Winnebago System Sturgeon Spearing Regulations
REMINDERS
REGISTRATION STATIONS
Registration stations will be returning to previous station locations. Some stations will have a drive-thru option.
To help with the registration process, the DNR asks that all harvested sturgeon be placed on your tailgate or in an easily accessible location. Please follow the signs and cones at each registration station to ensure a smooth registration.
TAGS, LICENSES AND PERMITS
- Spearers must possess a paper copy of their sturgeon spearing license/tag at all times while spearing. A receipt of purchase, driver’s license orGoWild card does not meet this requirement.
- It is ILLEGAL to possess more than one copy of a carcass tag.
- Carcass tags MUST BE validated immediately upon harvest by removing the validation stub.
- There is mandatory in-person registration of all harvested fish. Fish must be presented at a registration station by 2 p.m. the same day the fish is harvested.
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
During the season, some spearers use technology, like underwater cameras, to help them harvest a sturgeon. As a result of previously expressed concerns, and at the request of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress and Winnebago Sturgeon Advisory Committee, the DNR considered additional regulations on technology used during spearing.
Since there has been growing support for technology from spearers, we conducted a survey of a random sample of licensed spearers to determine their preferences. The majority of spearers supported use of technology such as cameras while spearing. In addition, strictly managed quotas also ensure over harvest does not occur.
Therefore, the DNR has decided to not create additional regulations on technology in the sturgeon shack during the spearing season at this time.
Dear Winnebago Sturgeon Spearer,
With the cold weather and new year, many of us are looking forward to the upcoming sturgeon spearing season. The 2023 season will begin on Feb. 11. Hopefully, ice conditions are near perfect and the water clarity will be decent, similar to last year.
Last year, ice conditions allowed access to just about every part of Lake Winnebago and the UpriverLakes. Water clarity was also fairly good, with an average depth of about 10 feet. This was better than most years in the last decade. Yet, even with the water clarity and good ice, last year’s season ran the full 16 days. As of the writing of this letter, it is still too early to predict water clarity for the upcoming 2023 season, but we can only hope that the recent clearer water trend continues with good ice conditions.
The Upriver Lakes season length is not as determined by water clarity. The good ice conditions last year probably played a hand in the Upriver Lakes season lasting only four days, with a total of 349 harvested fish.
Catch rates were up for young of year Gizzard Shad during the 2022 Winnebago trawl, and while rates were not at the historic levels seen in past years, it was the highest since 2016. Chironomid larvae densities within Lake Winnebago decreased in the last few years. But the northern and central parts of Lake Winnebago had higher densities of Chironomids compared to the southern part of the lake.Average Chironomid densities on the Upriver Lakes were comparable to the last few years. All three lakes had similar densities of Chironomids, with Lake Butte de Morts having the highest average.
While Chironomid and Gizzard Shad catch rates have not been as high as other previous years, the DNR is still seeing some large fish during both the spearing and spawning seasons. In 2022, 17 fish over 100 pounds were speared during the season. One of these was male. While it is not uncommon to see female sturgeon over 100 pounds, particularly those preparing to spawn, it is fairly rare to see a male reach this size. Larger males were also spotted during the spawn. This is another indication that there is enough forage available to allow fish to grow to these large sizes.
As we all continue to move forward post-pandemic, we look forward to seeing many people back out at registration stations to help celebrate our spearers. Many of the sturgeon registration stations have returned to pre-pandemic locations. Please make sure to check below for the exact locations.Hope to see many of you there.
We hope that everyone has a safe and enjoyable spearing season. See everyone out on the ice.
MARGARET STADIG
DNR Winnebago Sturgeon Biologist
SEASONS
HOURS
7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
LAKE WINNEBAGO
Feb. 11 through Feb. 26, 2023 on Lake Winnebago, or until any of the pre-set harvest caps for Lake Winnebago are reached or any of the pre-set Winnebago system-wide harvest caps are reached, whichever comes first (as per trigger closure rules).
UPRIVER LAKES (LAKE BUTTE DESMORTS, WINNECONNE ANDPOYGAN)
Feb. 11 through Feb. 26, 2023 on the Upriver Lakes, or until any of the pre-set harvest caps for the Upriver Lakes are reached or any of the pre-set Winnebago system-wide harvest caps are reached, whichever comes first (as per trigger closure rules).
