Smith: Sturgeon supporters enjoy catch-and-release fishing for Wisconsin's biggest fish

LAKE HOLCOMBE - It was early Sept. 19 and as the sun broke above the eastern treeline something caught my eye rising above the misty surface of Lake Holcombe.

It was about 18 inches high, curved and ended in a point. And I could swear it was moving.

Either a shark had invaded the flowage, a Jaws sequel was being filmed or my imagination had gotten carried away and made a stump into a great-white.

In retelling the scene I know you'll agree Door 3 was the easy answer to the quiz.

But in fairness, you have to understand I was on my way to meet friends for a fishing outing for lake sturgeon, Wisconsin's biggest fish, and there is a relatively short evolutionary distance between sturgeon and sharks.

Both animals are deserving of respect and protection.

And on today's outing I had the pleasure of joining four of the state's biggest sturgeon fans and protectors.

Two were locals, Roxanne Komanec of Bloomer and Tracy Schwarz of Cameron. The women are part of the Lady Legends of Lake Holcombe, a sturgeon-centric group, and are avid sturgeon fishers.

And rounding out the group were two friends from east-central Wisconsin, Don Mielke and Glen Mattern, both of Menasha. Mielke restarted the Sturgeon Guard program this year in the Winnebago System and Mattern is a long-time sturgeon guard and angler.

You be hard pressed to find a quartet of Wisconsinites who love sturgeon more.

In September, they gather for outings on Lake Holcombe to see if they can catch-and-release some of their favorite fish.

"There is no more beautiful fish in the world," Komanec said about sturgeon as she piloted her pontoon boat away from the marina at Phat Bob's.

Komanec's fondness for sturgeon dates back about 60 years when her father, Jerry Riegert, would take her fishing on Lake Holcombe.

As she drives to the first fishing spot, she pulls out a pair of books she's made to keep sturgeon memories: "Sturgeon Stories" and "Sturgeon Season 2020."

Among the images is one of a tiny, tow-headed Komanec and her father in 1965 with a big sturgeon he caught on Lake Holcombe.

She returned the favor when, as her father lost his sight later in life, she brought him on the lake for many outings and catches.

Sturgeon fishing with hook-and-line is relatively simple. We used beefy spinning outfits to present a gob of nightcrawlers on a circle hook. A one-ounce weight was used to keep the bait on the bottom.

Then it's a matter of waiting for a bite.

We cast out our lines, put the rods against the rail, took a seat and talked.

The sun rose into a mostly clear sky. The mercury was in the 50s. Red-tinged maples and sumacs and yellow ash trees showed signs of autumn on the lake's shore.

It was a glorious day to be in Wisconsin's outdoors.

Komanec said the Lady Legends love to take people out to experience sturgeon fishing.

"So many people haven't tried it," Komanec said. "This fall season provides an awesome opportunity to help people catch their first sturgeon and learn about these special fish."

Wisconsin is one of the few states to offer a fishing season for the species. The Winnebago System, including lakes Winnebago, Poygan, Butte des Morts and Winneconne and the Wolf and Fox rivers, is well-known as one of the strongest populations of sturgeon in the world.

But it isn't open for hook-and-line fishing, only sturgeon spearing.

Many other state waters that hold lake sturgeon populations, though, including Lake Holcombe and the Chippewa River, offer a limited fall season.

Wisconsin's hook-and-line sturgeon season opened Sept. 2 and ran through Sept. 30. The minimum length limit is 60 inches. Licensed anglers are allowed to keep one fish.

The regulations were implemented in 2006 in response to concerns of overharvest. Previously, the season lasted longer and the minimum size limit was 50 inches every other year.

Anglers need to purchase a harvest tag if they intend to keep a sturgeon. The harvest tag is available throughout the season and costs $20 for residents and $50 for nonresidents.

The September hook-and-line sturgeon season covers waters including parts of the Chippewa River; Flambeau River; Butternut Lake (Price County); Jump River; Yellow, Little Yellow and the Danbury Flowage chain (Burnett County); Menominee River (Marinette County); St. Croix River and portions of the Wisconsin River.

The state also offers catch and release-only seasons for sturgeon on the Menominee River downstream of the Grand Rapids Dam to Green Bay from Sept. 2 to 30; on the Mississippi River upstream of Red Wing Dam from June 16 to March 1 and downstream of Red Wing Dam from June 16 to April 14; St. Croix River downstream from the St. Croix Falls Dam from June 16 to Sept. 1 and Oct. 1 to March 1; and on the St. Louis and Nemadji rivers from June 16 to April 14.

Since the 2006 regulation changes, exploitation rates on sturgeon have dropped.

In the nine years after the 60-inch minimum length limit and shorter season were implemented, the statewide take averaged 33 sturgeon, according to DNR figures.

By comparison, in 2005, the last year of the statewide 50-inch minimum length limit, 453 sturgeon were registered by anglers.

Since sturgeon don't reproduce until they are 15 to 20 years old and females don't spawn every year, it takes a long time for regulation changes to make an impact. But the data indicate sturgeon are being adequately protected under the current rules, according to the DNR.

Mielke said he decided to restart the Sturgeon Guard program this year after he had a talk with himself.

"I thought, 'someone needs to get this thing going again, what's stopping me?'" Mielke said. That was that and he used his many connections in the Winnebago region, including with the conservation group Sturgeon For Tomorrow, to kick-start Sturgeon Guard.

He had about 40 volunteers, including Mattern, join him this year on patrols along the Wolf and Fox rivers to educate the public about sturgeon and watch for poaching or other illegal activity.

After a stop near a shoreline didn't produce any fish, Komanec moved the boat northeast and we anchored on a broad flat in about 7 feet of water.

At 11 a.m. as Mielke and I were talking he was watching rods over my shoulder and suddenly yelled "You've got one!"

There was no subtlety in the take. My rod was doubled over the railing and the fish was heading east.

I picked up the rod and was fast to a slow-moving, underwater train. Even though I tightened the drag the fish took line with ease.

It made one jump clear of the water in the first minute and then it was a slog along the bottom. Fifteen minutes passed before it was ready for the net.

Mattern did the honors and lifted a handsome 48-inch sturgeon onto the deck.

After a few photos it was released.

The move seemed to put us in the fish. At 11:40 Mattern had a bite and, after 10 minutes of to-and-fro, landed and released a 46-inch sturgeon.

Twenty minutes later Schwarz caught our third sturgeon of the day, a 24-incher. We marveled at its sharp, cartilage spines for a few moments before placing it back in the water.

And at 1:10 Komanec rounded out the sturgeon catches with the biggest of the day, a 55-incher. It, too, was released.

Mattern also caught a 10-pound channel catfish.

Komanec said even if she caught a fish 60 inches or longer, she'd release it. At this point in her life, she's more interested in helping keep the sturgeon population strong than eating one.

At 1:30 another pontoon boat glided in from the distance and pulled up alongside us. It was Deb Gaffney of Lake Holcombe, a friend of Komanec and Mielke, and she brought Bloody Mary's and snacks to help us celebrate the outing.

"What do you think the poor people are doing today?" Mielke said.

He needed no reply.

For my part, I was made richer being in the company of others who value sturgeon and work to protect them.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Sturgeon fans enjoy catch-and-release fishing for state's biggest fish