Sturgeon season starts Feb. 3
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PRESQUE ISLE -- Black Lake sturgeon season starts on Feb. 3 and will continue until Feb. 7 or whenever the Michigan Department of Natural Resources sturgeon quota is filled.
Black Lake sturgeon season registration has opened up online until Feb. 2 for all anglers wanting to participate in the five-day hunt.
Tim Cwalinski, DNR Fisheries Unit supervisor, said that he's hopeful the lake's ice will stay strong enough for people to walk on it and possibly ride small snowmobiles out but is unsure if it will be good enough for large trucks to drive out.
"Just like any other fishing season, anglers should take responsibility for their actions and decide if it's best to go on the ice," Cwalkinski said. "Traditionally, about 10 to 15 days before the season starts is when the weather starts to get colder and the lake freezes up. The last few years have been good enough to come onto the ice."
Cwalinski said that he expects this year's weather to be as usual as the past years, but noted that the season starting date will not change if there are issues with ice conditions. He recommended all anglers take extreme caution whenever on the ice.
The quota for the 2024 season is six Black Lake Sturgeon, meaning only six can be caught among all anglers out on the water or ice. If the quota is never filled, the season lasts five days.
John Roby, a director at the Black Lake Association and angler, said he cannot participate in this year's season due to a knee replacement surgery, but said that he loves the sport and hopes to see more people out on the lake.
"It's a great family sport that's all sorts of fun for everyone," Roby said. "I want to be there just to watch how it all unfolds. There's usually so many shanties up and people out on the ice for this sturgeon season, and the DNR needs to check up on everyone, which can be quite the challenge."
The DNR will have many officials on the ice to check in with sturgeon fishing participants and ask anyone joining in to put bright red flags around their fishing zone for officials to see.
Roby said that there were times when ice would be as thick as 22 to 23 feet thick, but said that the past few years have seen about half of that, going into the 12 to 14 feet range.
"We've been blessed with the ice that we gotten before," Roby said. "Black Lake is coming back strong and it's got a lot of good sturgeon and walleye. Hopefully, we get ice this year."