A limited drawing spear fishery was implemented on the Upriver Lakes in 2007. Spearers can either apply for an Upriver Lakes sturgeon spearing license or purchase a preference point (thus not included in the drawing for that season) by Aug. 1. Applicants are notified by Oct. 1 of whether they were successful in receiving authorization to purchase an Upriver Lakes sturgeon spearing license. Group drawing applications of up to four persons are accepted, and the group will carry the preference points of the group member with the fewest points.
Spearers not drawn for an Upriver Lakes sturgeon spearing license receive a preference point and can purchase a Lake Winnebago sturgeon spearing license. Applicants drawn for an Upriver Lakes sturgeon spearing license will lose their accumulated preference points regardless of whether they purchase their Upriver Lakes sturgeon spearing license.
Spearers can only buy a license for either Lake Winnebago or the Upriver Lakes, but they cannot buy one for both. License sales for the Lake Winnebago season ends Oct. 31. The Upriver Lakes sturgeon drawing fishery limits participation to 500 tags in 2023 and will have an allotment of the overall sturgeon harvest caps. Upriver Lakes tags can be transferred to a youth (age 12-17) or a person holding a valid Class A, B, C or D disabled permit.
LICENSE REQUIREMENTS
To spear sturgeon, residents must purchase a sturgeon spearing license for $20.00 and nonresidents must purchase a sturgeon spearing license for $65.00.
Only persons 12 years of age and older are eligible to spear sturgeon. No sturgeon spearing license may be issued or purchased after Oct. 31, 2022 except for:
- Wisconsin residents that turn 12 between Nov. 1, 2022and the last day of the 2023 spearing season; or
- Wisconsin residents serving in the Armed Forces that are home on leave during the 2023 spearing season.
The sturgeon spearing license/tag must be carried by the licensee at all times while fishing for sturgeon with a spear and no person may use or carry the license/tag of another person. Lake Winnebago licenses are non-transferable, but Upriver Lakes licenses can be transferred to youth (age 12-17) or a person holding a valid Class A, B, C or D disabled permit.
TAGGING YOUR STURGEON
WHEN AND HOW TO VALIDATE TAG
Upon harvest, the carcass tag must be immediately validated by removing the validation stub of the carcass tag below the dotted line.
WHEN TO ATTACH TAG
The validated tag must stay with the sturgeon until presented at aDNR-operated registration station. The tag does not need to be attached to the sturgeon unless the license holder leaves the fish.
PROTECT TAG
It is the responsibility of the spearer to keep the tag protected and legible. Consider enclosing the tag in a sealed plastic bag.
REGISTER
Any harvested sturgeon must be presented by the spearer at an official registration station by 2 p.m. the same day it was speared. Call in or online registration is NOT available for registering harvested lake sturgeon.
Group bagging is not legal. The person who speared the sturgeon must be the one to tag the fish.
HARVEST CAPS
Total harvest of sturgeon will be limited through pre-set harvest caps. Harvest caps for the 2023 Winnebago system spearing season are 350 juvenile females, 793 adult females and 1231 males. Portions of the system-wide harvest caps have been allocated to the fisheries on Lake Winnebago and the Upriver Lakes as shown below:
2023 SPEARING SEASON HARVEST CAPS | |||
Waterbody | Juvenile Females | Adult Females | Males |
Lake Winnebago | 280 | 714 | 985 |
Upriver Lakes | 70 | 79 | 246 |
Winnebago System | 350 | 793 | 1231 |
The DNR will close the sturgeon spearing season on Lake Winnebago before the maximum 16 day season when any of the following conditions occur:
- At the end of a spearing day in which 100% of any one of the three Lake Winnebago harvest caps is reached or exceeded; or
- 24 hours from the end of a spearing day which concludes with a harvest of 90 to 99% of any one of the three Lake Winnebago harvest caps being reached.
The DNR will close the sturgeon spearing season on the Upriver Lakes before the maximum 16 day season when any of the following conditions occur:
- At the end a spearing day in which 100% of any one of the three Upriver Lakes harvest caps is reached or exceeded; or
- 24 hours from the end of a spearing day which concludes with a harvest of 90 to 99% of any one of the three Upriver Lakes harvest caps being reached.
The DNR will close the sturgeon spearing season on all waters of the Winnebago system before the maximum 16 day season when any of the following conditions occur:
- At the end of a spearing day in which 100% of any one of the three Winnebago system-wide harvest caps is reached or exceeded; or
- 24 hours from the end of a spearing day which concludes with a harvest of 90 to 99% of any one of the three Winnebago system-wide harvest caps being reached.
