LAKE WINNEBAGO (WTAQ-WLUK) — As the finish line to the 2023 Sturgeon Spearing Season nears, more than a thousand sturgeon have been taken from Lake Winnebago.
But how do the fish look?
Experts say it may come down to what the prehistoric fish are eating.
The campaign got off to what many call a good start.
“Nice fish. Wow,” said one registration station worker.
Dan Stumpf registered an 88-pounder at Critters in Winneconne on opening day.
DNR sturgeon experts say that fish represents a relatively healthy species.
“The numbers of the population are still about what they’ve been for the last 5 or 10 years. So we got about 40,000 adult fish out there. About 25,000 adult males, and 15,000 adult females,” said Margaret Stadig, DNR Sturgeon Biologist.
Stadig says some fish could be a little leaner this year. The bottom-feeding sturgeon typically eat what they can fit in their mouths, including zebra mussels, and lake fly larvae, also known as red worms. She says the most recent DNR red worm sample revealed the lowest number in 10 years.
“This year, the red worm population is a little slim. You’re going to have to look a little bit harder for those,” she said.
Stadig says tiny fish called gizzard shad provide a fatty food source as well.
“We did see a very slight bump in gizzard shad. I’ve been hearing across the lake that some people are seeing them, particularly to the south. Not the booms we’re seeing from previous years, where there were thousands and thousands,” she said.
Through 11 days, DNR statistics indicate about half as many 100-pound fish were registered on Lake Winnebago as there were a year ago. Biologists say many of those sturgeon food sources experience boom, and bust years.
“It just so happens that this year is probably one of those bust cycles. They’re out there. You got to search for them,” said Stadig.
Stadig says sturgeon are opportunistic, and will adjust.
“Nothing we’re super concerned about right now, but something we’re going to continue to monitor,” she said.
The sturgeon spearing season is scheduled to wrap up on Sunday.
