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Walleye
Virginia State Parks staff; Flickr user ID vastateparksstaff / EOL (CC BY) · CC-BY

Walleye

Sander vitreus

pike
  • Look for a golden-yellow body color, which gives the fish its common nickname 'yellow pike' or 'yellow pickerel'.
  • The eyes have a distinctive glassy, opaque appearance — this reflective eye is the most reliable field marker and is what gives the walleye its name.
  • Unlike true pickerels (which have a long, slender, duck-billed snout), the walleye has a more typical perch-like profile with a blunt, rounded head.
  • Walleyes are perch-family fish, so look for the spiny first dorsal fin typical of perciform fish, separating them from pike-family lookalikes.