Record upriver sturgeon taken Wednesday

LAKE WINNEBAGO, Wis. - Looks like sturgeon spearing season will continue through this weekend for Lake Winnebago, and may make it there in the upriver lakes as well.

However, the upriver lakes are short one big fish.

Keith Coats from Winneconne speared a 169.3 pound, 80.7 inch sturgeon, that set the record for the heaviest fish ever harvested in the upriver lakes, beating the old record by half a pound.

"It happened so fast, that I really didn't have time to get nervous till I got him outside the door," said Coats. "I said it's the biggest fish I ever seen when I come in before I even threw the spear. Him and I got it out and I just called one guy, next thing, everybody knew."

While it is the heaviest ever taken on the upriver lakes, it doesn't quite get the record for longest, falling short by just a tenth of an inch.