While fishing with the Triple L Gang last week, we hooked into some blue pickerel (walleye). It was the first time I had ever seen one up close. We all assumed they were a separate species, but it turns out we may have been wrong.
Apparently, the blue pickerel is now an extinct species that was found in Lake Erie. If my source is correct, the blue hue on our walleye were natural pigmentation differences. Gord Pyser from Outdoor Canada says,
“I receive constant reports from walleye anglers across Canada and the United States who claim they caught a blue pickerel. Unfortunately, the true blue pickerel (some used to call it the blue walleye and blue pike) is an extinct species due to a combination of commercial over fishing and pollution dating back to the 1950s and 1960s. The fish, by the way, were essentially confined to Lake Erie. However, anglers frequently claim to have caught a blue pickerel/walleye and often believe they have photographic evidence.
While the fish sport a definite blue tinge to their bodies, they’re common walleye nonetheless. In some lakes, the blue hue is so pronounced when you drop a fish in the snow in the winter, the slime washes off and the snow is blue! But these are still normal color phases of the walleye and not true blue pickerel.
An enzyme in the slime coating of the fish is what causes the blue tinge. It allows for very significant color differences. Indeed, the Red River in Manitoba is famous for its ‘greenbacks’ walleye that migrate out of Lake Winnipeg and run up the river in the fall and winter. There is a similar run of greenbacks out of Lake of the Woods and into the Rainy River in northwestern Ontario.
Still, these are not green or blue walleye but rather color variations of the common walleye. Thus, they’re all the same fish species.” Gord Pyzer, Fishing Editor – Outdoor Canada
Interesting. You guys ever caught strange colored fish?
Bill Anderson -Muskoka Outdoors
Dave – Great to hear! If you catch another 1 please send a photo.
8/17/10 – Northern Ontario. I was intrigued by a fish I caught this evening… after all my online research, turns out it’s a Blue Prickeral. ( Walleye ) this fish is identical to all the photos I’ve compared it to online….. I was happy to learn that this haven’t been around since 1985. Could this really be, that I’ve found a spot in northern Ontario that have rebirthed a species that hasn’t been around in years??? Happy fishing, I’ll be back out in the boat tomorrow to see if I can caught me another for my wall!
That’s fantastic Gary! I would love to post a picture of it if you feel like emailing it to me. Thanks for taking the time to post your comment.
I caught a blue walleye in Cooper Lake(Rabbit Lake area) on Monday, June 15, 2009. I had never caught one before. I took pictures of the fish and released it.
Gary – that is a good link that you listed! Great photos and some interesting questions raised by the author about Blue Pickerel. Thanks for sharing that link. Take some time to read it (see Gary’s Comment dated December 24).
Hi guys
There is some interesting information about blue walleye at
http://www.walleyeheaven.com/blue-walleye.htm
Gary
Wouldn’t that have been nice! Thanks for the visit Shupac.
I thought I was going to read that you’d made angling history by catching a genuine blue pickerel and establishing that the species still existed. Darn.
I understand that walleye and blue pickerel interbred to some degree, and the some walleye today carry a few blue pickerel genes. So I guess they haven’t gone away entirely.
Hi Bill,
I thought we were onto something with the blue pickerel! They were pretty cool looking! See you soon.
Dave