Dylan Anhalt speared this 59.3 pound 63.5 inch sturgeon on Lake Poygan, February 10, 2025. PC: Fox 11 Online
WINNEBAGO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — As the sturgeon spearing season rolls on, some of those taking to the ice are finding success.
That includes the Upriver Lakes of Poygan, Winneconne, and Butte des Morts.
Pickup trucks parked next to shanties off the northern shoreline of Lake Poygan. Inside, spearers are waiting. DNR Advanced Sturgeon Technician Emily McParlane says the activity is encouraging.
“They’re hoping that they get a fish. A big, small, whatever they can get through their shacks today. This weekend, we had about 3,300 shacks between Upriver and Lake Winnebago. So there’s a lot of people out there, still trying to get a sturgeon,” said Emily McParlane, DNR Advanced Sturgeon Fisheries Technician.
At Boom Bay Bar and Grill, Peyton Feustel registered a 20 pounder early Monday morning.
“I’m with my step-dad. And we got set up this morning, and we just saw the tail end of it. And it’s my first time spearing. And he just said go ahead and throw it. And we got it. How exciting? It’s really exciting. We’ve been waiting nine years to do this together,” said Peyton Feustel, Seymour.
Just a few minutes later, Dylan Anhalt arrived with his sturgeon. The prehistoric fish weighed nearly 60 pounds.
“Just sitting there for a while. So I was grabbing my skimmer. I was skimming the ice out, and I looked down. He was coming right under the skimmer. I threw the skimmer in the back of the shack. Grabbed the spear quick, and hit him. And the rest is history,” said Dylan Anhalt, Chilton.
Unlike Lake Winnebago, with about 12,000 license holders, the Upriver campaign is limited to 500 lottery-winning participants.
“Every year, you’re eligible to buy a preference point, and then that goes into the lottery system. And then you choose to do a group lottery system, or a single lottery system. And then, Right now, we’re sitting at about eight years. So eight preference points,” said McParlane.
Comments