LAKE WINNEBAGO (NBC 26) — Monday marked the final day of the 2026 sturgeon spearing season on the Winnebago system.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reports that on the final day, just 16 lake sturgeon were harvested. None of those were juvenile females, 9 were adult females and 7 were males. This final count brings the season total to 1,540 fish, consisting of 202 juvenile females, 670 adult females and 668 males.
This season saw a wonderful opening weekend, with good ice conditions and stellar water clarity. According to the DNR, it was the best opening weekend in over a decade, with a total of 1,029 sturgeon harvested across Lake Winnebago and the Upriver lakes. The Upriver season ended Feb. 16.
Unfortunately, the DNR adds that warmer temperatures and rain slowed the harvest down, and the season ended up lasting just 10 days. The last time the Winnebago saw such a short season was in 2015, which was just 8 days. Despite the short season, the DNR calls this year's harvest successful, especially coming off the past two years, when harvest levels were below 500 on the lake.
The largest sturgeon of the season was a 148.1-pound female, speared Upriver on opening weekend.
