2/23/22 Spearing Season Day 12
23 February 2023 Sports
Despite the impending winter storm, a few anglers made it out on the ice Wednesday. Only 7 fish were harvested, with 0 juvenile females, 3 adult females and 4 males. This was the lowest harvest day this season, bringing the total to 1,020 Lake Sturgeon harvested for Lake Winnebago and 1,305 for the entire Winnebago system so far this season. The largest fish harvested today was 81.1 pound male that was 64.5 inches long. It was speared by Jackson Goldapske and registered at the Southwest Winnebago station.
Click here to view the full Day 12 Harvest Report.
As part of the registration process, the DNR is looking for Lake Sturgeon that have been previously tagged. Particularly those that are tagged during the spring sturgeon spawn. These Passive Integrated Transponders, or PIT tags, used by the DNR are about the size of a grain of rice and inserted just behind the fish’s head. This tag has no battery, a distinct 15-digit ID number and will last practically forever. The DNR tries to tag as many Lake Sturgeon during the spring with these PIT tags as possible. It is the proportion of Lake Sturgeon harvested that have these tags from the spring to the sturgeon harvested that do not have tags that help the DNR understand the general population size of Lake Sturgeon in the system. Since around the 2000s, the DNR has tagged over 20,000 fish with these PIT tags in the Winnebago system.
With more snow coming, we will see what weather conditions have in store for the Winnebago spearers. Be safe if you are headed back out onto the ice.
Pictured: Michael Loewe registered a 48.3 lbs., 65.6 inch, F1 sturgeon as the snow fell around the Stockbridge registration station. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
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