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Sturgeon

  1. DNR shoots underwater video of sturgeon spawning

    DNR film crew join us for sturgeon spawning assessments on the Wolf River. Original soundtrack is courtesy of Wisconsin musician Dick “Blackhawk” Kapusta.

    • May 10, 2013
  2. Retired Sturgeon biolgist, Ron Bruch, with a 150 pound sturgeon tagged in a past spring spawning season. Gary Engberg/For Wisconsinoutdoorfun.com

    Gary Engberg reflects on the short sturgeon spawning season

    The 2013 Wisconsin spring spawning season is nearing the end with a short, but successful spawn.

    • May 1, 2013

  3. Video: Sturgeon spawn on the Wolf River

    Charlene Kuenzi shares video of sturgeon spawning on the Wolf River in May 2013.

    • May 6, 2013
    • WOF /
    • WOF-Sturgeon

    Primer on sturgeon spawning in Wisconsin

    Ross Bielema of the Shawano Leader published a primer for those unfamiliar with Wisconsin's sturgeon spawning season last week.

    • May 6, 2013

  5. Wardens say Sturgeon Guard finished for season

    Talk about a whirlwind week for Conservation Warden April Dombrowski and members of the all-volunteer Sturgeon Guard.

    • May 3, 2013

  6. Warden rescues stranded sturgeon in Seymour

    A sturgeon took two wrong turns this week and ended up stranded 25 miles from the rest of the spawning fields.

    • May 2, 2013

  7. DNR: Sturgeon spawning at Shawano dam to peak today

    The sturgeon started spawning at the Shawano Dam on May 1, 2013 and DNR crews worked to handle over 350 fish. The spawn was just getting underway, in fact most of the females that were handled were still hard and not actively laying eggs. The DNR expects the fish will become much more active and May 2, 2013 will be the peak spawning days at the Shawano Dam.

    • May 2, 2013

  8. Video: Sturgeon restoration on Wisconsin's waters reaches milestones

    While the lake sturgeon spawning spectacle on the Winnebago System is unfolding now and grabbing the biggest headlines, sturgeon populations on several major state rivers are quietly recording some significant milestones, state fisheries officials say.

    • May 1, 2013

  9. Photos: Readers share their sturgeon spawning shots

    Wisconsinoutdoorfun.com would like to add your photos of Wisconsin's sturgeon making their annual trip up the Wolf River to our collection.

    • May 1, 2013
  10. Mike Penning (from left) of Green Bay, Dave Paynter of Oxford, Brian Koenigs of the state Department of Natural Resources, and Pat Gorchals of Weyauwega, collaborate to tag, measure, weigh and determine the sex of a sturgeon Monday along the Wolf River near New London. Dan Powers/For Wisconsinoutdoorfun.com

    Sturgeon spawning season underway on Wolf River

    Sturgeon started hugging the Wolf River’s rocky shoreline Monday, signifying the beginning of the fish’s spawning season.

    • Apr. 30, 2013

  11. Sturgeon Guard begins work today

    Warden Supervisor April Dombrowski of Oshkosh says the weekend’s warmer temperatures have heated the water to nearly ideal spawning conditions for the sturgeon to start later today or tomorrow on the Wolf River.

    • Apr. 30, 2013

  12. Warden: Volunteers still needed for Sturgeon Guard

    If you have volunteered – or are thinking of volunteering – to be a Sturgeon Guard for the upcoming spawning season on the Wolf River, this update is for you.

    • Apr. 29, 2013
  13. Sturgeon have started their spawning run on the Fox River below the dam in De Pere, Thursday, April 26, 2012. H. Marc Larson/For Wisconsinoutdoorfun.com

    Video: Sturgeon spawning expected to begin Monday

    Department of Natural Resources experts say sturgeon spawning should begin Monday after the warm weather this weekend.

    • Apr. 28, 2013
  14. Sturgeon spawn in the shallow water of the Wolf River at Bamboo Bend in Shiocton in this file photo. Gannett Wisconsin Media

    Cold weather delays sturgeon spawning

    This year's unseasonably cold weather has the sturgeon population holding tight on its annual spawning run, putting sturgeon guards on ice for the time being.

    • Apr. 24, 2013

  15. Late spawning could mean smaller fish

    Another spring tradition is delayed by the unseasonably cold weather.

    • Apr. 25, 2013

  16. Browse, share photos from sturgeon spearing season

    Readers and staff have shared dozens of photos from the 2013 sturgeon spearing season on the Lake Winnebago system.

