includes regulations on: Rough Fish Spearing Dipnetting Rough Fish Bowfishing and Underwater Spear Fishing Harvesting Turtles, Frogs, Crayfish and Minnows Catfish Bow and Hand Fishing The view from the dark shanty. The DNR said Ice conditions likely prevented many from participating this year. Sixteen fish were harvested from Lake Winnebago (1 juvenile female, 6 adult females, 9 males) and 3 from the Upriver lakes (1 juvenile female, 1 adult female, 1 male). (WFRV) - The 2022 sturgeon spearing season officially wrapped up on Sunday with spearers already looking forward to next year. The biggest fish harvested was an F4 female weighing 136.5 lbs. The largest fish harvested was an M2 male that weighed 130.8 pounds and measured 79.5 inches long from the Stockbridge registration shack. Wherever theres a crowd, theres someone trying to figure out an angle on how to make a buck. Gishkowsky told Field & Stream that he had to call for help in order to hoist the giant fish from a 3-foot by 5-foot hole that he cut out of the ice with a chainsaw. We talked to many excited participants, like 12-year-old Abigail Derksen, who registered her first fish from Lake Winnebago! James Gishkowsky speared a massive 177.3-pound, 79.9-inch female sturgeon from Lake Winnebago. Saturday brought a sunny and cold morning with lots of action for our spearers. Just $1 per month , James Gishkowsky harvested the 6.6-foot behemoth during Wisconsin's annual sturgeon spearing season, By Locations can be found in the sturgeon season regulation packet or on the DNR sturgeon spearing webpage. As an F2, this female is preparing to spawn, but probably would not have spawned until the spring of 2024. Korey Krupp speared the largest sturgeon from Lake Winnebago with a 135.5-pound, 76.1-inch female. It won't be long before spring become summerand Sign up for the Field & Stream newsletter and get the latest intelligence straight to your inbox. As she continued to grow, she swam through the Winnebago System for about 13 years, dodging the set lines on the Upper River lakes until 1952, when set lining was eliminated. The tag does not need to be attached to the sturgeon unless the license holder leaves the fish. It was speared by Jackson Goldapske and registered at the Southwest Winnebago station. View the full details in todays harvest report. Locations are listed in the sturgeon season regulation packet or on the DNR sturgeon spearing webpage. For those headed back onto the ice tomorrow, be sure to put safety first. We dont want anybody to lose their life over a fish.. Sturgeon spearing returns, but ice conditions could limit travel on If they see any eggs that look like salt and pepper (unsuccessfully laid eggs), then they know they have an F6 female. This fish was harvested by Joshua Genske at the Pipe registration shack. The first modern sturgeon fishery took place in 1932. By comparison, the average weight and length from the 2020 harvest in Lake Winnebago was 51.1 pounds and 58.5 inches. Young of year Gizzard Shad abundances in Lake Winnebago during the Lake Winnebago trawl assessment. This fish was speared by Anthony Bovee. -Many of our spearers who stuck it out today were rewarded with their first speared fish, including 12-year-old Trent Rotering successfully spearing a 59.9 lbs., F1 female on the east side of Lake Winnebago and Larry Gordon spearing his first sturgeon on the west side of the lake.