Photos: The fishing and camera culture of the Wolf River
The winding river in northeastern Wisconsin is where walleye and sturgeon become the stars each spring.
Wolf River Cam
In this image taken from the Wolf River Cam in Shiocton, a walleye swims past the lens of one of the cameras that livestreams migrations of fish. Every species in the river eventually makes an appearance on the camera including, later this month, monstrous sturgeon.
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Fish swim past the Wolf River Cam in Shiocton, Wis., Friday, April 8, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
Wolf River Cam
Dick Johnson's workroom is filled supplies and tools at his store, Johnson Hardware & Sporting Goods in Shiocton.
Wolf River Cam
Stanley the Sturgeon overlooks Bamboo Bend as an angler fishes along the Wolf River in Shiocton.
Wolf River Cam
A variety of animal and fish mounts adorn the walls of Johnson Hardware & Sporting Goods in Shiocton. The shop is across the street from the Wolf River.
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Courtney Holbrook casts her line while fishing at Bamboo Bend on the Wolf River in Shiocton, Wis., Thursday, April 7, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
Wolf River Cam
Buildings along River Street reflect in the swollen Wolf River in Shiocton, where walleye and sturgeon make their annual spawning run in northeastern Wisconsin.
Wolf River Cam
At Muddy Waters Bar & Grill in Shiocton, customers can watch Milwaukee Brewers baseball or the livestream of migrating fish in the Wolf River. For the past 14 years, Wolf River Cam has been using multiple underwater cameras to capture the action on the river that at this time of the year features spawning walleye and sucker. In a few weeks, sturgeon will begin their migration.
Wolf River Cam
Many anglers on the Wolf River fish for walleye from rafts, which are essentially ice shacks mounted on pontoons. These fishermen were adjusting their outboard motor shortly after arriving at a spot in Shiocton.
Wolf River Cam
Gary Bunnell, founder of Wolf River Cam, shows off the Aqua-Vu cameras that he places underwater to livestream migrating fish in the Wolf River. He has cameras in Shiocton and New London.
Sturgeon
Wisconsin's top sturgeon expert was charged with lying about a caviar scheme.
The Iceman
A 74-inch, 118-pound sturgeon speared in 1997 hangs in a glass case at Jerry's Bar in Oshkosh. The bar, a staple in this community for 111 years, is next door to the Otter Street Fishing Club clubhouse. This year's spearing season begins Feb. 12.
The Iceman
Don Herman, a longtime member of the Otter Street Fishing Club in Oshkosh, uses an auger to drill a hole so he can measure ice thickness. Volunteers like Herman help ice anglers who flock to Lake Winnebago each winter to fish for walleye and spear sturgeon.
A sturgeon season with limited visibility
"What a thrill," said Corky Atkinson, after he had just speared a sturgeon Friday morning on Lake Winnebago near Pipe about a mile from the lake's southeastern shoreline. Atkinson, 72, who lives in nearby Malone in northeastern Fond du Lac County, has been spearing for about 50 years. This fish turned out to be an 87.2-pound, 73.4-inch female packed with 4.5 gallons of eggs.
A sturgeon season with limited visibility
Dustin Schaefer, 49, left, and Randy Gerner, 32, both of New Holstein, look out for sturgeon in Gerner's shanty on Lake Winnebago near Pipe. Schaefer speared his first fish in 25 years on Thursday and was helping Gerner, who was still waiting for success. Cloudy water from runoff and algae blooms has limited visibility for spearing.
A sturgeon season with limited visibility
Ben Gonnering, a student in the natural resource technician program at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, weighs a sturgeon caught at a DNR registration station in the parking lot of Jim & Linda's Lakeview Supper Club near Pipe. The fish, speared by Corky Anderson, back left, of nearby Malone, weighed in at 87.2 pounds. Atkinson's biggest came in 1990 and weighed 115 pounds.
A sturgeon season with limited visibility
Betty and Dan Wagner, of St. Cloud, a village in northeastern Fond du Lac County, share a laugh as they tell a fishing story while waiting for a sturgeon to pass through their hole on Lake Winnebago. Betty has never speared a fish but Dan has "seven or eight" fish in about 50 years of spearing.
Sturgeon Spearing
Bill Casper, 86, of Fond du Lac, shows off the spear he will use next weekend when the sturgeon spearing season opens on the Lake Winnebago System of lakes. Casper was introduced to the sport in 1939, got his first fish in 1945 and in 1977 started Sturgeon for Tomorrow. Over 12,000 people have purchased licenses for the 16-day season that starts Saturday.
Sturgeon spearing
No one thinks it's strange if you use a chain saw to cut a hole in the ice and stare into it for hours, hoping to spear a prehistoric fish. (For newbies, we're talking about sturgeon spearing.)
Now in its 14th season, the underwater cameras are used to livestream the spawning runs on the winding river in northeastern Wisconsin.
DNR fisheries biologist Jeff Scheirer said the new regulations will allow more young walleye to reach maturity and hopefully reverse the population decline.
Months after Wisconsin’s Natural Resources Board rejected groundwater standards for toxic “forever chemicals” and dozens of other contaminants, the state is restarting the 2 ½-year process to update regulations for bacteria.
The Department of Natural Resources had solicited public comments, and from Girl Scouts to hunters to Native American tribes, the public responded.
A $3 million project next to a pond will provide more space for the growing business that has an international reputation.