    • Feb. 12, 2013

  17. More sturgeon call Keshena Falls home

    Another group of lake sturgeon is enjoying their new home this week after Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources staff transported them from below the Shawano dam on the Wolf River to Keshena Falls on the Menominee Indian Reservation.

    • Apr. 16, 2013

  18. Answers: How do I join the Sturgeon Guard and help stop poachers?

    Welcome to another special edition of a popular Warden Wire feature -- the Frequently Asked Questions. You may recall the recent installments of FAQs - the Special Edition during the recent sturgeon spearing and gun-deer seasons. Warden Wire again is publishing this special edition of Frequently Asked Questions -- this time dealing solely with the sturgeon spawning season and how to become a member of the volunteer Sturgeon Guard. These questions were taken by the DNR Call Center.

    • Mar. 16, 2013

  19. New system aids in signing up sturgeon guard volunteers

    A new online registration process is now available for those interested in taking part in the Sturgeon Guard program. For the past 36 years, the program has relied on volunteers to help guard the prehistoric fish from being harvested as they head up rivers to spawn.

    • Mar. 13, 2013

  20. Column: Fishing for dinosaurs takes determination

    Although dinosaurs are thought to have died out some 65 million years ago, not everything from ancient times has gone extinct. The Coelacanth, for example, a prehistoric fish, was discovered by a South African museum curator on a fishing trawler in 1938.

    • Feb. 26, 2013
  21. Jill Diedrich spent over 3 hours fighting and landing a 69-inch sturgeon on Saturday, Feb. 23. Submitted photo

    High school student fights sturgeon for three hours

    The Wisconsin State High School Ice Fishing Championship was held Saturday, Feb. 23 on Lake Winnebago at TJ’s Harbor Restaurant in Oshkosh. Over 30 teams participated, each with a 10 person team. Each team weighed in ten fish per team.

    • Feb. 28, 2013

  22. DNR seeks sturgeon guard volunteers

    Each spring, hundreds of volunteers have an opportunity to guard sturgeon at their spawning sites on the Wolf River and protect the fish from poaching. When the sturgeon are spawning along the rocky shorline of the Wolf River, they are fairly oblivious to nearby human activity and are very susceptible to illegal harvest.

    • Feb. 26, 2013
    • WOF /
    • WOF-Sturgeon

    Sturgeon spearing season comes to a close

    Mark Marin had come to the conclusion that he would most likely see the 16-day Lake Winnebago sturgeon spearing season end without spearing a fish.

    • Feb. 25, 2013
    • WOF /
    • WOF-Sturgeon
    Ryan Theobald, left, with the 73.4 inch-, 144.7-pound sturgeon he speared on Saturday, Feb. 23. Ryan Koenigs photo

    Sturgeon spearing season ends Sunday

    The 2013 spearing sturgeon spearing season ends at 12:30 p.m. Sunday on Lake Winnebago.

    • Feb. 23, 2013

  25. Sturgeon spearing: 13 fish taken on snowy day on 'Bago

    Spearers braved the snowy weather on Friday to harvest 13 sturgeon, including one of the oldest males in the Lake Winnebago System.

    • Feb. 22, 2013

  26. Browse, share photos from sturgeon spearing season

    Readers and staff have shared dozens of photos from the 2013 sturgeon spearing season on the Lake Winnebago system.

    • Feb. 12, 2013

  27. Sturgeon spearing: Season total surpasses 250 with 14 fish harvester Thursday

    The sturgeon harvest on Lake Winnebago picked up slightly Thursday with 14 fish being speared.

    • Feb. 21, 2013
  28. Preparations for sturgeon spearing on Lake Winnebago. Hard packed deep snow and sinking ice is making for difficult travel and set up of shantyŐs. Thursday, February 10, 2011. The Reporter photo by Patrick Flood. File photo

    Spearers register 11 sturgeon on Wednesday

    Just 11 sturgeon were pulled through the ice of Lake Winnebago Wednesday as the annual spearing season inches closer to its closing weekend.

    • Feb. 20, 2013
    • WOF /
    • WOF-Sturgeon

    Another quiet day for spearers

    It was another quiet day on the ice Tuesday for Lake Winnebago sturgeon spearers.

    • Feb. 19, 2013
    • WOF /
    • WOF-Sturgeon

    Giant sturgeon speared on Lake Winnebago

    A monster sturgeon — nearly 150 pounds — was speared on Lake Winnebago Monday.

