Braving the early morning cold to get ready for sturgeon season at Black Lake on Saturday, Feb. 4, anglers David Moore (left) and Jeremy Schley wait outside while their friend Kurt Mushlock prepares the shanty. Schley said this year’s season was his first, while Mushlock has been fishing at Black Lake for years.
Braving the early morning cold to get ready for sturgeon season at Black Lake on Saturday, Feb. 4, anglers David Moore (left) and Jeremy Schley wait outside while their friend Kurt Mushlock prepares the shanty. Schley said this year’s season was his first, while Mushlock has been fishing at Black Lake for years.
Using a flat length of wood, a strainer, and a roll of duct tape, Kurt Mushlock crafts a makeshift tool to move slush away from his fishing hole. Mushlock is an experienced angler - he’s been ice fishing since he was 15, so he’s no stranger to the early morning preparation it requires.
Mushlock’s fishing shanty features a video screen that presents a view of a decoy suspended by a cord in the dark lake water. Some shanties are more akin to a tent, while others like Mushlock’s are sturdily constructed with designated openings in the flooring for anglers to drill a hole in the ice.
Decoys like this one help Mushlock attract sturgeon to his fishing hole. Sturgeon are curious fish, and anglers use these decoys to attract them to a position optimal for spearing.
Two latecomers hurry with a drill and a saw to cut a hole in the ice just two minutes before the fishing season begins at 8am. The sturgeon season at Blake Lake is notorious for being short-lived - last year, the season lasted 36 minutes.
DNR Conservation Officers like Tim Rosochacki (left) and Wes Butler use snowmobiles to get around the lake during the Black Lake sturgeon season. Snowmobiles are a popular vehicle among both the DNR and anglers alike - they are used to jet across the frozen, snow-covered lake, and to tow shanties out to fishing spots.
DNR Conservation Officers Tim Rosochacki (left) and Wes Butler sit on standby, ready to help bring speared sturgeon to the DNR station where they are inspected and given back to the angler. The handles of their snowmobiles are covered with a special type of gauntlet that allows their hands to stay warm while they drive.
DNR Conservation Officers like Wes Butler are responsible for enforcing environmental laws in the state of Michigan. When the sixth sturgeon is caught, officers travel from shanty to shanty to let anglers know the ancient fish is once again protected from their spears.
DNR research biologist Ed Baker cuts into the flesh of the sturgeon to reach its gonads, which he must investigate to determine the fish’s sex. This information, along with the fish’s physical dimensions, will also be carefully taken down in a bright orange field notebook wielded by a DNR worker.
Baker stands by while a sturgeon is weighed. Angler Jerry Perry caught the heaviest fish of the day, weighing in at 35 pounds, while Brett Williams caught the lightest at six pounds.
Having weighed the first sturgeon catch, Baker moves it back to the table. The sturgeon appeared frozen solid during this inspection phase, but the fish sometimes flexed its body and moved its tail back and forth on the inspection table.
Slain sturgeon laid across the hood of his quad bike, Jett prepares to drive back down to the lake where he will display his sturgeon for curious spectators to view. Jett caught the first fish of the day, measuring in at 49 inches and 30 pounds.
Sturgeon blood remains on the hood of Jett's quad bike after he collected the fish from the DNR registration station.
After the sixth sturgeon has been caught, anglers drag their shanties to the frozen shore or retreat to a temporary “beer tent” constructed on the ice. A line of trees “planted” in the snow helps protect anglers from becoming disoriented on the vast sheet of snow-covered ice.
Two snow-encrusted, sturgeon-less anglers use a snowmobile to drag their fishing equipment back to shore. Hundreds of vehicles, from snowmobiles to jeeps, began rolling in soon after the sixth fish was caught.
Spearing a 54 inch, 34-pound sturgeon, Scott Archambo comes in at second place among Black Lake anglers for the size of his fish. First place belongs to Jerry Perry, who speared a 55.5 inch, 35-pound sturgeon.
Successful angler Scott Archambo poses with his sturgeon catch Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. After spearing it, Archambo used a pair of long metal rods with hooks on the ends to lift the fish out of the hole by its gills, the slits near the right end of the sturgeon’s body.
Angler Scott Archambo demonstrates the part of the sturgeon that's best to eat. Archambo said he was planning on making sturgeon tacos.
Anglers drag their supplies through the snow on the way back to their cars. The sturgeon season only last an hour and five minutes.
Successful angler Scott Archambo poses with his sturgeon catch Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. After spearing it, Archambo used a pair of long metal rods with hooks on the ends to lift the fish out of the hole by its gills, the slits near the right end of the sturgeon’s body.
Baker measures a sturgeon spread across the table at the DNR's outpost. This process only took a few minutes, and then the successful anglers are free to pose for photos with their prize.