February 20, 2023 – Fond du lac, WI – The Wisconsin DNR reported on February 20, 2023 there were 26 sturgeon harvested on Lake Winnebago. The harvest included 3 juvenile females, 13 adult females, and 10 males.
View the full details in today’s harvest report.
There was one 100-pound fish harvested today. The largest fish harvested was a ready-to-spawn male that weighed 130.8 pounds and measured 79.5 inches long from the Stockbridge registration shack. This fish was speared by Kenneth Rach.
If you’ve visited a registration station, you may have seen big sturgeon with flat, or even bowl-shaped bellies. Sturgeon with this appearance are often females that have spawned the previous spring.
This reproductive stage is called F6. Before spawning, a female’s belly becomes stretched out to accommodate all the eggs inside her. After a spawn, most of her eggs have been released and she is often left with a concave, empty belly.
At the registration station, DNR staff look for signs of this spawning activity while they are identifying a sturgeon’s sex. If they see any eggs that look like salt and pepper (unsuccessfully laid eggs), then they know they have an F6 female. To learn more, visit our sturgeon registration stations and ask our friendly DNR staff about F6 females.
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Moving forward, the Neenah registration station will remain closed for the rest of the season. If you planned on registering your fish there, please head to the next closest registration station. We will continue to post updates on what stations are open or closed. Locations are listed in the sturgeon season regulation packet or on the DNR sturgeon spearing webpage.
Congratulations to all successful spearers. Good luck to those spearing tomorrow and stay safe.