May 4 opens the statewide season for walleye fishing for all the waters that hold these sought-after fish.

Many local waters hold a decent population of this fresh water fish that is native to most of Canada and the Northern United States. The walleye is sometimes called the yellow walleye to distinguish it from the blue walleye, which is a subspecies that was once found in the southern Ontario and Great Lakes regions, but is now presumed extinct.

Many old timers will recall and talk about the blue pike fishing on Lake Erie many years ago, which was the same fish. Interestingly enough, a recent genetic analysis of a frozen “blue walleye” sample suggests that the blue pike and the yellow walleye were simply phenotypes within the same species.

Walleyes show a fair amount of variation across watersheds. In general, a fish within a watershed are quite similar and are genetically distinct from those of nearby watersheds. A walleye from Ontario will certainly have different genetics than one from Lake Arthur.

The PA Fish & Boat Commission has been artificially propagating this species for years and this has been planted on top of existing populations or introduced into waters naturally devoid of the species which reduces the genetic distinctiveness of populations.

So many walleyes are stocked annually by different states and provinces that it is one of the most popular fish for anglers and table fare alike and are the least concern for conservation status.

Walleye can be found in lakes, rivers and in manmade reservoirs throughout our region. The Allegheny River, Lake Arthur, Shenango Lake, Pymatuning Lake and Lake Erie all support nice populations of these fish.

Although a walleye sexually matures around 3 to 4 years old, they can literally live for decades with one old- timer that was recorded at 29 years old! Most fish don’t make it to that age and are lucky to make it past 5 years old in our region.

Consider that big walleye can grow up to 31 inches long and weigh around 20 pounds if the habitat is prime and the angler pressure is light. In Pennsylvania, we have a daily limit of six fish and a minimum size of 15 inches, not quite trophy material yet. While fishing Lake Erie, which is a prime area for walleye, my wife landed a 31-inch fish out of Ashtabula Harbor which was quite a fish!

Walleyes got the name from the fact that the fish’s eyes point outward, as if looking at the walls. This externally facing orientation of the eyes gives off a shine when fishing at night or low light conditions.

Walleye love low-light conditions and often feed at night, which is an advantage for them when seeking prey. Walleye are voracious feeders and love to eat smaller fish, crayfish, leeches and the night crawler.

Dawn and dusk are prime fishing times for walleye and many anglers like to have the water a bit choppy so that they can drift across the waterways bouncing bait off the bottom. Many times, anglers find walleye in shallower waters at night as they feed towards the shorelines. Many anglers have had a great night of fishing by wading out in these shallow areas and tossing plugs that imitate minnows.

Ideally, walleye in the 20-24-inch range make excellent table fare fish. A fillet from a fish this size is ideal for a fish fry and the fish is mild tasting with no strong fishy flavor or odor. There are many fish fry mixtures that you can try including; beer batter, Shore Lunch, Frying Magic and on of my favorites, Zatarain’s Cajun Fish Fry mix.

These certainly aren’t the only fish fry mixes out there, but I have tried these with great success. I am partial to pan frying my fillets in manageable pieces while others will fry the entire fillet in a deep pan fish fryer. We have also baked fillets with butter, white wine, herbs and olive oil with much success as well.

All you need to do now is to get out on the water and give fishing for walleye a try. If you don’t have much success at first, keep at it and give it another attempt. Sometimes walleye fishing can be tough and the fish can be pretty choosy of what they want to eat.

Live bait bouncing off the bottom is my suggestion with a little wind drift. Ask the local bait shops what they are hitting on and go from there!

Until we meet again work that bait and keep on fishing!

,em>Jay Hewitt is an outdoors column for the Butler Eagle