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Hoyt Patt’s first year sturgeon spearing is going to be memorable with his first fish. His dad tells him he's lucky as many go years before they spear their first fish. Congrats Hoyt!
Feb. 15, 2026 Harvest Update
It was another great day out on Lake Winnebago. While there weren’t as many fish harvested compared to yesterday, they were still an impressive 375 lake sturgeon harvested throughout the system.
On Lake Winnebago, 300 lake sturgeon were harvested (43 juvenile females, 132 adult females and 125 males). Most of the fish are still being harvested on the east side of lake where spearers tell us they still have areas of great water clarity.
After the opening weekend, this brings the totals on Lake Winnebago to 96 juvenile females, 371 adult females and 312 males for a total of 779. This is 56% of the adult female harvest cap for Lake Winnebago.
Stockbridge continued to have the highest number of registered fish with 87 lake sturgeon. That brings their total to 235 registered for just that station.
Even with fewer spearers on the ice, Upriver still harvested 75 lake sturgeon with 10 juvenile females, 19 adult females and 46 males reported.
With these fish, the 90% trigger has been hit on the Upriver Lakes. Spearers with tags for the Upriver Lakes can continue to spear until 1 p.m. tomorrow (Monday, Feb. 16). At that time, the Upriver Lakes sturgeon spearing season will CLOSE.
Spearers with tags for Lake Winnebago may continue to harvest sturgeon on Lake Winnebago until any of the sex-specific harvest caps are reached or until any of the Winnebago System sex-specific harvest cap totals are reached.
View the full details in today's harvest report.
More families were out spearing today, including Hoyt Patt and his dad. It was his first season out and Hoyt is on the board. is dad mentioned it took him 15 years of waiting before he successfully speared his first sturgeon when he was young, so Hoyt was lucky getting one his first time out!
This is a good reminder of how lucky successful spearers are on Lake Winnebago. During an average year, only 8% of spearers who purchase a tag are actually successful in harvesting a sturgeon during the season. Spearers are usually looking for good water clarity as well as food availability on the bottom. Even with all that, there is still a little luck that must happen in the hopes that a sturgeon will move and swim through the sturgeon hole. Congrats Hoyt, you have joined a special group of people who can all say they have successfully speared a Winnebago lake sturgeon.
Fourteen of 375 lake sturgeon harvested today were over 100 pounds. Today’s largest fish was a 125.0-pound, 72.2-inch F4 female that was speared by Jamie Wilson and registered at the Neenah station.
Next week’s forecast continues to look warm during the days. Please make sure you are checking with the local fishing and spearing clubs, especially about landing access, before heading out on the lake or while you are retrieving your shanty from over the weekend.
Good luck to our Upriver spearers who will take the lakes one more time tomorrow, and good luck to the those on Lake Winnebago. Be safe everyone!
 The largest fish speared today was this gorgeous 125.0-pound, 72.2-inch F4 female that was speared by Jamie Wilson and registered at the Neenah station.
No Ice Is 100% Safe
Before heading out on a frozen waterbody, it's crucial to prepare and plan. Here are a few safety tips to remember:
- Have a plan in case you do go through the ice.
- Roll your window down when traveling on the ice and make sure you can easily open your door – drive slow and turn the radio down so that you can use your eyes and ears to watch and listen for potential hazards.
- Recovery for a UTV or another vehicle is the responsibility of the owner/operator. After 30 days, the owner can be fined each day after 30 days.
- Never consume alcohol or drugs before or during your ride.
- Carry a cell phone, and let people know where you are going and when you’ll return home.
- Watch for pressure ridges or ice buckling. These can be dangerous due to thin ice and open water.
Remember, the DNR does not monitor ice conditions. Local fishing clubs, outfitters and bait shops are the best sources for local current ice conditions.
Check out the DNR's Ice Safety webpage for more information on staying safe on the ice, including tips for creating ice claws and what to do if you fall through ice.
Additional information on the Winnebago system sturgeon spearing season can be found on the DNR website.
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