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Sturgeon spearing is a multifaceted force in cities and towns

By Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Source: MCT News Service

VAN DYNE, Wis. _ A three-quarter white moon set as a red, round sun rose into clear skies one Saturday over Lake Winnebago.

The celestial symmetry was appreciated, not least for the brightness it added to the stage.

"Haven't been able to see the lake since Thursday," said Bill McAloon of Oshkosh, Wis., looking out over the white expanse of Winnebago from the west shore. "Now we can play some catch-up."

It marked the opening of the 2012 sturgeon spearing season on Lake Winnebago and the upriver lakes of Butte des Morts, Poygan and Winneconne.

In a typical year, spearers "cut in" a day or two before the opener, using trucks to position their shacks over large rectangular holes in the ice.

But there's little typical about the winter of 2012. The ice conditions are poor on many Wisconsin lakes, including the state's largest, Winnebago.

Area fishing clubs usually maintain ice roads and bridges on the lake. But not this year.

A driving snowstorm limited visibility, keeping many spearers and their ATVs or snowmobiles on shore.

"Too many cracks and heaves to try anything when you can't see," said McAloon, 72. "But there will be time to set up."

McAloon said the 2012 season marked the first time in his 54 years of sturgeon spearing that he wasn't set up for opening day.

But he was busily preparing his shack for a tow onto the ice.

"It gets in your blood," said McAloon, a director of the conservation group Sturgeon For Tomorrow. "For the communities around here, this is a much-awaited time."

The season will run through Feb. 26 or until harvest caps are reached, whichever comes first.

Sturgeon spearing is a multifaceted force in the cities and towns that ring Winnebago and the upriver lakes.

The sturgeon provided food for American Indians and early European settlers.

The modern spear fishery forms the foundation of a unique culture around the lakes. Spearing season rivals deer hunting in local outdoors importance.

Spearing shacks come in hundreds of styles and colors. Bill Casper of Fond du Lac has one painted like a Green Bay Packers helmet.

Matt and Candy Gehl of Hilbert have giant red hearts painted on their gray shack. The rig also has a 10-gallon propane tank if the romantic flames cool.

A crowd gathered at 9 a.m. at Critters Wolf River Sports in Winneconne.

The season was only 2 1/2 hours old, but sturgeon were rolling in to the sports shop, a registration station. Ice conditions were generally better on the Upriver Lakes.

Among the 13 fish registered by midmorning was a 179.8-pounder taken on Lake Poygan by Chris Haedt of Berlin.

Sitting in a shack with her father-in-law, Don Haedt, Chris saw the big fish swim into view about 7 a.m.

Her aim was true, and with some gaff help from Don, the trophy was pulled on the ice.

"I'm still trying to catch my breath," said Haedt, 46, accepting congratulations at the registration station.

It's the second sturgeon she has speared and ranks fifth on record in the Winnebago system.

Needless to say, it's larger than anything her husband, Duane, has speared. Duane was still on the lake Saturday morning, waiting for his chance.

"We'll see what he thinks about this," Chris said, smiling.

Big economic impact

The economic impact over the average 10-day sturgeon season is $3.5 million to Winnebago-area communities, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

Stockbridge claims the title of Sturgeon Center of the World.

Don Ecker of Stockbridge has a sign in his front yard: "Sturgeon decoys 4 sale."

He sells about 90 hand-carved sturgeon decoys a year. The pieces are functional works of art.

Spearers traditionally hand a decoy in the water beneath their shacks, hoping to attract the attention of a sturgeon.

Ecker, 63, works in construction but has grown busy enough in the decoy-making business to build a special workshop off his garage.

"It's part of our way of life," Ecker said. "It's fun to talk with people who've never seen one before."

While sturgeon have been wiped out in most of the world, the Winnebago population has remained strong.

"We're fortunate to have the support of so many people around the lakes," said Ron Bruch, DNR sturgeon manager for the last 23 years. "They have ownership in the resource, and it shows."

In a case study of successful natural resource management, the DNR formed a steering committee of local anglers and club members. The steering committee established regulations that both allow recreational opportunity and protect the sturgeon population.

In fact, over the last decade the number of adult sturgeon in the Winnebago system has increased.

According to 2011 DNR estimates, the system had 16,560 adult females and 30,260 adult males in the sturgeon spawning stock. Both numbers are the highest in the last decade.

The 2011 season featured a record number of sturgeon harvested over 100 pounds.

And this season, the DNR sold a record 12,680 sturgeon spearing licenses, surpassing the previous high of 12,423 in 2011.

The poor ice conditions might prevent some from getting on the lakes. Out of safety concerns, some shack rental outfits decided not to offer their products this year. Some shack owners such as McAloon will wait until after the opener to set up.

The number of shacks opening day was 2,197 on Lake Winnebago and 418 on the upriver lakes. The averages are 4,500 and 500, respectively, said Bruch.

At noon, DNR secretary Cathy Stepp joined Bruch for a news conference at the Harbor Bar and Grill in Stockbridge.

Set on a bluff overlooking the east shore of Winnebago and adjacent to a public boat launch, the bar doubles as a sturgeon registration station.

The pair spoke into a phalanx of microphones and television cameras about the importance of the sturgeon fishery.

'Friends, family and fun'

In places, four generations of spearers were on the ice, renewing a family tradition in the Wisconsin outdoors.

"Friends, family and fun," Stepp said. "The economic impact is just the icing on the cake."

Bruch estimated spearing effort was down 50 percent on opening day. Just one fish had been registered in Stockbridge at midday.

"Some people have said this season is giving the fish a break," Bruch said. "But our regulations are designed to give the fish a break every year."

When spearing closed, 210 sturgeon were registered, down from 442 in 2011.

"Every year is different," McAloon said, reflecting on more than five decades of spearing. "If this one results in a lower harvest, I'm OK with that."

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