(DNR) – Spearers were met with calm winds and sunshine for the third day of the spearing season. As usual, with the coming weekdays, harvest has dropped off as many spearers went back to work. Today, a total of 65 lake sturgeon were harvested throughout the entire Winnebago System. On Lake Winnebago, there were 36 lake sturgeon harvested: 6 juvenile females, 16 adult females and 14 males.
Harvest on the Upriver Lakes continues to come in at a steady but slow pace with 29 lake sturgeon harvested today (21 males, 2 adult females and 6 juvenile females). This brings the Upriver season total to 118 males, 19 adult females and 26 juvenile females, with 163 overall. After three days, we are just about halfway to the male harvest cap on the Upriver Lakes.
View the full details in today’s harvest report.
There are still a good number of large lake sturgeon being harvested. Another 2 lake sturgeon weighing more than 100 pounds were speared today, with David Carnot spearing the biggest fish of the day: a 149.5-pound, 76.7-inch, F2 female and Mike Boettcher spearing a 138.4-pound, 79.7-inch, F2 female. This brings the total of lake sturgeon over 100 pounds to 18. The increase in chironomid (or red worm) densities on Lake Winnebago is likely helping to the keep these fish at healthy weights.
There were also multiple first-time successful spearers on the system today. Hunter Minor from Elko, Minnesota has come over to spear with his grandfather who is from the Stockbridge area and was able to successfully spear his first fish on Lake Winnebago with a 37.8-pound, 56.9-inch, M1 male. Twelve-year-old Warren Nelson was also able to successfully spear a 63.6-pound, 62.5-inch, M2 male from the Upriver Lakes today. We hope the fish story they have from today will be told through the generations.
Not only that, there are many spearers who continue to add to their spearing stories, including John Worm who at 88 years young is still taking to the ice to spear these incredible fish. Today he came home with a 93-pound, 69.1-inch fish.
Please note that due to poor water clarity, we will be closing the Pipe registration tomorrow. For those registering fish in that area, the Quinney registration station is the next closest station. Please make sure to adjust accordingly.
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