WINNEBAGO, CO (WTAQ-WLUK) – The 2021 sturgeon spearing season is now officially in the books after Sunday.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said 50 fish were speared on Lake Winnebago Sunday, consisting of nine juvenile females, 17 adult females and 24 males.
Season totals along the entire Winnebago System reached 291 juvenile females, 737 adult females and 803 males for 1,831 sturgeon.
On Lake Winnebago alone in 2021, 1,467 fish were harvested which is the largest total along the lake since 2015, according to the DNR.
Lake Winnebago did not reach the 90% trigger in 2021 and went the full 16 day season.
The DNR says that overall there was good water quality and solid ice throughout the season, and Lake Winnebago’s harvest was driven by these factors.
Blackwolf Landing registered the most fish Sunday with 13, while Stockbridge Harbor led all stations on the season with a total of 303 sturgeon registered.
Sunday’s largest fish was an F2 female that weighed in at 135.8 pounds and measured 75.3 inches which was speared by Kevin Ward. Ward’s sturgeon was registered at Blackwolf Landing.
77 total sturgeon that weighed over 100 pounds were harvested in 2021, which accounted for 4.1% of all the fish speared on the season.
The DNR said over the past few seasons, fish have been more lean, likely due to a diet that consisted of more red worms.
For the DNR’s more detailed harvest report, click here.
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