REGISTRATION STATIONS
A person who spears a sturgeon must accompany the fish to an official sturgeon registration station. Phone-in or online harvest registration is NOT available for sturgeon registration.
Any fish harvested from Lake Winnebago must be registered at one of the registration stations onLake Winnebago. Any fish harvested from Lakes Butte des Morts, Winneconne or Poygan (the Upriver Lakes) must be registered at one of the registration stations on the Upriver Lakes.
Registration stations have returned to pre-pandemic locations, and some will have drive-thru options. To help with the registration process, the DNR asks that all harvested sturgeon be placed on tailgate or in an easily accessible location. Please follow the signs and cones at each registration station to ensure a smooth registration.
Stations are operated daily throughout the season by DNR fisheries staff. The registration process allows for collection of important biological information on the size, sex and tagging history of your fish. A metal registration tag will be attached to your fish during the registration process to signify to law enforcement staff that your fish has been properly registered. The registration tag must be retained until the carcass is consumed.
To avoid the “end of the day” rush, please bring your fish in as soon as possible after spearing it. You must be at the registration station and in-line to register your fish by 2 p.m. on the day it was speared.
Some registration stations may be closed prior to the end of the season depending on spearing activity and volume of sturgeon registrations. Any early closures will be posted at registration stations and included in daily harvest reports posted on the DNR website.
HARVEST PHOTOS
Photos are a great way to capture special moments, and the DNR is looking for spearers to submit photos that help tell a story through a Photos could be of spearers with their harvest, cutting in, shanty life, scenic views observed during the season or anything else that captures the spearing tradition.
Please be sure to include a brief description of each image. By submitting photos, the DNR is granted a non-exclusive license to use and reproduce the submitted photos for any purposes the DNR may deem appropriate, including future DNR outreach efforts.
REGISTRATION STATION LOCATIONS
Locations with drive-thru options are marked in red.
REGULATIONS
LIMITS
BAG LIMIT: One (1) lake sturgeon per licensee
MINIMUM LENGTH: 36 inches
POSSESSION AND USE OF A SPEAR
No person may have under his or her control any spear or similar device in any enclosure on the ice or waters of the Winnebago system except when authorized during established sturgeon spearing seasons during open spearing hours and while in possession of a valid sturgeon spearing license and unfilled carcass tag.
No person may take, capture, kill or attempt to kill sturgeon on the Winnebago system by any means other than spearing with a spear thrown by hand from inside a fishing shelter placed on the ice during the open spearing season.
It is illegal to spear a sturgeon and then release it back into the water.
FISHING EQUIPMENT OR GEAR
It is unlawful to possess a fishing pole, hook and line angling equipment or other similar devices that could be used to catch fish in an ice fishing tent, shanty or ice fishing enclosure with ice holes larger than 12 inches in diameter or square.
The maximum width of a spear head is restricted to 18 inches or less and tines can only be arranged in a single straight line.
ICE SHANTIES AND SHELTERS
The door of any occupied shanty/shelter shall be such that the door can be readily opened from the outside. All shanties/ shelters must have the name and residential address or DNR customer ID number of the person owning or using the shanty.
The name and address or DNR customer ID number must be painted or otherwise affixed on the outside with a minimum of 1” lettering. All shanties/shelters must be completely removed from the ice (for all inland waters south of Hwy 64) by the first Sunday following March 1.
LIGHTS, UNDERWATER CAMERAS, DEPTH LOCATORS
The use of artificial lights as an aid during spearing is prohibited during sturgeon spearing. This prohibition begins 48 hours prior to the season opener and runs the duration of the season. Underwater cameras and other forms of technology may be used, but any lights on the camera must be disabled (turned off, taped over or non-illuminating).
ICE HOLE RESTRICTIONS
No person may cut, use or maintain an ice hole larger than 12 inches in diameter or square for the taking of fish in any manner through the ice except spearing sturgeon on the Winnebago system during the open season. The total area of a sturgeon spearing hole or combination of holes may not exceed a total of 48 square feet, measured at the surface of the ice. Ice holes larger than 12 inches cut, used or maintained for spearing may not be covered by a shelter, shanty or similar device, except during the period from 48 hours before and continuing through the open sturgeon spearing season.