    • Feb. 18, 2013
  31. Mikey Galligan with a 175-pound sturgeon in 2012. Submitted by Gary Engberg

    Blogger Gary Engberg enjoys another season of spearing tradition

    Saturday, February 9 marked the Wisconsin sturgeon spearing season opener for the 81st time on Lake Winnebago and the Upriver Lakes of Poygan, Butte des Morts, and Winneconne. Wisconsin is one of only two states with a sturgeon spearing season with the other state being Michigan. Lake Winnebago is the third largest freshwater lake in the country at 137,000 acres and 88 miles of shoreline.

    • Jan. 7, 2013
    • WOF /
    • WOF-Sturgeon

    Father-son duo finds spearing success

    A father and son had great luck over the weekend, spearing big sturgeon of the day on Saturday and Sunday on Lake Winnebago.

    • Feb. 17, 2013
  33. Brian Wendt, left, of Eldorado, spears a 71.7 pounds and 67.2 long; Scott Klein, of Fond du Lac, spears his largest at a 114.6 pounds at 68.7 long. The boys spears their catch of the day before 8 a.m. and registered it at Wendt's on the Lake Friday, Feb. 15, 2013.

    Second weekend of spearing better than first

    Sturgeon spearers took 76 fish on Saturday and Sunday, eclipsing the 60 speared opening weekend on Lake Winnebago, the Department of Natural Resources reports.

    • Feb. 18, 2013
  34. Brian Wendt, left, of Eldorado, spears a 71.7 pounds and 67.2 long; Scott Klein, of Fond du Lac, spears his largest at a 114.6 pounds at 68.7 long. The boys spears their catch of the day before 8 a.m. and registered it at Wendt's on the Lake Friday, Feb. 15, 2013.

    Second weekend of spearing better than first

    Sturgeon spearers took 76 fish on Saturday and Sunday, eclipsing the 60 speared opening weekend on Lake Winnebago, the Department of Natural Resources reports.

    • Feb. 17, 2013

  35. Spearers take 37 fish Saturday

    Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources registration stations tallied 37 sturgeon taken Saturday on Lake Winnebago.

    • Feb. 16, 2013
  36. Paul Spanbauer, Goldsmith Designer with Reimer Jewelers is making gold, white gold and silver sturgeon earings, pendants and rings for customers that want something special. He also creates other game fish jewelry. JOE SIENKIEWICZ/For Wisconsinoutdoorfun.com

    Goldsmith takes inspiration from sturgeon

    Those who fish remember the fish they caught through photographs – the proud sturgeon spearer standing next to their prized prehistoric fish or the fisherman holding the fish with the body of water in the background – and the stories they tell.

    • Feb. 16, 2013

  37. 119-pounder largest of 12 sturgeon registered Thursday

    Twelve fish were registered Thursday as the sturgeon spearing season continued on Lake Winnebago.

    • Feb. 14, 2013
    • WOF /
    • WOF-Sturgeon

    Sturgeon report: Water clarity improving on Lake Winnebago

    Sturgeon spearers reported clearer water on Lake Winnebago Wednesday, the fifth day of the annual sturgeon spearing season.

    • Feb. 13, 2013
    • WOF /
    • WOF-Sturgeon
    Activity has been slow at sturgeon spearing registration stations around Lake Winnebago. Payne's Point Bar at Neenah, above, has been closed. Adam Jungwirth/For Wisconsinoutdoorfun.com

    Wendt's registers Winnebago's largest Tuesday sturgeon

    Al Zangl had a memorable outing Tuesday, but it was a very quiet day for most of the other sturgeon spearers on Lake Winnebago.

    • Feb. 12, 2013

  40. DNR Video: Father and son discuss sturgeon spearing

    The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources shares an interview with Shawn and Mike Wendt about the sturgeon spearing season.

    • Feb. 12, 2013

  41. Sturgeon spearing: Upriver Lakes' final harvest totals 261

    Seven fish were harvested on Lake Winnebago and 26 from the Upriver Lakes on Tuesday, the fourth day of the sturgeon spearing season on the Winnebago System.

    • Feb. 12, 2013

  42. Browse, share photos from sturgeon spearing season

    Readers and staff have shared dozens of photos from the 2013 sturgeon spearing season on the Lake Winnebago system.

    • Feb. 12, 2013
    • WOF /
    • WOF-Sturgeon
    People gather at a registration station outside Critters Wolf River Sports in Winneconne on Sunday, the second day of the sturgeon spearing season, to look at fish speared earlier in the day.

    Sturgeon season set to close on Upriver Lakes Tuesday

    The sturgeon spearing season will end Tuesday on the upriver lakes of the Lake Winnebago system, while the total number of fish speared on Lake Winnebago remains low due to poor water clarity.

