FILE — Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources fisheries technician Katie Renschen shows a lake sturgeon captured during an electrofishing survey on the Menominee River. (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources photo)

MADISON, Wis. — The hook and line season for lake sturgeon on the Menominee River opens Saturday, Sept. 4, and runs through Sept. 30, coinciding with the Wisconsin inland season.

To harvest a sturgeon during the hook and line season, anglers must have a valid fishing license and purchase either an inland or boundary water sturgeon harvest tag.

The minimum length limit for a lake sturgeon harvest is 60 inches.

If a Wisconsin angler catches a lake sturgeon they wish to harvest, they must immediately validate their tag. Any harvested sturgeon must be registered at a designated registration station no later than 6 p.m. the day after they caught the fish.

Michigan anglers are required to register a lake sturgeon harvest within 24 hours. Anglers must report their harvest online at www.michigan.gov/registerfish, by calling 888-636-7778, or in person at any Department of Natural Resources Customer Service Center during normal state business hours with advanced notice

Based on surveys conducted this year, Wisconsin fisheries biologists are predicting a strong overall hook and line lake sturgeon season. While anglers fishing the Menominee River are likely to encounter a limited number of 60-inch lake sturgeon, they should enjoy good catch-and-release action.

On other inland waters in Wisconsin, anglers should expect to encounter larger fish in 2021 and years to come.

Anglers should look for tags near the dorsal fin on lake sturgeon. If a tag is located, anglers should submit the date of catch, location and tag number, color and material composition (i.e. metal or plastic) to the DNR. This tag information will be used to help monitor the movement and growth of lake sturgeon, aiding in future species management.

When fishing on Yellow Lake in Burnett County, anglers should be on the lookout for yellow dangler tags, with a five-digit number on the dorsal fin of lake sturgeon. Often covered in algae, anglers will 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.

The DNR encourages anglers to continue to practice responsible catch and release when releasing any fish they do not wish to keep.