Outdoors Weekly News Archive

February 15, 2008

Sturgeon spearers get 1,100+fish on opening weekend

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OSHKOSH, Wis. (AP) - Sturgeon spearers harvested more than 1,100 fish from Lake Winnebago and other lakes on opening weekend, and set a record Saturday for the largest number of fish more than 150 pounds registered in decades.
In all, 888 fish were harvested on Lake Winnebago over the weekend and another 215 were taken from the upriver lakes of Poygan, Butte des Morts and Winneconne.
Of those caught Saturday, three weighed more than 160 pounds. The opening day, which marked the start of Wisconsin's 75th regulated sturgeon spearing season, netted the largest number of fish weighing more than 150 pounds in the past 60 years.
Ron Bruch, a sturgeon biologist with the state's DNR said in some areas spearers reported seeing a clear lake bottom in 16 feet of water.
``Spearers enjoyed ideal conditions with very clear water and good weather,'' Bruch said.
Bruch on Sunday tallied nine fish over 100 pounds, including a male that weighed 104 pounds. It was first male lake sturgeon in the harvest to exceed the 100-pound mark since the department began mandatory registration of all harvested fish in 1956, the DNR said.
There were 3,171 shanties around Lake Winnebago and 512 shanties at the other locations, making Saturday's opening day the largest since 2004.
The largest fish caught Saturday weighed in at 162.5 pounds and was more than 61/2 feet long. It was speared on Lake Winnebago by Matt Johannes of Berlin. On Sunday, Tom Birschbach of Fond du Lac speared a 155-pound, 76-inch female.
The number of fish caught was not enough to end the season in a single weekend, so spearing was set to continue Monday.
Based on good ice conditions and clear water, Bruch said conditions are right for a short season.
The season length on is limited to tight caps placed on the harvest of adult females, males and juvenile males on Lake Winnebago, the upriver lakes or Winnebago and the upriver lakes as a system.
Once the caps are met on one or more groups, the season closes the next day.
Spearers are allowed to harvest one sturgeon per year. The minimum length of a harvested sturgeon is 36 inches.
The season is scheduled to run through Feb. 24 unless spearers reach the preset harvest caps.
At a check-in station on Saturday, authorities from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were taking blood samples from the sturgeon to check for viruses or diseases, including viral hemorrhagic septicemia, better known as VHS.
The virus has yet to be found in the sturgeon.