Sturgeon Spearing Season Opens February 12January 26 - With only 16 shopping days left until the 2011 opener of Sturgeon Spearing on Saturday February 12, many of you are likely already starting to get your gear together and thinking about water and ice conditions on the lakes. Our crews went out last week on Lake Winnebago (before the sub-zero temperatures) and found a good 16-20 inches of ice - of course the ice is never completely safe in any year so be sure to know where the cracks and the areas with thin ice due to currents are. They also found an even 12 feet of visibility across Lake Winnebago - it appears we had an algae bloom probably around Christmas which is settling out now and, barring another runoff event or bloom, may continue to settle and improve water clarity over the next 16 days - we'll see. At this point the limited information we have on the Upriver Lakes is the same for ice, with only fair, but possibly improving, water clarity.
Crews have also been busy getting gear together and registration shacks set. When you bring in your fish this year, the registration process will be the same as it has been for quite a few years now - just make sure you get into line at the station before 1:30 PM the same day you spear your fish; better yet - try to get in as soon as you can after you spear your fish to avoid the lines at the end of the spearing day.
http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/sturgeon/lakewinnebago/
