2025 Winnebago System Sturgeon Spearing Regulations . Review the 2025 Winnebago System Sturgeon Spearing Regulations for the upcoming season. Important information for the 2025 season. Lake Winnebago Water Clarity. Water clarity is one of the strongest predictors of lake sturgeon harvest in the Winnebago System during the spearing season.

Feb 2, 2024 · Any sturgeon harvested from Lake Winnebago must be registered at one of the registration stations on Lake Winnebago, and any sturgeon harvested from the Upriver Lakes (lakes Poygan, Butte des Morts or Winneconne) must be registered at one of the Upriver Lakes registration stations. Please check the 2024 sturgeon spearing regulations for specifics.

2024, 19.7% (85 lake sturgeon) of the fish speared were fish previously PIT tagged compared to 20.3% in 2023 and 20.4% in 2022. LAKE WINNEBAGO COUNTS 2024 2023 2022 Shanty Counts 468 3,148 5,986 License Sales 13,060 13,246 12,694 Upriver Applicants 9,106 9,474 8,655 2024 Lake Sturgeon Spearing Season Winnebago System Figure 1.

Feb 7, 2023 · Spearers can find the full water clarity report, season forecast and daily harvest updates on the Winnebago System sturgeon spearing webpage and by signing up for email updates. Registration Information . The DNR reminds spearers that once they have successfully speared a sturgeon, the tag must be validated by tearing off the bottom portion.

Oct 23, 2024 · However, successful applicants cannot also purchase a tag for Lake Winnebago. License sales help fund a variety of sturgeon management activities on the Winnebago system. The 2025 sturgeon spearing season opens on Feb. 8, 2025, and will run for a maximum of 16 days or until any of the predetermined harvest caps are met.

Oct 23, 2023 · The 2024 sturgeon spearing season will open on Feb. 10, 2024 and will run for a maximum of 16 days or until any of the pre-determined harvest caps are met. Additional season information and the 2024 sturgeon spearing regulations can be found on the DNR’s sturgeon spearing webpage .

Feb 8, 2022 · The Winnebago system is home to one of the largest lake sturgeon populations in North America and is one of only two locations where lake sturgeon can be harvested with a spear. The state’s annual sturgeon spearing season begins Feb. 12 and runs for 16 days (Feb. 27), or until any of the pre-determined harvest caps are met.

Figure 2. Top 14 heaviest Lake Sturgeon (≥170 pounds) on record as harvested from the Lake Winnebago System during the sturgeon spearing seasons dating back to 1941. Additionally, Nick Schaus speared a male sturgeon that was over 100 pounds. It was a 75.3-inch male weighing 106.4-pounds. Incredibly, this male was not preparing to

Jan 13, 2021 · Every year, thousands flock to Lake Winnebago and Upriver Lakes to participate in the sturgeon spearing tradition. With the 2021 sturgeon spearing season fast approaching, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds both seasoned pros and first-timers that there are some important changes to this year’s registration process.

nature of sturgeon spearing is you can’t spear a fish that you can’t see and spearing in shallower water lakes is simply more favorable. The Upriver Lakes are also rearing habitat for juvenile fish and thus the fishery there contains a higher percentage of smaller, immature fish (MV and FV) than Lake Winnebago (Figure 2).