WI state record sturgeon speared!!

[Trevor]

Darn it.....what ever happened to that popcorn eatin' smiley    

[coboy]

That's quite the fish! A 48 sq.ft. hole is huge,considering a sheet of plywood is 32 sq.ft. I imagine you have to guess how long it is before you
spear it to meet the 36" minimum length.If it tastes anything like the sturgeon I've had back in Oregon,that's some good eating.

[bearbgone]

Sturgeon is the best smoke fish you will ever eat....

[Kevin23]

they taste like crap. I guess your right. LOL
as for the 150 year old comment. tree hugger

I'm getting the- 'I'm 15 years old' vibe.  So why dont you just calm down before this thread gets booted.

I agree with 53andout, it has been proven that big flathead pick up all kinds of chemicals when they surpass 10 years old. I cant begin to imagine how much mercury and other pollutants are in those fish. I would not sign up for the season, I would not eat the fish and I'm a big believer that you should eat what you catch.

[slipperybob]

That's certainly bigger than the sturgeon I caught under the ice!

[yakk]

150 year old fish. What a shame.

+ 2 . just gives the peta people more ammo. if not eaten , and not an invasive species . no need to kill it .

[Trevor]

If I could just throw my $.02 in here for what it's worth.  I hail from an area where not a lot of focus is put on the management of our fisheries.  Things have recently taken a step in the right direction, say the last 5 years or so with the introduction of reduced limits, mandatory barbless hooks, draws for certain species on certain waters.  However I have literally seem the decimation of smaller lakes over the course of a single season.  

From everything I have read and heard of the level of management in the upper states MI, WI etc....it seems even with extremely high fishing pressure the fishery seems to be thriving.

This may be ignorance on my part.....or call it denial, but tradition or not, I'm not so sure this Sturgeon spearing would be allowed to continue were it not an essential component in the management of the local fishery.  What may often seem brutal is simply an essential ingredient in righting the natural balance that human greed/industrialization has wronged.

[pikedood]

Do the guys use a pitchfork size spear for a fish that size and any pics of that too? Just curious.

[Walleye64]

Sturgeon Spearing Lake Winnebago Wi (Day 1)
 

[Walleye64]

Decoys/ amount of sturgeon that will be harvested this year

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[Raquettedacker]

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[Kevin23]

boot the threat I dont care, boot me to! I post a picture of a guys huge I mean huge sturgeon and I hear crap like this.

Your not getting crap because of the photo, your getting crap because of your smart attitude. Your views, all though they may be correct in your mind, are not going to be accepted with everyone. This is something you will learn. Everyone has their own opinion and nobody (not even you!) has the right to tell them they are wrong.

[rgfixit]

[Walleye64]

yes little popcorn guy!

[Corporal Punishment]

I would spear that in a heartbeat,is it legal to use bows on them as well?

[HIMO]

 

                                           HIMO
                                Iceshanty Moderator

[yakk]

I would spear that in a heartbeat,is it legal to use bows on them as well?

for what purpose? just curious .

[UpNorth -21]

What one believes is right the next believes its wrong that is a giant fish im sure it is a thrill and a challenge getting one cant take anything away from the spearfishermen what he did is perfectly legal!!! DNR sets it up for a reason its not just for people to go out there and kill for chits and gigs. Seems like everyone is an expert on everything these days. Shut up and fish!!!

[Corporal Punishment]

150 year old fish. What a shame.

I eat 150 years of fish!!!!But its usually 2 or 3 year olds at a time... 8)

for what purpose? just curious .

Once in a lifetime experience!!!

[rgfixit]

Smoked sturgeon sells for $32.50 per 1/2 lb in NY. Ive had it and it's delicious.

RG

[Corporal Punishment]

Smoked sturgeon sells for $32.50 per 1/2 lb in NY. Ive had it and it's delicious.

RG

The guys rich!!!!

[Kevin23]

The guys rich!!!!

He probably got what, 100+lbs of meat off that? so that's $6500+ worth of meat. If that guy has a commercial fishing license, he just hit the lottery!

[TIBS]

The Winnebago Sturgeon Spearing season has it's roots in the in the 1800's when settlers here started spearing along side the Stockbridge natives.  The fishery has not always been strong, however the DNR thankfully caught on in the 1950's that these fish needed protection.

Winnebago Lake Sturgeon are not just bottom feeders, the summer months they will feed on lake fly larvae and in the winter they usually switch over to Gizzard Shad.

I do not spear, yet, but am learning as much as I can about the fishery and the fish before I make an attempt.

[Bailbuster]

for what purpose? just curious .

CHOWDA

[TIBS]

He probably got what, 100+lbs of meat off that? so that's $6500+ worth of meat. If that guy has a commercial fishing license, he just hit the lottery!

Yeah right, just an FYI, anything taken in WI with a sporting license, whether it be fish, deer, bear, or whatever, it's a big no no to sell it.  Nice hefty fines and jail time for that here.

[Kevin23]

Yeah right, just an FYI, anything taken in WI with a sporting license, whether it be fish, deer, bear, or whatever, it's a big no no to sell it.  Nice hefty fines and jail time for that here.

Thats why I said commercial license...............

[Corporal Punishment]

Yeah right, just an FYI, anything taken in WI with a sporting license, whether it be fish, deer, bear, or whatever, it's a big no no to sell it.  Nice hefty fines and jail time for that here.

I have seen guys selling there deer hides/mounts on craigslist/ebay,thats illegal in WI....

[bearbgone]

I have caught sturgeon on hook and line and they are a blast to catch in open water. I no longer fish for them at all. In Wisconsin it cost $20 for a tag to catch one fish during open water when they are in season.  I have no idea about the spearing of them?  I have always released sturgeon I caught in the past. I have tried them smoked and they are very tasty.

[rgfixit]

I've seen pictures from the early 1900's of sturgeon stacked like cord wood from Lake Ontario. They were taken at Point Breeze where the Oak Orchard river empties into Lake O. They were huge. All taken on long line rigs.

RG

[Jrod0582]

holy cow