2009 Lake Sturgeon Spawning It's happening now!

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2009 Lake Sturgeon Spawning
It's happening now!
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http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/sturgeon/sturgeon_WEB.wmv

Become one of the crowd as lake sturgeon make their annual spawning run up the Wolf River, Wisconsin.
Wolf River Sturgeon Spawning Update (4/25/09)

Sending this to you from our hotel in Shawano which has been the base of our sturgeon tagging operations for the last few days. We have been tagging sturgeon all week at sites between Shawano and New London and have tagged to date around 700 fish at numerous sites while we were waiting for the fish to start spawning at the Shawano dam site.

The sturgeon finally started spawning below the Shawano dam late yesterday (Friday) evening. The warm temperatures yesterday finally pushed them to the point of spawning at the dam site. The fish have been spawning at sites further down river for the last four days or so. The big push at Shawano will likely be today and tomorrow and may be over by Monday or Tuesday there. There are still good numbers of fish to be seen at the Wolf River Sturgeon Trail (Cty Hwy X, New London), and at Bamboo Bend, Shiocton. The cold rainy weather forecast for the next few days may make the spawning period stretch out a couple extra days, but if you want to see fish I suggest going today or tomorrow to one of the three sites I listed above.

Today we will be attempting to take eggs for several sturgeon recovery projects in Tennessee, Georgia, and here in Wisconsin, and I will be conducting surgeries on about a dozen large females (150-200+ lb class) implanting 10 year sonic tags, so we can track the spawning migration patterns of these large females over the next 10 years.

Hope you get a chance to come out an see these fantastic fish. - Ron Bruch, senior sturgeon biologist, Oshkosh

Call the sturgeon hotline number for recorded daily updates: (920) 303-5444.

    * Volunteer to guard sturgeon at their spawning sites on the Wolf River and protect the fish from poaching.
http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/sturgeon/sturgeon_guard.html


Lake Sturgeon Spawning/Viewing Locations on the Wolf River

Maps open to larger images. Sites are listed from North to South.

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    Shawano Dam in Shawano - Parking available on the east side of the river at the end of Richmond Street.
http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/sturgeon/shawanodam.html

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    Bamboo Bend at Shiocton - on County Highway 54. Parking available on the north side of County Hwy. 54.
http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/sturgeon/bamboobend.html

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    Wolf River Sturgeon Trail (near New London) - about 2 miles west of New London on County Highway X. Parking available on the south side of the river about 1/2 mile from the spawning site
http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/sturgeon/wrsturgeontrail.html

During mid-April to early May, Lake Sturgeon travel upstream to their spawning grounds, giving the public a prime opportunity to see these ancient ones up close.

Sturgeon spawning is dependent on water temperature and flow. During seasons when water flow is high and water temperatures rise slowly, spawning begins when water temperature reaches 53 degrees Fahrenheit. In contrast, during seasons of low water flow and more rapid water temperature rise, spawning does not begin until water temperatures reach 58-59 degrees Fahrenheit.