Sturgeon Spearing Right Around the Corner

Opening day of the 2011 Lake Winnebago System Sturgeon Spearing Season is less than a week away and spearers are preparing for what could be another record year.  The word on the ice is that clarity is once again really good over most of the lake.  There are some areas of cloudy water out from the river mouth as well as the south end, but for the most part it should not be a major factor in extending the season.

Here Fishy Fishy

The biggest challenge facing spearers this year will be snow, and lots of it.  Travel on the lake away from the plowed roads has been tough going to say the least!  I would strongly suggest traveling with more than one vehicle as well as having a shovel, tow rope, and cell phone with you at all times.  The drifts are really hard to distinguish from the normal snow cover, so be prepared to put the hammer down out there!

My New Decoy

On a brighter note, this weekend's forecast is calling for highs in the 30's, which should get the fish moving and also make for a comfortable experience on the ice.

I have taken the day off on Friday to haul the shack out onto the ice, cut in, and get the shack ready to go for opening morning!  I plan on taking lots of pictures of all the festivities, so I can show all of you just how unique and interesting the entire process really is.  Wish me luck this weekend and I will report back soon!

Last Year's Success

For more up to date information on this year's harvest numbers and a lakewide water clarity report check out the Wisconsin DNR webstie at http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/sturgeon/lakewinnebago/

Tragedy on the Homefront

Unfortunately for yours truly, my weekend started off with a bang!  On Friday I had planned to take a half day of vacation to get on the ice prior to a Bachelor Party where all the guys wanted to catch some fish.  On Thursday evening I stopped at Fleet Farm on my way home from work to pick up some bait, a couple new baits, gas, and a car wash for my salt covered truck.

Once I returned home, I then organized all of my gear, put the aerator in the minnows, and changed some hooks and leaders on my tip ups.  Everything seemed to be falling into place quite nicely.  I had everything ready for the weekend before my wife came home from work!

My luck swiftly changed on Friday morning, as I headed to work like I do every day M-F.  The only difference, I lost all of my ice fishing gear in the blink of an eye.  Everything seemed fine, until I stepped out of my truck and noticed my tailgate was open!  I quickly looked under my tonneau cover and couldn't believe my eyes!  I had to look twice before it hit me that my sled had slipped right out the back without me knowing!
As soon as I realized what had happened, I was backtracking my route praying my gear would be laying along the road waiting for me to retrieve it.  As I pulled into my apartment complex it hit, my gear was gone!  Someone had collected my gear and took off with it.  I had my name and number on several of the items, so I was confident that I would be getting a call soon.  My confidence began to fade as the hours passed and the phone remained silent.  It was gone, all gone.

Everything from my Hummingbird Flasher to my Ice Creepers, gone.  The more I thought about what had just happened, the more things I remembered that I had lost.  The gear that had taken me years to collect had been lost in seconds.

I wish there was a happy ending to the story, unfortunately for me there isn't, at least not yet!  The rebuilding process has already begun, Fleet Farm is enjoying my recent investments, and will continue to enjoy them for some time.