OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) – The sturgeon spearing season on lakes Poygan, Winneconne and Butte des Morts is over after four days.
With 11 adult females speared on those three lakes Tuesday, spearers hit the 100 percent harvest cap, which triggers an immediate closure of the season.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources sturgeon biologist Ryan Koenigs says the decision on closing the season “came down to the wire.”
If between two and ten adult females had been speared, the season would have extended another day on the upriver lakes.
“At 1:50 (p.m.), we were still sitting on 10 adult females, but the 11th adult female was registered at Critter’s at 1:55 resulting in a complete season closure.”
The final number of sturgeon speared on the upriver lakes was 297, two more than in the 2017 season.
Meanwhile, Tuesday’s take of 42 sturgeon on Lake Winnebago included a new standard for fish length.
Kyle Jenkins speared an 84.5-inch, 143.7-pound adult female, the longest sturgeon ever speared in the state.
The fish was about 70 pounds lighter than the heaviest sturgeon speared on the lake, a 212.2-pound fish taken in 2010. That sturgeon measured 84.2 inches.
Jenkins registered his sturgeon at Jerry’s Bar in Oshkosh.
In all, 229 sturgeon have been speared on Lake Winnebago this year. The season ends Feb. 25 unless harvest caps are met.
