Joshua Genske poses with the 136.5-pound, 80.5-inch sturgeon he speared Feb. 17, 2023, on Lake Winnebago and registered at Pipe. PC: Fox 11 Online
WISCONSIN (WTAQ-WLUK) — The sturgeon spearing season on lakes Poygan, Winneconne and Butte des Morts will end Saturday.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says the three adult females speared on the upriver lakes brought the season total to 73, reaching 90% of the harvest cap and triggering the end of the season.
Overall, the return of colder weather encouraged more spearers to go onto the ice. A total of 61 sturgeon were speared on the Winnebago system — 54 on Lake Winnebago and seven on the upriver lakes. For the season, 1,073 sturgeon have been speared — 800 on Lake Winnebago and 273 on the upriver lakes.
The registration station at Pipe was the busiest of the day with 20 fish being registered.
Three sturgeon speared Friday tipped the scales at more than 100 pounds. The biggest was the 136.5-pound, 80.5-inch fish Joshua Genske registered at Pipe.
On Saturday, the registration station at Neenah will reopen, with the Quinney and Poygan stations remaining closed.
Sturgeon spearing on Lake Winnebago continues until Feb. 26 unless harvest caps are met sooner.
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