The spearing season begins on the second Saturday in February and lasts for 16 days or until any of the sex-specific harvest caps for that fishery have been reached. The 2024 sturgeon spearing season will open on Feb. 10 at 7 a.m. and close on Feb. 25 unless one of the harvest caps is reached earlier.

Spearers can fish from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. each day the fishery is open and is required to register their fish at a DNR-operated registration station by 2 p.m. of the same day the fish is harvested. Length, weight, sex and tagging information are collected from each registered fish, which is used to determine season length.