Wisconsin’s waters have recently yielded two historic encounters with “dinosaurs of the deep,” as anglers and biologists alike grapple with the discovery of massive lake sturgeon that have likely been swimming in the state’s rivers for a century or more.
The excitement began on September 16, when Jake Huntington of Cumberland was fishing alone on Yellow Lake in Burnett County. During the annual hook-and-line season, a sturgeon leapt from the water just 10 feet from his boat.
“As soon as I seen it jump, I knew it was a state record fish,” Huntington recalled. After a grueling 40-minute battle using heavy tackle and night crawlers, Huntington landed the beast. He carefully measured the fish before contacting the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Craig Roberts, the DNR’s senior fisheries biologist for the region, initially expressed skepticism until he received a video recording of the measurement.
“That was when I was like, ‘Wow, that’s a giant fish,’” Roberts said. Huntington’s catch officially set a new state record for a catch-and-release lake sturgeon, measuring an impressive 89.5 inches.
Just one month later, the Chippewa River system in Sawyer County produced another staggering encounter. While setting nets for population monitoring, a team of DNR staff caught an 88-inch lake sturgeon.
Kendal Patrie, a DNR fisheries biologist, noted that the team didn’t realize the size of the fish until they moved it into their boat’s water tank. “The tank is about six feet in length, and the sturgeon’s tail was curled up along the edge,” she said.
Max Wolter, a senior fisheries biologist in Hayward, estimated the fish to be roughly 150 pounds and at least 100 years old. “It’s kind of crazy to say, but this fish may have been living in that river since before the television was invented and before people were flying airplanes,” Wolter said. The team tagged the massive female with a passive integrated transponder before returning her to the river—a moment the crew described as deeply humbling.
These discoveries highlight the biological wonder of lake sturgeon, an ancient species that has roamed the Earth since the time of the dinosaurs. While populations plummeted historically, Wisconsin remains a stronghold for the species. Despite the massive scale of these fish, they remain a species of special concern in the state, necessitating careful management and documentation.
For Huntington, the record-setting catch was an unexpected thrill. After recording the data required by the DNR, he released his prize back into Yellow Lake.
“That was just a bonus,” Huntington said of the record. “Once you catch one of these fish, you don’t really want to target much else.”
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