Sturgeon Spawning Update
Dear Winnebago Sturgeon Enthusiasts:
The warm weather over the last 3-5 days has increased water temperatures on the Wolf River, which has led to increased sturgeon activity. Typically sturgeon exhibit some pre-spawn behaviors that allow us to predict roughly when spawning will take place. The first behavior is porpoising (rising up above or jumping out of the water), and fish typically begin this behavior a few days before spawning begins and increases in intensity as spawning activity gets closer. The second behavior is known as “cruising” and involves sturgeon moving up and down the shoreline (typically males), but no spawning activity is actually taking place. Typically cruising takes place 1-2 days before spawning gets underway, and again increasing in prevalence as spawning gets closer. Right now on the Wolf River there are fish cruising at the Sturgeon Trail on County X in New London and at Bamboo Bend in Shiocton, as well as a few other sites on private property. Given the warming water temperatures (54-58 degrees F today), I think that sturgeon are going to start spawning at these two sites sometime this evening or early tomorrow. Now these fish have proved our predictions wrong in the past, but they seem to be really close to getting going and I anticipate that the run will get underway very soon. So if you would like to see sturgeon spawn, I recommend coming to one of these two sites either Monday or Tuesday (April 29-30). Peak spawning typically only takes place at a given spawning site for 1-2 days, so please don’t wait until later in the week to come to one of these sites to see spawning fish.
Until my next report (hopefully tomorrow evening)...I hope you get a chance to get out there and see the sturgeon spawn, and remember this is truly a unique event that should not be taken for granted!
Ryan P. Koenigs
Fisheries Biologist
Upper Fox - Wolf Fisheries Work Unit
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Phone: (920)303-5450
Fax: (920)424-4404
e-mail: Ryan.koenigs@wisconsin.gov