Jon Verhagen poses with the160.6-pound, 81.2-inch sturgeon he speared Feb. 11, 2025 on Lake Winnebago. (Photo courtesy: Wisconsin DNR)
(WTAQ-WLUK) — Sturgeon spearing continued to be slow Tuesday, with a little more than four dozen sturgeon speared on Lake Winnebago and the upriver lakes.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says 53 sturgeon were speared across the Winnebago system.
On Lake Winnebago, 26 sturgeon were taken: two juvenile females, 13 adult females and 11 males.
The upriver lakes Poygan, Winneconne, and Butte des Morts had another 27 sturgeon speared: 19 males, seven adult females, and one juvenile female.
Over the first four days of the season, 408 total sturgeon have been speared. That brings the total males speared on the upriver lakes to 137, about 55% of the way to the harvest cap. As for Lake Winnebago, 220 males have been speared, with spearers still far off from the 1,252 male sturgeon cap.
Just one sturgeon weighing more than 100 pounds was speared Tuesday. Jon Verhagen speared a 160.6-pound, 81.2-inch female. There have been 19 sturgeon weighing more than 100 pounds speared this season.
Over the weekend, the fourth largest sturgeon ever speared was harvested, weighing more than 180 pounds.
Due to poor water clarity, the Pipe registration will remain closed Wednesday.
Spearing continues until Feb. 23 unless harvest caps are met sooner.
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