Walleye
Stizostedion vitreum
- Length: 13 to 25 inches
- Weight: 1 to 5 pounds
- Coloring: olive-brown to golden-brown to yellow on back; paler sides; yellowish white underside
- Common Names: walleye pike, yellow walleye, pickerel, yellow pickerel, pike-perch, wall-eyed pickerel, dore (French)
- Found in Lakes: Michigan, Huron, Ontario, Erie and Superior
During the day, these large-finned,
brassy-colored fish often rest on the bottom, hovering in the shade of submerged objects
or in the shadows of deep water. They emerge at dusk to feed over shallow weed beds or
rocky shoals. In midsummer, they often remain near the bottom, even at night. In the past, commercial fishing for walleyes flourished in the upper Great Lakes, particularly in Lake Michigan's Green Bay and Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay. Then, after a productive period from the late 1940s to the early 1950s, the population and commercial catch of walleyes began to decline. This trend continued until the 1970s, when walleye populations exploded in Lake Erie and stocking programs in Green Bay began to show signs of success.
Walleyes live about seven years, but are most often caught as one- to
three-pound three-year-olds. In Lake Erie, where walleyes are most abundant, the largest
individual on record weighed over 16 pounds. The record catch is a 22 pound, 11 ounce fish
from Greers Ferry Lake, Arkansas.
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copyright University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
Brook Trout illustration copyright 1998 Gina Mikel
Walleye photograph (c)
Shedd Aquarium (Patrice Ceisel) (e-mail)
Drawing from Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Photograph of Frank Gillmore and 2.5 pound walleye from Trade Lake, Wisconsin
Last updated 05 February 2002 by White