Hook and line sturgeon season is underway

The inland hook and line season for lake sturgeon opened on Sept. 5 and continues through Sept. 30. Anglers have the opportunity to catch these prehistoric fish while on a dozen waterways throughout Wisconsin.

To harvest lake sturgeon, anglers must have a valid hook and line lake sturgeon tag. Licenses and tags may be purchased online through the GoWild system, or at a licensed sales agent. Visit https://dnr. wisconsin.gov/topic/Fishing/outreach/ FishingLicenses for more information on licenses and tags. Anglers should also consult the 2020-2021 Hook and Line Fishing Regulations as all regulation requirements apply. The minimum size limit is 60 inches.

Nearby hook and line harvest areas for sturgeon include the Jump River below its north and south forks, the south fork of the Flambeau River, Butternut Lake on the Price/Ashland County border, the north fork of the Flambeau River in Ashland, Price, Sawyer and Iron (up to the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage Dam) counties, the main stem of the Chippewa River and its impoundments, the east fork of the Chippewa River and the Chippewa River’s west fork up to Moose Lake dam in Sawyer County.

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 before 6 p.m. on the day it was harvested. The list of registration stations can be found at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/sites/default/ files/topic/Fishing/Sturgeon_2020 LakeSturgeonRegistrationStations.pdf.

Despite not being able to conduct fish surveys this year, fisheries biologists forecast a strong hook and line lake sturgeon season.

It’s important to note that when fishing on Yellow Lake, anglers should be on the lookout for dangler tags on the dorsal fin of lake sturgeon. These tags are yellow with a five-digit number. Anglers may 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.

DNR creel survey clerks will be stationed at various landings during the hook and line lake sturgeon season. Clerks will be gathering information on angler catch and the amount of time spent fishing. Anglers who encounter these clerks are encouraged to partake in the survey.

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 at https:// dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Fishing/outreach/ ResponsibleRelease.html.