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From mid-April to early May, Lake Sturgeon travel upstream to their spawning grounds, giving the public a prime opportunity to see these ancient ones up close. Sturgeon spawning is dependent on water temperature and flow.
Lake sturgeon don’t reproduce until they are10 to 30 years old and spawn intermittently. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, commercial harvest severely reduced the abundance of lake sturgeon while the construction of dams reduced the amount and accessibility of spawning and nursery habitat.
Lake sturgeon migrate to their annual spawning grounds between late April and early June, preferring to spawn in shallow, rocky areas along river banks. Sturgeon spawning is dependent on water temperature and flow.
Each year in mid-April to early May, Lake Sturgeon travel upstream to their spawning grounds, giving the public a prime opportunity to see these ancient fish up close. The paved Sturgeon Trail along Highway X, just west of New London, is a favorite spot for onlookers to view this wonder of nature.
2024 Lake Sturgeon Spawning Summary • Temperatures were warm in both the winter and spring of 2024. This, coupled with lower than average precipitation and water levels, had the lake sturgeon on the Winnebago System spawning earlier than normal. The 2024 spawn was also quick, lasting only 6-7 days. Spawning activity was first observed on April
Spawning occurs on clean, gravel shoals and stream rapids from mid-April to late May in preferred water temperatures of 55 to 64 degrees F. Female Lake Sturgeon may lay 4,000 to 7,000 eggs per pound of fish.
And once again lake sturgeon showed their amazing resilience. In April 2024, a vigilant angler led partners to discover first-ever evidence of lake sturgeon spawning on Missouri’s Osage River – an area where the species was wiped out more than a century ago.
This dramatic harvest along with significant habitat changes around the sturgeon's spawning areas nearly drove the entire population in the United States to extinction. Currently Lake Sturgeon are listed as a Species of Special Concern in Minnesota and have strict regulations for harvest.
Adult lake sturgeon spawn at different times during early (late April and early May), and later in May and early June. Adults spawning earlier in the season do so when the water temperatures are colder and when river flows are generally higher and more variable due to melting snow and spring rains.
Gerbyshak and his DNR crew spent April 22-25 surveying lake sturgeon below the Chippewa River dam in Eau Claire as the fish prepared to spawn. During the four-day survey, they caught 129 adult lake sturgeon, the most adults they’ve netted during this annual effort.