LAKE WINNEBAGO, WI (WTAQ) – Initial indications show this year has the making to be a successful sturgeon spearing season.
Less than 48 hours before the start of the season, the water clarity on Lake Winnebago is ranging from 7 feet to 13 feet.
DNR Fisheries Biologist Ryan Koenigs says there is a clear divide on the lake.
“The clear water with 12 to 13 feet of visibility was North of Oshkosh.”
DNR Fisheries Biologist Ryan Koenigs says there is one main fact that seems encouraging.
“Water clarity is much better than what we had last year,” Koenings says. “Last year we only had an average of six and a half feet and still had a harvest of 654.”
South of Oshkosh it more in the 7 to 9-foot range.
Koenigs says a year with an average of 12 feet or better, there is a high likelihood that we are going to reach the caps and have an early season closure.”
He says one thing that can change the water would be runoff from temperatures getting warmer and melting snow before the weekend.
“We just had a relatively large runoff event.”
He says the last thing that they would want to see is another short stretch of warm weather.
He says ideally, it would be best if things stayed frozen and the snow stayed on the lake.
