Ask any angler what they like best about fishing, and you’ll most likely get one of three answers:
“I like reeling in a fish that puts up a fight.”
“Eating fish I’ve caught myself is more satisfying than buying it at a store.”
“It’s quiet, and I like that.”
Fishing, especially sport fishing, is a fun activity that pays off through stories or through food. Sometimes, it’s just nice to get out, put a line in the water, and spend some time in the great outdoors, too. If you’re looking to satisfy the thrill seeking aspect of fishing, however, or want to put a delicious meal on the table, then you’ve likely heard of walleye and northern pike. Both fish are a challenge to catch, and both are tasty if prepared the right way. In this article, you’ll learn about each, and what makes them similar to one another.
Table of Contents
Walleye Appearance
Walleye are a good sized game fish that are related to perch. As such, they’ve got a couple similarities to the common yellow perch that can be found in most bodies of freshwater in North America. Walleye are olive or golden in color. Like most fish in the perch family, they’ve got at least 5 dark brown to black bands that run the length of their body. Their bellies are white in color.
Starting at the front end of the fish, you’ll find some very identifiable features. First is their mouth. Walleye have large mouths filled with sharp teeth. You can tell by looking at walleye that they’re effective predators. Next, you’ll see that they’ve got large, cloudy eyes. The cloudy look in their eyes is from a reflective film on the back of their eyes. Then, on the back of the fish you’ll find a spiny dorsal fin as well as a soft-rayed dorsal fin.
Adult walleye are 20 to 24 inches in length on average, and tend to weigh 3 to 5 pounds. Depending on where you’re fishing for walleye, you’ll encounter different ages of fish. Walleye in colder waters in the north live longer, up to 20 years, but also grow much slower than southern examples. Walleye in warmer waters only live about 10 years, however.
Walleye Behavior
Walleye are nocturnal predators, relying entirely on their photosensitive vision to catch their prey. They feed primarily at night, though if conditions are right can be coaxed into feeding in turbid waters during daylight hours.
These fish are schooling fish, and will patrol bodies of water in search of their next meal. They’ll frequently circle the ponds or lakes that they inhabit, normally hovering above the bottom. During the day they stick to deeper waters, or structures under water that provide shade. At night, while feeding, they’ll venture into water as shallow as 2 feet.
Walleye spawn every spring, and this is typically the best time to fish for walleye. In the summer, walleye will be less active, as they prefer cooler waters. They’ll perk back up in the beginning of fall however, just so they can pack on the necessary weight to make it through winter.
Walleye Range
An incredibly popular game fish, walleye are available all over North America thanks to their introduction to bodies of water outside of their native habitat. Walleye are able to thrive in most bodies of water, and are abundant from the west coast to the east coast. The southernmost point that walleye are available is Georgia, in the United States. Their northernmost availability is in the arctic portions of northern Canada.
Northern Pike Appearance
The northern pike is a fish that can reach intimidating sizes. They’re predatory fish, with an elongated head and a large mouth, filled with sharp teeth. These teeth are replaced many times over throughout the pike’s life, much like that of larger predatory fishes, like sharks.
These fish are built like torpedoes, with long bodies that can sometimes appear snakelike. They have a single, soft-rayed dorsal fin positioned far back on the body near their tail. The tail of the northern pike is split.
Depending on the environment the northern pike inhabits, their coloration can vary. Northern pike caught in clear waters, whether it be a lake or a stream, tend to be lighter green in color. Fish from a river, or a dark slough, are considerably darker so as to match their environment. Along the length of the northern pike’s body are silver spots that don’t overlap, like a chain pickerel’s markings do.
On average, northern pike reach lengths up to 4 feet long, and can weigh more than 30 pounds with ease. When seeing a northern pike, you may think to yourself, “Yeah, that fish can do some damage.” You’d be right. When fishing for northern pike, any fish being brought in should be handled with care, as they’re strong and armed with sharp teeth. They don’t bite humans unprovoked, but when they’re on the end of a fishing line they may.
Northern Pike Behavior
Like many other fish in the pike family, northern pike are opportunistic ambush predators. They’ll sit in waiting beneath vegetation, or near underwater structures like downed trees, waiting for just the right moment to attack their prey. They’re highly aggressive fish, and strike fast and hard.
Northern pike are most active during the day, and the best fishing for them can actually happen midday. This is an unusual trait for many fish, but pike seem to take advantage of the sluggish nature of other fish during the hottest parts of the day. The best time of the year to fish for northern pike is spring, as this is when they come together to spawn. Apart from this time of the year, these fish are solitary. In fact, should food become too scarce, they’re known to become cannibalistic.
Northern Pike Range
The range for the northern pike is mostly isolated to regions in the Arctic Circle. In North America, northern pike can be found across the majority of Canada, as well as in northern portions of the United States. They are entirely isolated to freshwater in North America.
Northern pike can also be found in other parts of the world, such as Europe and Russia, where they typically stick to freshwater as well. The only exception would be the brackish waters of the Baltic Sea. Even there, however, they stay in the surface waters that have less salinity than the rest of the sea.
Why the Two May Get Confused
Walleye and northern pike may be confused due to their predatory nature. Small northern pike tend to be similarly sized to walleye, and they have similarly shaped bodies. However, they have drastically different feeding habits, as well as physical features, that set them apart. Walleye are almost entirely nocturnal, while northern pike are diurnal. The walleye has a shorter head than the pike, which has an elongated snout and mouth.
In the wild, it’s entirely likely that if northern pike and walleye are inhabiting the same waters, large northern pike will be actively feeding on walleye. Northern pike are highly aggressive ambush predators, while walleye are wary predators that cruise bodies of water in search of prey. While the two are similarly regarded, they’re incredibly different in appearance and behavior.
Read more about Walleye Spawning
Sources
- nwf.org Walleye
- Walleye – Freshwater Fish of America
- 5 Important Facts about Walleye Behavior that Will Make Fishing Them Easier – Wildewood On Lake Savant
- Northern pike
- Northern Pike Species Profile, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
- https://forum.americanexpedition.us/northern-pike-information-facts-photos-and-fishing-tips