Massive lake sturgeon taken from Lake Winnebago
Outdoor News-- Another massive sturgeon was taken yesterday from Lake Winnebago. John Genske of Sheboygan speared a 185-pound female that was over six-and-a-half feet long. It’s the third-largest sturgeon ever taken in the Lake Winnebago system – and according to the state DNR, seven-of-the-10-largest sturgeon on record have been caught since 2008.
FOND DU LAC - Another massive sturgeon was taken yesterday from Lake Winnebago. John Genske of Sheboygan speared a 185-pound female that was over six-and-a-half feet long. It’s the third-largest sturgeon ever taken in the Lake Winnebago system – and according to the state DNR, seven-of-the-10-largest sturgeon on record have been caught since 2008.
Biologist Ron Bruch says there are a couple reasons. An advisory committee adopted policies from 1993-to-2004 designed to increase the number of large sturgeon. And there have been more sturgeon age 70-and-older in the waters during the past 15 years.
Bruch said there was a big hole in the sturgeon population in the 1930’s-through-the-50’s, due to big harvests that were both legal and illegal. He says today’s bag limits protect the entire sturgeon population from being over-harvested. Another 174 fish were taken yesterday, the third day of the spearing season. The total harvest is 881, still down from a year ago.
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People who live on or near Lake Winnebago say they’re frustrated by all the trash. They say visitors aren’t picking up after themselves when they come to the lake. Menahsa residents have to clean up beer cans, glass and wooden pallets left by partiers who enjoy time on the ice. Calumet County Sheriff’s deputies say they patrol the area regularly and investigate every complaint, but they are not able to take their squad cars past the shoreline. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officers say they are also investigating the complaints.
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