    • Feb. 11, 2013

  44. First day of sturgeon season fun, full for warden Mike Disher

    The only thing more powerful than the 179-pound, 80-inch sturgeon wrestled out of Lake Winnebago by Sherwood’s Pete Vanderwielen on opening day of the 2013 Sturgeon Spearing Season was the undeniable bond among the families and their friends who filled the thousands of heated ice shanties scattered in every direction.

    • Feb. 11, 2013

  45. Video round-up: Sturgeon season tips and tales

    Blogger Mark Schram posted the videos below on his myfishingpartner YouTube account. Schram was on the ice for the 2013 sturgeon season opener.

    • Feb. 11, 2013
  46. Jeanette Wendler (from left), Paul Kanehl and Carolyn Malecha lift a 65-pound sturgeon onto the registration table Sunday at Critter's Wolf River Sports in Winneconne. Spearers registered 49 sturgeon on the day, bring the two-day total at the location to 124. Kanehl works for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources while Wendler and Malecha are student volunteers from Northland College in Ashland. Ron Page/For Wisconsinoutdoorfun.com

    Onlookers drawn for chance to see sturgeon (story, photos, video)

    Sturgeon spearing is a spectator sport, and not only for those who hover around holes in the shanties on the frozen lakes.

    • Feb. 10, 2013
    • WOF /
    • WOF-Sturgeon
    Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist Dave Bartz, of Wautoma registers a 116-pound sturgeon at Wendt's on the Lake near Van Dyne on opening day of the 2013 spearing season on Lake Winnebago. Aileen Andrews /For Wisconsinoutdoorfun.com

    Spearers likely to see 16-day season on Lake Winnebago

    Sturgeon spearers received both good news and bad news at the conclusion of the second day of the annual central Wisconsin rite of winter.

    • Feb. 10, 2013
    • WOF /
    • WOF-Sturgeon

    Opening day of sturgeon season a mixed bag

    Jacob Keup only needed to sit in his ice shanty for about an hour Saturday morning before he speared his sturgeon.

    • Feb. 10, 2013
  49. John Anderson (left) and his brother, David, prepare to head out on opening day of the sturgeon spearing season off Waverly Beach in Menasha on Saturday. Chances are anyone returning to that station Saturday afternoon came back disappointed as no fish were registered there on the day. Ron Page/For Wisconsinoutdoorfun.com

    Sturgeon spearing opens slow on Lake Winnebago, steady on Upriver Lakes (story, photos, video)

    The sturgeon spearing season opened with a thud Saturday at Waverly Beach.

    • Feb. 9, 2013
    • WOF /
    • WOF-Sturgeon
    Tony Gishkowsky of Oshkosh stands next to the 116-pound, 101-inch female sturgeon he landed on Saturday during the opening day of the spearing season. Aileen Andrews / For Wisconsinoutdoorfun.com

    HUMAN VS. FISH

    Word traveled fast around Lake Winnebago on Saturday that water conditions were less than optimal. 'Dirty,' they called it.

    • Feb. 9, 2013
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Wildflower hike: The Northwoods Chapter of the Ice Age Trail Alliance will conduct this hike at 10 a.m. in Lincoln County's Harrison Hills. Bring a lunch and water for the trail. Take Highway 51 to Highwy J at Irma, east on Highway J for five miles to Turtle Lake Road and north three miles on Turtle Lake road. Or from the east take Highway 17 to Highway J at Bloomville, then west on Highway J to Turtle Lake Road and turn north. Contact Ruby Jaecks at brjaecks@airrun.net or 715-443-3586. More events | Events map

Birding: Discover birds arouned Wisconsin in events hosted in Ozaukee County, Door County, the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Columbia County and Horicon Marsh. Times and hosts vary. For more information or to register visit https://www.cvent.com/events/great-wi-birdathon-big-day-trips/registration-941aca6cd282454189211661afb27a0a.aspx. More events | Events map

Fly fishing school: The Frank Hornberg Chapter of Trout Unlimited will hold this event at the Riverside Bible Camp, south of Amherst, next to Stedman County Park on the Tomorrow River. Sessions will cover casting, knots, gear selection, entomology, fly tying and reading a stream. Meals and two nights lodging are included. Total cost is $200 for registrants before April 15, $250 after and $150 for youths accompanied by an adult. For more information contact Matt Salchert at 715-321-1394 or mattsalchert@yahoo.com.More events | Events map

Paddle: Paddle Namekagon covers 92 miles of the Namekagon River. Visit http://www.scrapaddle.org for more registration information and additional details. Registration has begun and is limited to 80 participants. More events | Events map

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