The sturgeon spearing season opens on the Lake Winnebago system Feb. 8 as fishing clubs monitor ice, but the water clarity is less than stellar.

Monday brought three to five inches of snow to Marinette, Oconto and parts of Brown County. Southern counties, including those around Lake Winnebago were spared. But, as sturgeon spearing opens in just five days,

The Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office said the two men on the UTV did not have helmets or flotation devices.

With conditions on the ice considered by many to be much better than last year, hopes are high leading into the upcoming sturgeon spearing season, but below the frozen surface, water clarity in Lake Winnebago might tell a different tale.