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Hook And Line Lake Sturgeon Season Opens Sept. 4
DNR Fisheries Technician Katie Renschen with a lake sturgeon captured during a 2021 electrofishing survey on the Menominee River.
Photo credit: Wisconsin DNR
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced that the inland hook and line season for lake sturgeon will take place Sept. 4 – Sept. 30 on certain waters.
To harvest a sturgeon, anglers must have a valid fishing license and purchase either an inland or boundary water sturgeon harvest tag. Licenses and tags can be purchased through Go Wild, the DNR’s online license portal, or at one of our licensed sales locations. All licenses and regulations apply.
If an angler catches a lake sturgeon that they wish to harvest, they must immediately validate their tag. Any harvested sturgeon must be registered at a designated registration station no later than 6 p.m. the day after they caught the fish.
Anglers around the state should look for tags near the dorsal fin on lake sturgeon. If a tag is located, anglers should submit the date of catch, location and tag number, color and material composition (i.e. metal or plastic) to the DNR. This tag information will be used to help monitor the movement and growth of lake sturgeon, aiding in future species management.
When fishing on Yellow Lake in Burnett County, anglers should be on the lookout for yellow dangler tags, with a five-digit number on the dorsal fin of lake sturgeon. Often covered in algae, anglers will need to scratch off the algae in order to see the tag number. Please leave the tag on the fish and report the tag number to Craig Roberts at 715-416-0351 or craig.roberts@wisconsin.gov.
Based on surveys conducted this year, fisheries biologists are predicting a strong overall hook and line lake sturgeon season. While anglers fishing the Menominee River are likely to encounter a limited number of 60-inch lake sturgeon, they should enjoy good catch-and-release action. On other inland waters, anglers should expect to encounter larger fish in 2021 and years to come.
The DNR encourages anglers to continue to practice responsible catch and release when releasing any fish they do not wish to keep. Advice on responsible catch and release can be found on the DNR’s responsible release page.
