2022 hook and line lake sturgeon season opens Saturday

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced that the inland hook and line season for lake sturgeon will take place Sept. 3 through Sept. 30 on certain waters.

DATCP confirms more CWD positives on local farm

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) confirmed Thursday that a Taylor County deer farm that tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) was depopulated and 61 of the 238 animals tested as a result of the depopulation were positive for the disease.

In 2021, a 6-year-old white-tailed doe tested positive for CWD at the 22-acre Maple Hills Farm outside of Gilman. DATCP immediately quarantined all animals on the premises, meaning no live animals or whole carcasses were permitted to leave the property.

Farm owner Laurie Seale will receive federal indemnity for the depopulated animals. The farm, including 62 fawns, had 300 deer at the time of the depopulation. The farm will not be permitted to hold cervids for five years and during that period, it must maintain fences and submit to routine inspections.

CWD is a fatal, neurological disease of deer, elk and moose caused by an infectious protein called a prion that affects the animal’s brain. Testing for CWD is typically only performed after the animal’s death. DATCP regulates deer farms for registration, record keeping, disease testing, movement and permit requirements.

Sept. 1 will mark the start of year two in a three-year deer baiting and feeding ban the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has placed on Taylor County.

Lake sturgeon in these waterbodies remain strong thanks to continued science-based management practices and habitat work. 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.

A hook and line sturgeon tag is not required if an angler plans to release the sturgeon they catch.

The minimum length for harvesting sturgeon is set at 60 inches, with a one-fish limit per season. 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.

If anglers catch a tagged sturgeon, they should submit the date of catch, location and tag number, color and material composition (i.e. metal or plastic) and the length of the fish to the county biologist where the fish was caught, which for this area is Jeff Scheirer of the DNR’s Park Falls Service Center (715-762-1354). Tags are located near the dorsal fin of sturgeon and the information these tags contain is used to monitor the movement and growth of lake sturgeon, aiding in future species management.

Waters legal to fish

  Chippewa River: West Fork downstream from Moose Lake Dam (Sawyer Co.) and East Fork (Ashland Co.) downstream to the confluence of the Mississippi River (Pepin Co.) including sloughs, bayous, and flowages.

  Flambeau River: North Fork from Turtle-Flambeau Dam (Iron Co.) and South Fork (Price Co.) downstream to the confluence with the Chippewa River (Rusk Co.) including sloughs, bayous, and flowages.

  Butternut Lake in Price County.

  Jump River from the North and South Forks to the confluence with the Chippewa River (Rusk Co.).

  Yellow Lake, Little Yellow Lake, Danbury Flowage, Yellow River from Yellow Lake downstream to the Danbury Dam (Burnett Co.).

  Wisconsin River downstream from the Wisconsin Dells Dam.

Season predictions

Based on recent surveys, DNR fisheries biologists predict anglers on the lower Chippewa River near Eau Claire will likely catch plenty of juvenile lake sturgeon while fishing for a legal fish, signaling that this population will be around for generations to come.

Yellow Lake in Burnett County continues to provide a trophy lake sturgeon fishery and anglers will likely continue to catch juvenile and adult lake sturgeon, many in the 40- to 60-inch range, though it’s possible some lucky anglers could reel in a sturgeon over 70 inches.

When fishing on Yellow Lake, anglers should be on the lookout for yellow dangler tags, which contain a fivedigit number on the dorsal fin of lake sturgeon. These tags are often covered in algae, so anglers may need to clean them off in order to see the tag number. Please leave the tag on the fish and report the tag number to DNR fisheries biologist Craig Roberts at 715-416-0351 or craig.roberts@wisconsin.gov.

The Menominee River is also expected to provide good catch and release action. If the current low river levels on the Wisconsin River continue, conditions will likely be ideal for targeting lake sturgeon. Biologists predict large numbers of juvenile and adult sturgeon will be caught.

The DNR encourages anglers to continue to practice responsible catch and release when releasing any fish they do not wish to keep.