Large sturgeon caught hook and line fishing on Yellow Lake
Attention Winnebago System Fisheries Enthusiasts:
The Winnebago System may not have a hook and line sturgeon fishery, but there are numerous waters in the state that do. One of the more heavily targeted fisheries is on Yellow Lake in Burnett County. The current state record (hook and line) lake sturgeon was caught on Yellow lake in 1979; weighing 170 pounds 10 oz and 79" long. Well 13 year old David Jacobson has a "fish tale" of a potential record breaking fish that he recently caught and released from the same waterbody. The news article in the Duluth News Tribune (link below) tells the tale. Unfortunately David's fish was not weighed on a certified scale and thus cannot be recognized as a potential state record fish.
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/outdoors/fishing/3840616-13-year-old-hauls-whale-sturgeon-burnett-county-lake
A Wisconsin fishing license is required to hook and line fish for lake sturgeon in Wisconsin. A harvest tag is not required to practice catch and release, but an inland hook and line sturgeon harvest tag is required if the angler intends to harvest a fish. The tag must be immediately validated and attached to the fish upon harvest, similar to the winter spear fishery on the Winnebago Pool Lakes. Interested anglers should reference their fishing license regulation pamphlet to see where sturgeon fishing seasons exist within Wisconsin waters and what the harvest regulations are on those waters.
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Ryan Koenigs
Senior Fisheries Biologist / Winnebago System Sturgeon Biologist
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
625 E County Rd. Y, Suite 700
Oshkosh, WI 54901
Phone: (920)303-5450
Fax: (920)424-4404
Ryan.koenigs@wisconsin.gov