Last week I was asked to go on a road trip to film the sturgeon spearing opener and the World Ice and Snow Sailing Championship (WISSA). Myself and Bret Amundson from the Minnesota Sporting Journal made the trip to Fond Du Lac, Wis., to check it out.
On the first day we got to see the fishermen cut in their holes and get their shanties set up for the opening day. There were tons of events going on to add to the festivities. The sturgeon queen was crowned, burning of the sacrificial sturgeon (which was built out of wood and paper) and a band and fireworks to top off the night.
On the morning of opener, the wind whipped across Lake Winnebago at 40 mph, which made it pretty tough to go out and interview the people spearing as we couldn't find them. We did run into the local Fishing has no Boundaries. They had houses filled with participants trying their luck. We also got to meet WOW, Women on Winnebago, a group of outdoors women that put the smackdown on the fish. Then it was off to the registration stations to see if there was some success. There were lines of fishermen with their trophies, most weighing between 30-50 pounds, although we did see one 85 pounder come in. The record was speared in 2010, weighing in at 212 pounds.
One thing that you see right away is there is a deep running tradition in the local communities. It is very comparable to our deer hunting.
There are camps set up, and parties at peoples houses packed with friends and family make it a very social event. Another thing I noticed right away with sturgeon spearing was that it is a very old event. Participants are in search of fish that resemble dinosaurs, with very primitive tools. Nobody was worried about anything fancy, they were there to get the job done. The shanties were mostly homemade, very simple houses. Consisting of just a heater and a huge 4-foot by 8-foot spear hole. The decoys are mostly hand made and some of the most unique ones we saw were a bowling pin, coffee can and disco ball. Speaking of decoys - we got the honor of meeting a legend of Winnebago. Her name was Mary Lou Schneider. She has been spearing since she was a teenager and she is now 81, and has had the same shanty for over 40 years. She is also known for her art work, from carving decoys to making small sturgeon pins carved from deer antlers. You could definitely write a book on just her stories alone.
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The season goes until the quota is at 90 percent, so it is usually open anywhere between 3-7 days. And this year over 13,000 tags were sold. Out of state tags are also available and are $50. So with some advice from the locals on where to set up and what to look for, I will be building my own spear this summer and carving a couple of decoys, and trying my luck next year. I figure if I do it, it will be the hard way, making my own equipment as they do. One thing I learned is you don't just pick a spot, you take a sample of the bottom of the lake and look for red worms in the mud, a major food source for sturgeon. this will greatly increase your odds of seeing a fish. The water clarity is very different from spot to spot, so you have to pick a location with a good bottom sample and that is clear enough to see in.
There are many places in the Fond Du Lac area that can help you get set up if you want to try for yourself, from hole cutting to renting spears and shanties. I do plan on going back this summer to see the Horicon marsh and maybe do some walleye fishing on Winnebago. It is a quick trip and one I highly suggest making. Check out the Fond Du Lac Visitors and Convention Bureau and see what they have to offer. You won't be disappointed.
