2026 Upriver Lakes sturgeon spearing season; applications due Aug. 1

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Paul Muche of Fond du Lac, Wis., prepares to angle a spear inside a shanty, where a sturgeon spearing hole has been cut. Most spears have 8-foot-long handles.(Photo By Dennis Anderson/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

OSHKOSH, Wis. - The deadline to apply for an Upriver Lakes spearing tag for the 2026 sturgeon spearing season is Aug. 1, 2025. 

Spearing tag

What we know:

According to a news release from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, due to the higher harvest rate associated with the Upriver Lakes (lakes Poygan, Winneconne and Butte des Morts), anyone wishing to spear on the Upriver Lakes is required to apply for a tag. 

A total of 500 applicants will receive a tag to spear a sturgeon from the Upriver Lakes during the 2026 sturgeon spearing season.

These spearing tags will be issued through a drawing where priority is given to applications with the most preference points. 

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Those applying as a group will have their point value based on the individual with the lowest point total within the group. 

Spearers can also choose to purchase a preference point in lieu of applying for a tag.

Apply for tag

What you can do:

Spearers can apply for an Upriver Lakes tag or purchase a preference point online through the Go Wild system or at any license sales location. 

Applicants selected to purchase an Upriver Lakes sturgeon spearing license will be notified by Oct. 1, 2025 and may then purchase their Upriver River spearing license.

Any license holder not selected during this drawing will be awarded a preference point towards future drawings and can purchase a Lake Winnebago spearing license.   

The 2026 Winnebago System sturgeon spearing season will begin on Feb. 14, 2026, on Lake Winnebago and the Upriver Lakes. 

The season is authorized for a maximum of 16 days or until any of the annual biologically based harvest caps are reached. Separate harvest caps are set for each system: Lake Winnebago and the Upriver Lakes.