February 15, 2021 – Fond du Lac, WI – Day 2 of the 2021 sturgeon spearing season saw a decrease in harvest.
In total, 265 fish were harvested on the Winnebago system, with 207 coming from Lake Winnebago and 58 coming from the Upriver Lakes.
The registration stations on the north end of Lake Winnebago had the highest totals again today, with the Harrison Town Hall station (52) leading the way. The Winneconne (Marble Park) registration station (23) registered the most fish on the Upriver Lakes.
The Upriver Lakes harvest has surpassed 50% of the allotted cap for both males and adult females. However, the Upriver Lakes season will likely continue into mid/late week. Lake Winnebago and system-wide harvest caps remain in the distance and are unlikely to be met during the upcoming week.
Click here for the daily harvest report.
The largest fish harvested on Lake Winnebago today was 121.6 pound (76.1 inches) F4 female speared by Reid Crump. Reid’s fish was registered at Grundman Road. Steven Loker harvested the largest fish on the Upriver Lakes: a 119-pound 74.1-inch F4 female harvested on Lake Poygan. Females at the F4 reproductive stage are lake sturgeon that would be spawning this coming spring.
The clear skies on day two of the season allowed for aerial shack counts to be conducted. Lake Winnebago totaled 4,326 shacks. The east (894) and southeast (872) zones of the lake had the highest number of shacks, while the west (455) zone had the least. The Upriver Lakes shack count survey resulted in 389 total shacks observed. The majority of shacks counted on the Upriver lakes were on Lake Poygan (329).