Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin is a popular sturgeon spearing destination, with the first sturgeon spearing season officially opened in 1903.

This year, Oshkosh resident, and sturgeon fishermen extraordinaire Mikey Galligan, etched his name in the sturgeon history books after he speared a whopping 175.3-pound female that measured 78.5-inches from tip to tale. The giant sturgeon was the sixth largest taken on Lake Winnebago since 1932 when records were first kept (sturgeon steaks anyone?).
   
The current record holder, super-spearer Ron Grishaber of Appleton, Wisconsin thumped a bemammoth weighing 212.2-pounds in 2010.

Typically, some 12,000 sturgeon spearing licenses are bought by residents eager to get a chance to tag one of these prehistoric monsters.

On opening day, literally thousands of ice shanties dot the lake. In 2010, an official count of shanties found 4,321. For the sturgeon “fishermen” (called fishermen even though they fish with a sharp spear), success ratios are very low, hovering typically around 10-percent on Lake Winnebago.
   
On smaller impoundments like Poygan, Winneconne, and Buttes Des Morts―success rates are significantly better as the sturgeon tend to congregate in smaller areas. Typically 60-percent or so of sturgeon fishermen are successful here. But those lakes are lottery lakes, with fishermen being drawn for a chance to tackle a sturgeon.
   
Landing one of these creatures employs some odd techniques. Decoys are used to bring the sturgeon into spearing distance. These typically include hand carved fish decoys painted in neon colors to catch the sturgeon’s attention. Others use mundane decoys like, and I’m not making this up, bowling balls and pieces of PVC pipe.
   
While writing this, I couldn’t help but hum the Weird Al Yankovic’s “Like a Surgeon” parody of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” recorded in 1985. Of course Yankovic’s “surgeon,” which replaced the original “virgin” was replaced by “sturgeon.” Everyone sing along, “Like a sturgeon, spearing for the very first time…”

Comments (1)

from Bob Hansen wrote 1 year 12 weeks ago

Hi...

Man, I bet he couldn't pull that one up through the ice very easy.

Good catch, guy.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

Post a Comment (200 characters or less)

 

All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

from Bob Hansen wrote 1 year 12 weeks ago

Hi...

Man, I bet he couldn't pull that one up through the ice very easy.

Good catch, guy.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

Post a Comment (200 characters or less)

 

All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.