Sturgeon spearing starts Saturday, but will near record heat cut the season short?

The 2026 sturgeon spearing season starts Saturday, February 14, 2026, on Lake Winnebago and the upriver lakes. Around 10,000 sturgeon spearing licenses were sold for the 2026 season with 500 of those for the up river lakes only. Spearing hours run daily from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., with participants needing to register a fish, required to be in line at a registration station no later than 2 p.m. the day the fish was speared.

Total harvest caps this year are juvenile female at 350, adult female at 732 and male at 1226.

The season lasts up through March 1st, but will end earlier if any of the harvest caps are met.

This opening weekend comes with an unusual twist for mid February: a stretch of unseasonably warm weather. Forecast highs climbing into the mid- to upper-40s Saturday and Sunday — and even into the 50s Monday — will likely impact ice conditions, particularly on high-traffic areas of the lake.

While current ice remains thick in many locations, officials are urging spearers to use extreme caution, check local ice reports frequently, and avoid pressure cracks and shorelines where melting may accelerate.

The warmer weather will be welcomed for the most part for those attending Sturgeon Spectacular in Downtown Fond du Lac this weekend.

The 11th Annual event runs through Sunday, featuring a Snow Sculpting competition on Sheboygan Street, live music at THELMA, a chili crawl, and ice sculpting.

Other events include ice curling, a downtown scavenger hunt, Horse-Drawn Wagon Rides and Snow Land, petting zoo.