ICE HOLE MARKING
Sturgeon spearing ice holes must be marked with at least two strips of wood that extend a minimum of three feet above the ice. The wood strips must not exceed 1.5 inches in width and .25 inches in thickness (wood lathe meets the requirement).
When you first set your shanty, cut a hole and freeze the lathe into the ice for better marking of sturgeon holes. Lathe markers stuck in snow banks are NOT adequate because the lathe no longer marks holes when warm weather conditions melt snow.
LITTER
It is illegal to place or deposit any materials (including fish, fish parts or other biodegradables) on the ice or lake bed that cannot be retrieved. Any material used in a sturgeon spearing hole must be removed by the sturgeon spearer when the hole is abandoned or if requested by a warden. Any material that is left on or frozen in the ice or waters is the responsibility of the person who left the material (including tar paper, wood, cardboard or any other litter used adjacent to shanties).
TRANSPORTATION
It is unlawful for any person to transport an unregistered sturgeon in or on any motor driven vehicle unless the sturgeon is openly exposed. “Openly exposed” means open to view by a person in a passing vehicle.
It is illegal to possess an unregistered sturgeon speared from Lake Winnebago outside the highway boundary area delineated as follows: from the intersection of highways 10 and 114 in Menasha, east on Highway 114 to Highway 55; south onHighway 55 to U.S. Highway 151; south on U.S. Highway 151 toWinnebago Drive in Fond du Lac; west on Winnebago Drive to Scott Street; west on Scott Street to Highway 45; north on Highway 45 to Main Street in Oshkosh; north on Main Street to Waugoo Avenue; east on Waugoo Avenue to Bowen Street; north on Bowen Street to County Highway A; north on County Highway A to Highway 114 in Neenah; east on Highway 114 to the intersection of Highways 10 and 114 in Menasha.
It is illegal to possess an unregistered sturgeon speared from Lakes Butte des Morts, Winneconne or Poygan outside the highway boundary area delineated as follows: from the intersection of Highways 45 and 21 in Oshkosh west on Highway 21 to Highway 116; north on Highway 116 to County Highway B; west on County Highway B to County Highway D; west on County Highway D to Highway 49; north on Highway 49 to County Highway H; east on county Highway H to Highway 110; east on Highway 110 to County Highway II; south on County Highway II to County Highway M; south on County Highway M to Highway116; east on Highway 116 to Highway 45; south on Highway 45to Highway 21.
SPEARING OF ROUGH FISH
Spearing of any species of fish other than sturgeon from the Winnebago system is prohibited during the sturgeon spearing season, except that a licensed sturgeon spearer with a valid unused sturgeon carcass tag and valid fishing license may retain or dispose of any carp taken incidentally while sturgeon spearing. Any carp incidentally speared must be removed from the water, bank or shore and properly disposed of.
STURGEON EGGS AND MEAT
It is illegal to sell, purchase, barter or trade sturgeon eggs/roe/caviar/meat at any time.
Bartering is the exchange of goods or services for other goods or services without using money. This also means it is illegal to give, keep or accept any portion of lake sturgeon, including but not limited to eggs/roe/caviar/meat, as payment.
GUIDING
No person may engage or be employed for any compensation or reward to guide, direct or assist any other person in sturgeon spearing/fishing unless the person is issued a guide license by the DNR.
Guiding includes receiving compensation of any kind (monetary, gratuity, physical items, etc.) for services rendered. Some examples of guiding would include providing a shanty with the ice hole already cut, placing out decoys, providing/renting equipment or other activities that assist the angler/spearer to locate, attract and/or harvest fish. Please contact your local ConservationWarden with any questions.
STURGEON EGGS AND MEAT
It is illegal to sell, purchase, barter or trade sturgeon eggs/roe/caviar/meat at any time.
Bartering is the exchange of goods or services for other goods or services without using money. This also means it is illegal to give, keep or accept any portion of lake sturgeon, including but not limited to eggs/roe/caviar/meat, as payment.
GUIDING
No person may engage or be employed for any compensation or reward to guide, direct or assist any other person in sturgeon spearing/fishing unless the person is issued a guide license by the DNR.
Guiding includes receiving compensation of any kind (monetary, gratuity, physical items, etc.) for services rendered. Some examples of guiding would include providing a shanty with the ice hole already cut, placing out decoys, providing/renting equipment or other activities that assist the angler/spearer to locate, attract and/or harvest fish. Please contact your local ConservationWarden with any questions.
