The Catch Of The Day - Walleye Pike
Knute Hogan, The Culinarian, July 2007

The common name walleye pike comes from the fact that their eyes reflect light. This is the result of a light-gathering layer in the eyes which allows the fish to see well in low-light conditions. Night fishing is not uncommon since this is when feeding patterns occur. Their eyes also allow them to see well in rough waters which give them an advantage over their prey. Thus, walleye is often caught under low light conditions like cloudy or overcast days; anglers will commonly look for days and locations where there is a good "walleye chop" or rough water. Their excellent vision also allows them to populate the deeper regions in a lake.

Walleyes grow to about 36 inches inches in length, and weigh up to 15 to 20 pounds. The maximum recorded size for the fish is 42 inches in length and 25 pounds in weight. The growth rate depends partly on where in their range they occur, with southern populations often growing faster and larger. In general, females grow larger than males. Walleyes may live up to 25 years but in heavily fished populations few walleye older than 5 or 6 years of age are encountered.

Walleyes are largely olive and gold in color and shades to white on the belly. The dorsal side of a walleye is olive, grading into a golden hue on the flanks. The olive/gold pattern is broken up by five darker saddles that extend to the upper sides. The mouth of a walleye is large and is armed with many sharp teeth. A close cousin of the walleye is the sauger and they have a more limited distribution than walleyes, and they don't grow as large. The two species look similar, but can be distinguished by the lower part of the tail.tail which is white on a walleye, but not on a sauger.

In most of the species' range, the majority of male walleyes mature at age 3 or 4. Females normally mature about a year later. Adults migrate to tributary streams in late winter or early spring to lay eggs over gravel and rock Spawning occurs at water temperatures of 43 to 50º F. A large female can lay up to 500,000 eggs and no care is given by the parents to the eggs or fry. The incubation period is temperature-dependent but generally lasts from 12 to 30 days. Once the yolk has been fully absorbed, the young walleye feed on invertebrates then moving to a diet of crayfish, minnows, leeches, and earthworms as juveniles and adults.

Of the freshwater fish walleye pike is often considered to have the best flavor and is fished both recreationally and commercially. Most commercial fisheries for walleye are situated in the Great Lakes and Canadian waters.

Walleyes are caught using a variety of baits and lures, methods are varied as well, if you would try to take the advice heard around the Bait Shop you would be hard pressed to keep up with those suggestions most of which I have found to be purposely misleading by the grizzled local fishermen. The spring and fall portion of the season generally provide the best action while the warmer summer months are more challenging. Casting, trolling, still fishing, bottom bouncing, drifting are a few fishing methods and you can use spinners or minnow-imitating plugs, worm harness rigs of spinners and beads, bucktail jigs, live crayfish or leeches, a whole or part or piece of worm minnow can be used to lure the fish to the hook.

The walleye became Minnesota's state fish in 1965 and is found throughout many of its lakes and river; the largest reported fish caught in Minnesota weighed 17.5 pounds. Walleye pike's popularity with Minnesotans is evident by the roughly 4 million pounds that is consumed each year and the great lengths taken to keep well supplied to include fishing on frozen lakes during the winter months. Most residents can find good walleye fishing within an hour's drive of home.

The freshness of walleye cannot be judged by its eyes, which are always cloudy and never clear, so consider primarily the firmness and odor of the fish. You can count on a 3 to 4 day shelf life when stored iced down in a perforated pan.

Walleye pike holds up very well under several cooking methods including baking, broiling, and sautéing, steaming, poaching and deep frying. It lends itself very well to skin on preparation so therefore it is usually cooked and eaten with the fish. When preparing quenelles there is no better fish to use than walleye pike. The flesh has a mild to sweet flavor, is white in color, low in fat content and an excellent source of selenium.

Having grown up on the sandy shores of Otter Tail Lake in west central Minnesota I have an affinity for walleye pike and make an effort each summer to go back for a week or two to chase around the lake looking for them. Down the river is a state Department of Natural Resources hatchery where each spring some fish are netted just long enough to remove their eggs and be given a physical of sorts before being returned to open. The eggs are fertilized then raised to fingerling stage and used to stock area lakes. As kids we marveled at the process and were awestruck by the 10 to 12 pound fish that were worked with, but we were reminded that fish didn't get that big by allowing any kid to hook them. It had no effect on our enthusiasm however and I was certain one day I would land a lunker like one of those. At the close of this past July that dream nearly came true when a two foot fish weighing approximately 10 pounds found its way off the hook shortly before being landed on our boat; a classic "fish that got away" story and true to my last breath.