February 25, 2021 – Fond du Lac, WI – Wednesday, February 24, was day 12 of the 2021 sturgeon spearing season. The harvest was slightly higher than Monday’s.
Zach Fuller speared this 103.2-pound (71.3 inches) M2 male lake sturgeon on day six of the 2021 spearing season. According to our records, Zach’s fish is one of only 15 male lake sturgeons to weigh over 100 pounds. / Photo credit: Wisconsin DNR
In total, 40 fish were speared on Lake Winnebago, bringing the season total to 1,297 and 1,641 on the Winnebago System. Grundman Lane led all registration stations with 10 fish registered. Today the west shore registration stations (Grundman Lane, Oshkosh, and Blackwolf) accounted for 28 of the 40 total fish speared.
Sex-specific season totals have increased to 217 were juvenile females, 587 adult females and 493 males. As expected, harvest during the final week of the season has been low around the lake. The 90% trigger for either Lake Winnebago or system-wide sex-specific harvest caps are still in the distance as 93 juvenile females, 183 adult females, and 342 males remain
Reports from successful spearers maintain that many shacks have been pulled to shore for the season. We anticipate the harvest trend to continue throughout the workweek and potentially increase this weekend for the final two days.
Water clarity remains clear on average around the lake. With warmer weather in the forecast for the rest of the week and runoff events possible, water clarity could take a hit heading into the final weekend. Reports from spearers are that the lake snowpack is maintaining, but some of the landings and access points are beginning to turn to slush. Be sure to reach out to local fishing clubs around the lake for updates on ice conditions as we move through the remainder of the 2021 season.
Good luck to all spearers attempting to harvest a lake sturgeon during the final four days of this year’s sturgeon spearing season!
Click here for a detailed harvest report.
Today’s biggest fish was harvested on Lake Winnebago by Jakob Jaeger and weighed in at 98.6 pounds (72.5 inches). Jakob’s fish was an F1 female and registered at the Blackwolf Landing.
