Mild winter means unusual sturgeon season for Wisconsin anglers

VAN DYNE, Wis. -- A three-quarter white moon set as a red, round sun rose into clear skies one Saturday over Lake Winnebago.


The celestial symmetry was appreciated, not least for the brightness it added to the stage.


"Haven't been able to see the lake since Thursday," said Bill McAloon of Oshkosh, Wis., looking out over the white expanse of Winnebago from the west shore. "Now we can play some catch-up."


It marked the opening of the 2012 sturgeon spearing season on Lake Winnebago and the upriver lakes of Butte des Morts, Poygan and Winneconne.


In a typical year, spearers "cut in" a day or two before the opener, using trucks to position their shacks over large rectangular holes in the ice.


But there's little typical about this winter. The ice conditions are poor on many Wisconsin lakes, including the state's largest, Winnebago.

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