Are there any other sturgeon spearers on here? Last year was my first year at it, and I'm all set for this year. Instead of a permanent shack I'll be using an 80 sq ft Eskimo 6120i as a spearing shack and camp. I'll be spending 4 days and 3 nights on the ice starting Friday. With the sketchy ice conditions this year I'll be leaving my truck on shore and packing all my gear in on a sled. Not a snowmobile, a pull behind sled.

For those that use sleds in winter while trapping whether it's deep snow or just a few inches, I highly recommend building yourself a smitty sled. Basically it's a base for your sled built on skis to provide additional clearance and reduced drag. The picture below is mine, loaded with the 60 pound shanty and a couple sleds it still pulls relatively easily with one hand, even in soft snow.

Any other sturgeon spearers out there sound off! I know the sturgeon community is generally even more close-knit and tight-lipped than the trapping community if you can believe that!

Not a sturgeon spear person, but have lived near the area for 45 plus years and worked in Calumet County for 5.5 years so sturgeon season is a huge event. Makes deer season around here small.
Been hearing a lot about ice issues and limited access areas to date. There will be a couple of single digit nights mid-week so maybe a few more inches of ice will form. Also have been reading about the murky and cloudy water due to runoff, high water etc. That could lengthen the season a lot if visibility is low, if the ice allows it. Smart to minimize your risk with vehicles, but then more work.
Be safe and enjoy. I don't have the personality to sit and stare down a hole in the ice for days on end.

Bryce

Haven't gone since I was young. Good luck stick a whopper!!!

Have fun and be safe.

Good luck and be safe out there.

Looks like a great idea for the sled.

Not going this year. There was allot of open water just two weeks ago, and with all the ice shoves (cracking what ice was there) it just isn't worth it to me. There is good ice in the bays, but it will be crowded and I hate crowds! Good luck TLGUY, stay safe!

Where is your siding and heater?

Thanks for the well wishes guys!

Trap Setter, that pic was after I modified the sled to accommodate 2 sleds and the ice shack. Not fully loaded by any means. I've got a siding star and my portable buddy heater should run on low for over 100 hours on the 20 pound propane tank. And I've got lots of other gear. Theres 1-3" of snow in the forecast for Thursday, so I think I'll really appreciate the extra capacity on the smitty sled, though I still think I'll need to make 2 trips.

RiverRat, sorry to hear you won't make it out there. Like you, I also hate crowds. I am hoping that being on foot will allow me and my buddy to get away from most of the guys on ATV's and snowmobiles. There was a good ice report and rumors of trucks going on the old ice on the north end, maybe that will help draw some traffic away from my spot!

Trapstickman suggests that you do not tie your spear rope to your leg.

Here's an artist's rendition of you you shouldn't tie it off to the wood stove either!

I've done the Black Lake thing a few times here in Michigan. I saw a grand total of one sturgeon while staring down into the hole, and it was a tiny one about 3 feet long....at that time, over 20 years ago, all fish had to be 50 inches minimum. The other 2-3 times I went I saw no sturgeon. One year the guy I rented the shanty from speared a 104 pounder not too far from me. I saw that leviathan flopping around on the ice and promptly turned green with envy. I have only hauled one small (53 incher caught in 2003) sturgeon out onto the ice myself, and it was a hand-line catch on Otsego lake, near Gaylord. Good luck Tiguy!

J.Morse, I've though about making the trip over for the Black Lake season. It's only about a 5 hour drive for me, and my setup is totally portable and fits in my pickup without having to haul a trailer. And, if I read the regs right, you just need a fishing license and to register ahead of time. A NR 1-day fishing license is only $10, and the Black Lake season is the weekend before our season starts here in Wisconsin.

Maybe some day I'll make it over that way.

A buddy of mine speared one and brought some to deer camp to eat.
it was terrible tasting. Did he do something wrong with it or are they not very good?

I've never tried it, but have seen videos of them being cleaned and it seems like with most other meats/fish, they have to be prepared correctly and that starts before they even get to the kitchen. The ones I've seen have had varying amounts of yellow fat that I assume needs to be removed for the fish to taste any good.

The one I killed was great eating. I had a friend smoke about half of it, the rest I just fried up the same as I do 90% of the fish I eat. All was excellent.

Tiguy, good luck if you do the Black Lake trip. It has been a real short season lately.....I believe last years (?) was over in 78 minutes! The season ends when the 5 fish quota is speared.

A couple friends went over to your area a few years ago. Each speared a fair-sized fish. They were on one of those upstream little lakes.....this was before you had to draw to fish there, it seems that the lake was only open every few years???????? or some-such. They payed a guide.

Yeah the upriver lakes have a pretty good success rate, but they only give out 500 tags or so each year now. It takes about 7 or 8 years to draw one, bit the water is generally shallower and that's where some of the big gaps go to stage before going upstream to spawn in the spring.

I remember the last year's Blacl Lake season being super short. I think this year it still lasted only the first day. More of a novelty sort of deal, I know my chances are better around here. But ita another excuse to get the shack out on the ice with a chance to spear a sturgeon.