Sturgeon Spearing Opens Saturday

The 2013 Lake Winnebago Sturgeon Spearing Season will open up at 6:30am this Saturday, and will most likely be another full 16 day season like 2012 due to poor water clarity and variable ice conditions.  The upriver lakes, however, should be much more productive with the shallower water and fair water clarity.

Hopefully this pole will once again be filled this year!

Spearers need to keep safety in mind again this season, as ice conditions vary around the lake.  There are multiple areas on the lake with unsafe ice conditions; specifically the majority of the west shore is unsafe for truck travel due to the crazy ice shift that occurred only a couple weeks ago.  There are also cracks on the north end of the lake which are also making for unsafe truck travel in that area as well. 

Another safety hazard to be aware of is shack ventilation.  Make sure that your shack has some form of ventilation to ensure the Carbon Monoxide produced while running a propane heater will have a chance to escape, rather than build up to dangerous levels. 

Water clarity reports coming in from this past weekend indicate that the water is clearing up, but still not enough to make a huge difference.  Finding clearer water will be a huge key to success this season, so keep this in mind and do some scouting prior to opening day if you have time. 

Several of the local fishing clubs now have tree lines out on the main lake, including; Calumet County Park, Stockbridge, Pipe, and Fishermans Road.  Remember these clubs spend lots of time and money to allow access to anglers, so if you see them thank them for their efforts and drop them a little cash if you can.

Although I am not personally going to be spearing this season, I still plan on getting out on opening day to check on where people are spearing, check out the registration stations, and hopefully talk to a few lucky spearers!