A three-quarter white moon set as a red, round sun rose into clear skies Saturday over Lake Winnebago.
The celestial symmetry was appreciated, not least for the brightness it added to the stage.
"Haven't been able to see the lake since Thursday," said Bill McAloon of Oshkosh, looking out over the white expanse of Winnebago from the west shore. "Now we can play some catch-up."
Saturday marked the opening of the 2012 sturgeon spearing season on Lake Winnebago and the upriver lakes of Butte des Morts, Poygan and Winneconne.
In a typical year, spearers "cut in" a day or two before the opener, using trucks to position their shacks over large rectangular holes in the ice.
But there's little typical about the winter of 2012. The ice conditions are poor on many Wisconsin lakes, including the state's largest, Winnebago.
Area fishing clubs usually maintain ice roads and bridges on the lake. But not this year.
A driving snowstorm limited visibility Friday, keeping many spearers and their ATVs or snowmobiles on shore.
"Too many cracks and heaves to try anything when you can't see," said McAloon, 72. "But there will be time to set up."
McAloon said the 2012 season marked the first time in his 54 years of sturgeon spearing that he wasn't set up for opening day.
But Saturday morning, he was busily preparing his shack for a tow onto the ice.
"It gets in your blood," said McAloon, a director of the conservation group Sturgeon For Tomorrow. "For the communities around here, this is a much-awaited time."
The season will run through Feb. 26 or until harvest caps are reached, whichever comes first.
Sturgeon spearing is a multifaceted force in the cities and towns that ring Winnebago and the upriver lakes.
The sturgeon provided food for American Indians and early European settlers.
The modern spear fishery forms the foundation of a unique culture around the lakes. Spearing season rivals deer hunting in local outdoors importance.
Spearing shacks come in hundreds of styles and colors. Bill Casper of Fond du Lac has one painted like a Green Bay Packers helmet.
Matt and Candy Gehl of Hilbert have giant red hearts painted on their gray shack. The rig also has a 10-gallon propane tank if the romantic flames cool.
A crowd gathered at 9 a.m. at Critters Wolf River Sports in Winneconne.
The season was only 2 1/2 hours old, but sturgeon were rolling in to the sports shop, a registration station. Ice conditions were generally better on the Upriver Lakes.
Among the 13 fish registered by midmorning was a 179.8-pounder taken on Lake Poygan by Chris Haedt of Berlin.
Sitting in a shack with her father-in-law, Don Haedt, Chris saw the big fish swim into view about 7 a.m.
Her aim was true, and with some gaff help from Don, the trophy was pulled on the ice.
"I'm still trying to catch my breath," said Haedt, 46, accepting congratulations at the registration station.
It's the second sturgeon she has speared and ranks fifth on record in the Winnebago system.
Needless to say, it's larger than anything her husband, Duane, has speared. Duane was still on the lake Saturday morning, waiting for his chance.
"We'll see what he thinks about this," Chris said, smiling.
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