I can now officially check the box for spear fishing sturgeon on Lake Winnebago. I spent three days with Dan “Sturgeon,” who is an old-school, second-generation sturgeon spearer. In fact, his father speared the third largest sturgeon during the 1963 season. For the 100-pounder he won a brand-new ice shanty heater and a case of Chief Oshkosh beer every month for six months. I’m not making that up and it has to be the coolest third place trophy I’ve ever heard of. 

Dan’s spearing shack is also old school. It was brand new when Harry S. Truman was president. I’ll save you a Google search and just tell you that it was new in 1950. I’m not making that up either. It is a vintage sturgeon spearing working antique. The ancient heater runs off LP which also heats the one burner cook stove. It looks like John Gustafson Sr. from the movie “Grumpy Old Men” is going to step out of it at any time. I wanted the old school sturgeon spearing experience and between Dan Sturgeon and his shack, that is exactly what I got. I loved every second of it. 

My previous spearing experience as it relates to Lake Winnebago was limited to binging YouTube videos. That didn’t prepare me for the emotional drive onto the ice that first day of spearing. I was excited and nervous, and I wondered if I would be one of the lucky few out of the 13,000+ spearers. It’s not uncommon to go years and even decades without getting a fish.

The water clarity was horrible. We were in just over seven feet of water and we could not see bottom. Only 31 fish were speared across the system that day. The highlight, aside from it being my very first day of spearing, was lunch. We had brats. Can you get more Wisconsin than eating brats while trying to spear a sturgeon on Lake Winnebago?

The second day was almost a carbon copy of the of first. The water clarity continued to be poor as only 27 fish were speared. Just like day one, Dan Sturgeon was eager to answer every question I asked. I learned that his father-in-law has a perfect batting average when it comes to throwing the spear, never missing a sturgeon. I also learned that female sturgeon do not spawn until they are around 25 years old and males when they are around fifteen. I also learned that Dan Sturgeon is a pretty good cook in that we had his homemade chili for lunch.

On the third and last day of spearing the water clarity improved and the harvest numbers bore that out with 81 fish being registered. We were able to lower our decoy almost to the lake bottom and even though I was running out of time, I was still optimistic. I ate my steaming hot grilled ham and cheese sandwich standing over the hole so as not to miss an opportunity. My sandwich was awesome, but the sturgeon gods never rewarded me.

Official legal spearing time is from 7 a.m. – 1 p.m. and you have until 2 p.m. to register your fish at one of the registrations stations around the lake. A registration station is like the old-time deer registration station meets a Green Bay Packer victory at Lambeau. People are slapping backs, taking pictures, throwing out high fives, and toasting the lucky spearers as the entire crowd makes up one giant party. Successful spearers instantly become a part of sturgeon royalty as they drag their sturgeon loaded on plastic sleds towards the registration station. It’s the sturgeon spearing version of walking down the red carpet with adoring family, friends and fellow spearers cheering with reverence and a tinge of jealousy.

When the ice settled on my last day, I had spent about 15 hours staring down a hole in the ice seeing nothing but mostly murky water. But you know what? I had a terrific time and I hope to do it again next year. All told there were 943 sturgeon speared during the 16-day season. That means that I finished in a tie for the 12,057th place. The prize? At Jerry’s Bar, also a registration station, it’s a tap beer in a glass. For three bucks I got to keep the glass.

If you're interested in sturgeon or sturgeon spearing, there is a PBS documentary on YouTube titled “The Frozen Chosen.” It’s one hour long and a terrific watch about all things sturgeon. It completely captures the look and feel of this historical harvest. 

If you want to see more of photos from Dave’s sturgeon spearing adventure, check out the Facebook online version of OTT. The address is listed below.

Didn’t get enough Dave this week? Visit “Outdoor Trails and Tales with Dave Beck” on Facebook for photos and video of Dave’s adventures. You can share your own photos and video with him there as well, or by emailing him at dave@piercecountyjournal.news Also, check out OTT content on Instagram @thepiercecountyjournal