Clarence Hopp
People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish
People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin’s Love Affair with an Ancient Fish showcases the cultural and scientific history of an iconic Wisconsin fish, the lake sturgeon. Throughout the process of writing the book, the authors interviewed community activists, sturgeon-spearing enthusiasts, spear and decoy craftsmen, and scientific researchers associated with the Lake Winnebago sturgeon population. Because of the cultural, social, economic, and scientific knowledge captured in these interviews, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Wisconsin Water Library preserved the audio files as a collection of oral histories. This collection, People of the Sturgeon, encapsulates perspectives on lake sturgeon as they are reflected in the book. The People of the Sturgeon collection includes interviews with outdoorsmen, scientists, and craftsmen associated with the Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin, lake sturgeon population.
The collection was compiled by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Wisconsin Water Library. Audio courtesy of the Oshkosh Public Museum. Recordings were collected as part of the research for People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish published by Wisconsin Historical Society Press, Madison, Wisconsin.
National Capital Contracting
On November 10, 2007, Richard Braasch interviewed Clarence Hopp for the People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish project. Clarence Hopp, born on January 23, 1951, in Berlin, Wisconsin, grew up as the only child in a farming family. His father also worked at a foundry during the last ten years before retirement. Clarence followed in his father’s footsteps and worked at the same foundry. The interview covers a range of topics related to Clarence's sturgeon fishing experiences, including the methods and tools used, the social aspects of fishing with a group, and various memorable events from his many years of fishing. Clarence shares stories of sitting for days without seeing a fish, the camaraderie among his group of fishers, and the challenges of fishing under different weather and ice conditions. He recounts humorous and frustrating moments, such as missing sturgeon due to moving locations or equipment failures. Clarence also discusses the changes in sturgeon fishing practices over the years, including the evolution of equipment from ice hand saws to chainsaws and the adaptation of decoy methods. He reflects on the unique experiences of sturgeon spearing, from the excitement of spearing an 88-pound sturgeon to the challenges posed by shifting ice and unpredictable weather.
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