Ten years ago, she and her father, who was visiting, went out with a friend to see what the sport was about. During EAA in July, visitors from throughout the world will stop at Wendt’s, learn about sturgeon spearing, and order apparel. Growing up out of the area, Weber didn't know about sturgeon spearing until she moved here after college.

During the wintertime a unique way of “fishing” is done on the frozen lake. At 9:45, the sturgeon swam by, and for a few seconds, Pfeifer could only look at it.

The brewery turned its eyes towards Fond du Lac as it searched for events to sponsor. However, it was the sturgeon which first spurred his business.

Wife n I out from 9-3 today. “Everybody tells me that you should go out and do it, but then I would miss all of this, so I just keep up the tradition, and wait like I was waiting for my dad to get back,” she said. Last year 1,100 people participated in the pools, which ranged from smallest, largest and first fish caught. Groeschel has joined in the annual tradition of sturgeon spearing on Lake Winnebago system for more than 40 years, and has taken home quite a few fish. The clothing is used to generate interest — and dollars — for the restaurants, Hopper’s owner Dave Hopper said. FOND DU LAC – As people young and old search for sturgeon beneath the ice, just off the shore, the prehistoric fish is leaving its impact. And, you can find a friendly face whenever you need it. Just a couple blocks away, Brick House restaurant, 161 S. Main St. will serve up sweet, sturgeon-themed drinks. Not 20 minutes later, he got one — a 75-inch, 141-pounder, no less, and on his first time spearing ever. Smallmouth bass, are not targeted often by Winnebago anglers even though they are one of the most fun species to catch in my opinion.

Although these areas tend to be the most crowded, they do produce the most amount of fish. At the foot of Lake Winnebago and beyond, local businesses are finding ways to celebrate the area’s claim to fish fame, from foam hats to specialty drinks. But through them all, the 44-year-old Oakfield man had never seen the parking lot of Wendt's on the Lake in Van Dyne so empty at 5:30 a.m., he said, as he readied his four-wheeler to head out for a day of spearing on Lake Winnebago. Ryan Koenigs, senior fisheries biologist for the DNR, said there were only a little more than half the number of shanties on the ice in comparison to last year. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. The sport is a family affair, Keifenheim said, with everyone getting involved, including his dog. The beer’s distributor, Lee Beverage, will give tap trailers and beer storage. Even as reports came in of varying ice conditions, there was no question whether Wayne Groeschel, 55, of Fond du Lac, would return to the frozen waters.

Usually trucks are lined up to get onto the ice, but this year, there was only a sporadic flow of ATVs and four-wheelers. On average, five to six dozen sweatshirts are ordered every year, along with dozens of hats. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. As part of the sponsorship, Lakefront Brewery created “Bottom Feeder Ale.” While each year “the beer is a little different,” Belling said, it has a dark color to reflect the life of a sturgeon and the muddy lake bottoms the feast from. With nearly two decades of sturgeon spearing under his belt and eight catches to date, it'd be safe to say Kory Roloff of Oakfield has seen his fair share of season openers. As people rush to get their taste, Belling reminds customers of the same saying on Lakefront Brewery packing: “Please enjoy our products with all senses — especially common sense.”. Lake Winnebago is Wisconsin’s largest inland lake. And it just happens to make Lake Winnebago its home.

This water boasts a large population of Walleye, mostly in the 12-to 23-inch range. Morgen and Keifenheim have more than 90 years of combined experience on the ice. “You’re not going to find the same one or even close at another (restaurant).”. This year’s design features a sturgeon’s head emerging from the water on a white long-sleeve T-shirt. The sturgeon experts: DNR weigh stations provide insights to fish population, Fond du Lac County Sheriff warns about poor ice conditions for sturgeon spearing, Sturgeon spearing: Lake Winnebago businesses celebrate fish with spears, beers and big hats. A pool given to the person who spears a 200-pound sturgeon rolls over from year to year, and has not been won. The best baits to use include any sort of natural bait such as worms, minnows, chicken liver, bluegill, etc. Then the "Winnebago express" was off, headed to spearing shanties positioned off the western shore of Lake Winnebago.

In past years, people in the restaurant stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the beginning hours of the season, Bertinick said.

At the time, he was beginning to get a “knack for carving foam” and one day wondered what would happen if he made sturgeon, put it on a hat and walked into the lakeside restaurant.
The printing business works with each to make their own unique product and begins printing them before Christmas so buyers can have them before they step onto the ice. Though Schumacher was excited about her fifth and by far largest sturgeon, she said the sport is really about family time for her. "Everything was moving so fast.". Sturgeon spearing decoys hang for sale Thursday, January 29, 2020 at Wendt's on the Lake supper club in Van Dyne, between Oshkosh and Fond du Lac, Wis. Wendt's on the Lake offers a variety of sturgeon spearing merchandise. "It's cold," said a shivering Smith, clad in a bomber hat, a puffy winter jacket and snow pants at about 5:45 a.m. Saturday, when temperatures were in the low teens. For crankbaits, almost anything will work out fine when the conditions are right. The “cloudy green” drink has a tootsie roll flavor, and a speared “gummy sturgeon” to top it off, she said. Walleye usually tend to hang out around the northern side of the lake, but if the water is cool enough they are just as common in the southern end. Cloud, and her family, were in the crowd this year. Flathead catfish are a bit different. The necklace fits right in with The Goldsmith’s other home-inspired jewelry. 1 12# cat and a herd of sheep of course.
If you want to learn how to catch smallies in the river, check out this article explaining all about it here. Sturgeon spearing: Eat it, mount it, wash it — what is the fate of the fish? All rights reserved. Doug Raflik/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. The Pipe Fishing Club sells road passes during the season that are a main source of funding for the club. Looking to celebrate the sturgeon spearing season in a “fun way,” staff at Brick House created a variety of concoctions and the Bottom Feeder specialty cocktail rose to the top, becoming the restaurant’s “annual Sturgeon Cocktail,” owner Laurie Baumhardt said. “You cannot help but just be blown away by the impact the season has on restaurants,” said Craig Molitor, president of Destination Lake Winnebago Region, which is hosting the festival Sturgeon Spectacular in conjunction with Fond du Lac Festivals Inc. One of the restaurants is Wendt’s on the Lake, N9699 Lake Shore Drive, in Van Dyne, where lovers of the season find sturgeon camaraderie, equipment and apparel all under one roof. Doug Raflik/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Sturgeon spearers faced inconsistent and, in some cases, downright poor ice conditions on Lake Winnebago and the upriver lakes of Poygan, Winneconne and Butte de Morts. Lastly, Try out different colors and see which one they are biting the most in order to have the most success. At 8:15 a.m., the two readied themselves in front of the hole in the ice, unsure if anything would pass their way. LAKE WINNEBAGO, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Opening weekend of sturgeon spearing on Lake Winnebago is in the books. In fact, the only sturgeon spearing shirt the store has in stock is the one they create on behalf of Sturgeon Spectacular. They are often found in deeper holes or steep dropoffs. An 82-year-old caught in Lake Winnebago in 1953 is on record as the oldest lake sturgeon in Wisconsin - a mere whippersnapper, when compared to the 152-year-old, 215-pound, 81-inch long old-timer, hauled up from the bottom of Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada that same year.