People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

  • Collection DOI:
    Principal Investigator:
    Kathleen Schmitt Kline, Frederick P. Binkowski, Ronald M. Bruch

  • People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin’s Love Affair with an Ancient Fish a tale of 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 UW-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.

    Collection compiled by the UW-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, WI.

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Interviewee Collection Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Bill Goeser People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Bill Goeser is interviewed about his experiences sturgeon spearing over the years. He tells of his family learning to spear, early decoys and coaxer styles, and cooking sturgeon. Interviewer identity unknown.

 Unknown Unknown University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
David Kuhn People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

David Kuhn is interviewed about sturgeon spearing, decoy making, and spear construction. Interviewer identity unknown.

 Unknown Unknown University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Art Sonnenberg People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Dick Ristow interviews Art Sonnenberg on experiences as a sturgeon fisher and decoy maker. Born in 1916, Sonnenberg tells of using horse and sleigh for fishing. He tells poaching stories, talks of his involvement with Sturgeon for Tomorrow, and of his craft as a decoy maker.

 Dick Ristow Van Dyne, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Mike Will People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Mike Will was born in 1951 and started sturgeon fishing at the age of 14. He used primarily set lines to catch sturgeon although he has participated in approximately 9 spearing seasons. He enjoys caviar, but does not make it himself. Mike believes that the sturgeon are getting bigger, and he likes the system they have in place now. Most people from his area sell the sturgeon, rather than eat it themselves.

Ronald M. Bruch, Kathleen Schmitt Kline Lake Winnebago, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
William Casper People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Paul Muche interviews Bill Casper about his family history with fishing and sturgeon spearing, as well as his starting Sturgeon for Tomorrow, a sturgeon conservation organization.

 Paul Muche Fond du Lac, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Ed Gorchals People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Ed Gorchals is interviewed by Dick Koerner about his experiences sturgeon fishing on Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin and the surrounding area. He discusses rule and sport changes, set line and hook and line fishing in the past, and recipes for sturgeon and their caviar.

 Dick Koerner Larsen, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Bill McAloon People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Bill McAloon discusses his experiences as a leading member of Sturgeon for Tomorrow and as a sturgeon spearer in an interview conducted by Dick Ristow. He talks about the early days on the Wolf River, helping to train wardens for DNR, illegal fishing practices and negative impact on the lakes, successful decoys, and sharing of fishing tradition with son and grandson.

 Dick Ristow Unknown University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Ron Vanderzanden People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Ron Vanderzanden is interviewed by Dick Koerner about increased regulations and fines in modern day spearing, including the half day season, and the impact it has on poaching. Ron also tells tales of his past experiences sturgeon spearing.

 Dick Koerner Menasha, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
Mike Wendt People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Mike Wendt is interviewed by Dick Ristow about Wendt's on the Lake, his family history in the Lake Winnebago area, shanties and decoys. He reminisces about being allowed to fish for other species of fish during sturgeon spearing season in the past as well. Mike discusses spearing in Michigan one season.

 Dick Ristow Van Dyne, WI University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
William Casper People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin's Love Affair with an Ancient Fish

Kathleen Schmitt Kline interviews Bill Casper about memorabilia, books, track records and other associated paperwork associated with Sturgeon for Tomorrow.

 Kathleen Schmitt Kline Unknown University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Oshkosh Public Museum
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