For Winnebago Sturgeon Enthusiasts...

This weekend is the launch of Sturgeon spearing season. Ron Bruch, sturgeon specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources sends this update:

Lake Conditions: Many spearers are out on the lakes scouting and reports are coming in that the cloudy water is spreading further south along the west shore of Lake Winnebago. The rest of Lake Winnebago appears to be clear yet. No new information on water clarity in the Upriver Lakes other than the report last week that said Poygan was starting to cloud up in some areas (patchy) south and west of the mouth of the Wolf River. Ice conditions are generally good, but the recent snow and wind have caused some drifting which may have covered up cracks and other dangerous spots. As always, be careful and check the ice where you are traveling, especially if you are traveling off the marked roads.

Sturgeon on the Move: A spearer scouting on Lake Winnebago caught some fantastic footage on his camera. Check out the following piece: YouTube - sturgeon on the move

Sturgeon Registration: We're pretty well done setting up all of our registration stations and are ready to go. Remember when you get your fish, you need to have it in to a station no later than 1:30 PM. Spearing hours are 6:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Bring your fish in right away if you can after you get it to avoid getting stuck in a long line, especially on opening day. At the station we'll be collecting our standard data on the fish and the spearer, although we may ask some spearers if we can dress their fish so we can take stomach and/or tissue samples for other various studies we are involved in. We appreciate your cooperation.

Daily Reports: This will be my last pre-season report. Stay tuned on opening day and every day of the season for my daily reports which I should be e-mailing out each day between 2:30 PM and 4:30 PM (time dependent on whether we get a run of fish at then end of the day or not). If you have any fellow spearers that would like to get on my e-mail list to receive the reports, have them e-mail me and ask to get on the list.
Good luck to you all.

See you around the lakes or at a registration station.

Ron

Ronald M. Bruch, PhD
Upper Fox-Wolf Fisheries Work Unit Supervisor
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
625 E County Rd Y, Suite 700
Oshkosh, WI 54901