The Wisconsin DNR said Monday the 2020 harvest numbers were very similar to the 2019 season.
The DNR said the final totals for the 2020 season were 491 on Lake Winnebago and 320 on the Upriver Lakes. In 2019, they were 478 on Lake Winnebago and 307 on the Upriver Lakes.
The DNR said difference between the two seasons is when the fish were registered. During the 2019 season, 31.9% of the fish harvested from Lake Winnebago were registered on opening weekend and only 11.9% were registered on the final weekend. The DNR said 2020 season, on the other hand, had 15.1% of the harvest from Lake Winnebago coming from opening weekend and 22.0% from the final weekend.
According to the DNR, improvements in the ice conditions, both ice thickness and water clarity, is attributed to the difference between the 2020 and 2019 seasons.
When looking back through more spearing seasons, the Lake Winnebago harvest of 491 fish in 2020 ranks tied for 51st of all time, the DNR said. There were over 800 spearers that were able to fill their tags this season.
Click here to see Lake Winnebago data. Click here to see Upriver Lakes data.
