Lana Freiberg Hauls In 159 lb Sturgeon To Cap Off Day 14

Day 14 of the 2021 sturgeon spearing season picked up around Lake Winnebago as a total of 49 fish were speared.

Total harvest Friday consisted of 8 juvenile females, 23 adult females, and 18 males, bringing Lake Winnebago season totals to 231 juvenile females, 619 adult females, and 523 males. Blackwolf Landing was the busiest registration station with a total of 15 fish brought in.

Winnebago System sex-specific harvest totals have increased to 273 juvenile females, 696 adult females, and 768 males for a total of 1,737 fish. The 90% trigger for either Lake Winnebago or system-wide sex-specific harvest caps are still in the distance as 79 juvenile females, 151 adult females, and 312 males remain.

Although Friday’s harvest improved from previous days, it’s not likely harvest caps will reached this weekend, resulting in a full Lake Winnebago spearing season for the 6^th straight year.

Harvest caps will likely not be met this season even though water clarity and ice conditions were favorable. Although average water clarity around the lake was better than in recent years, there was noticeable variability in water clarity by lake region. For example, the east shore of Lake Winnebago was averaging approximately 10-12 feet of visibility, whereas the north and west shores were closer to 15-18 feet of visibility.

We anticipate harvest may rise for the remainder of the season as spearing effort will likely increase over the final two days. Moreover, reports from successful spearers are that the water remains clear despite the warmer weather and snow melt.

Good luck to the spearers heading out this weekend to pursue their harvest during the final days of the 2021 season.

Click here for a detailed harvest report.

Friday, the largest fish harvested on Lake Winnebago was the 157.8-pound (78.3 inches) giant speared by Lana Freiberg. Lana’s fish was an F4 female and was registered at the Oshkosh registration station.