Wis. DNR to sturgeon hunters: Spear at own risk

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin's spear-toting sturgeon fishermen have been waiting for Saturday, a chance to finally get out on the Lake Winnebago ice, set up their shanties, wait for that monster fish to swim by and skewer it.

There's just one problem: Mother Nature.

Two weeks of unusually warm temperatures have left the lake's coating of ice treacherous, reducing its thickness to only a few inches in spots and clearing out entire patches of open water in other areas. State Department of Natural Resources officials acknowledge that the poor conditions could dampen opening weekend turnout. They insist the season will go on as planned, but warned spearers to use common sense on the ice.

"All we can do is set the seasons and encourage people to go out and pursue the sport safely," DNR sturgeon expert Ron Bruch said. "We certainly don't have the capability of drawing a map of the lake showing thick ice and thin ice. We're in the fish management business, not in the ice business."

The DNR estimates that nearly 47,000 sturgeon live in Lake Winnebago and lakes that adjoin it. The spearing season on those lakes runs for 16 days or until spearers hit harvest caps; the agency limits the take to 5 percent of the population.

The season has grown into an annual winter celebration. Each year thousands of people pile into their pickup trucks, drag their shanties for miles out onto Lake Winnebago. When they find a good spot, they bore a hole in the ice, sit down with a hot chocolate or a beer and spend hours peering into the frigid lake. If they spot one of the prehistoric fish, they stab it in the back.

All the pieces were in place for a spectacular 2012 season, DNR officials said last month. A record 12,680 people purchased licenses before the Oct. 31 deadline. At $20 each, that brought in more than $250,000 for the DNR.

Plus, agency biologists said the sturgeon population has grown enough that they could increase harvest caps slightly, from 711 last year to 745 this year on Lake Winnebago and from 79 to 83 on adjoining lakes.

But strong winds in January ripped the ice off sections of Lake Winnebago. Those tears froze up again, but day-time temperatures in the region haven't dipped below freezing for 11 of the last 13 days. The high on Jan. 31 reached 46 degrees, according to National Weather Service data.

Now spearers face sections of ice that could be as thin as 3 inches and open water around river and creek mouths. Bruch said generally ice should be about a foot thick for vehicular traffic and at least 3 inches thick for walking.

"A lot of spearers have made their minds up already that they're not going to go right away (on opening weekend)," Bruch said. "The effort will be much less."

Spearers who do venture out will have to pick their way across the ice. Many plan to use all-terrain vehicles rather than their trucks. But even then, they'll need about 6 to 7 inches of ice to operate safely, Bruch said.

Darryl Lehman, president of the Paynes Point Hook & Spear Fishing Club in Neenah, said he usually takes his Dodge Dakota truck out on the ice, but this year he and other members plan to use four-wheelers. That means they won't have the power to haul out the thousand-pound-plus steel bridges they use to cross pressure cracks. They'll also have to stop periodically as they travel to check the ice's depth.

"The conditions are definitely affecting a lot of people," Lehman said. "I've heard from a lot of guys who say they won't go this year. Either they don't have a four-wheeler or just don't want to mess with it."

Matt Woods of Winneconne is president of the Upper Lakes Chapter of Sturgeon for Tomorrow. He said he and his father plan to hook their shanty to his father's four-wheeler and look for at least 8 inches of ice, stopping every 50 yards to check depth. If they can't find it, they're turn around and go home.

"We'll probably just wish other people good luck and tell them to be safe," Woods said. "It's not enjoyable unless you can do it safe."

The forecast for early next week calls for highs in the 20s and teens. That could mean improved ice conditions and a later start for many spearers, which could lead to lower harvest totals and a full 16-day season, Bruch said.

Pat Wudtke of Bondeul has been spearing sturgeon for 50 years and he insists he's not going to miss the 2012 opener. The 75-year-old is leaving his Ford F-150 at home this year and going with a four-wheeler, but he'll be out there no matter what.

"I'm spearing them every night in my sleep," he said. "(The DNR has) got our money and they're not going to refund it so we might as well go and see if we can spear one."