Sturgeon Spearing Opens On Lake Winnebago

Wisconsin’s sturgeon-spearing season begins this weekend on Lake Winnebago.

The Department of Natural Resources says more than 12,000 licenses have been sold to sturgeon spearers. The agency doesn’t give updates on ice conditions for ice fishers… instead, officials recommend contacting local fishing clubs.

But Ryan Koenigs says things are shaping up for a good sturgeon season on Lake Winnebago and upriver fisheries.

Koenigs is a senior fishery biologist for the DNR: “The biggest predictors for success for spearers is water clarity, and water clarity is down this year. In most areas we are seeing six to nine feet of visibility. That alone would suggest a longer season. However there is some promise to spearers for some excitement, because everyone knows we have a very high percentage of very large fish in the population.”

Koenigs says “very large” fish weigh one hundred pounds or more.