 Josh Duel was one of two spearers who were able to harvest a fish over 100 pounds today (a 71.5-inch, 108.1-pound, F4 female).
Feb. 21, 2026 Harvest Update
Many spearers were able to get back out onto the ice today mostly with smaller ATVs to enjoy another weekend of spearing. Who would have thought at the beginning of this season we would make it to the second weekend? But that is just what mother nature handed us this year.
Many spearers were likely excited to get another weekend spearing, particularly those who have work or school during the week. We hope they were able to get back out and enjoy.
Today a total of 34 lake sturgeon were speared on Lake Winnebago with 2 juvenile females, 15 adult females and 17 males.
After a strong opening weekend where most of the harvest was coming from the northeast portion of the lake, now the harvest is fairly spread throughout the system. The two registration stations with the most fish harvested was Stockbridge on the east side (9 lake sturgeon) and Southwest Winnebago on the west side (8 lake sturgeon).
The current totals for the entire Winnebago system are 198 juvenile females, 643 adult females and 647 males for a total of 1,488 lake sturgeon.
View the full Day 8 Harvest Report online.
With 2 more fish over 100 pounds speared today, there have been a total of 52 lake sturgeon harvest over 100 pounds. The largest today was speared by Michael Scharschmidt, a 70.4-inch and 113.8-pound, F4 female sturgeon.
Unlike most years where a majority of the 100-pound lake sturgeon come from the east side of the lake, many of the 100-pound lake sturgeon are being registered at either Downtown Oshkosh (11 fish so far) or Stockbridge (9 fish so far). After talking with many spearers, during the beginning of the season, many were spearing pretty far out into the lake and then simply returning to their local registration station for registration.
This could mean that many of the 100-pound sturgeon might actually have been coming from the middle of the lake where the DNR found most of the chironomid (red worm) forage that lake sturgeon prefer (see image below).
We are in for some cold weather tonight, so hopefully that will give spearers better ice for tomorrow. But please remember that no ice is 100% safe, so please be cautious and check with your local fishing and spearing clubs for ice updates.
 This map shows the 2025 4th instar chironomid larvae relative abundance at the 32 sites on Lake Winnebago.
Catch Rates are relative to point size, with larger points indicating higher catch rates and an X indicating no chironomid caught.
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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