212 NORTHERN FISHES 



to 2 pounds. Walleyes are no longer taken commercially in inland waters, 

 except in Red Lake, where the Indians make a livelihood principally 

 from this fish. In international waters the principal commercial sources 

 of supply are still Lake of the Woods and Rainy Lake. 



With anglers this species is one of the most popular fishes in Minne- 

 sota. It is a fish of clear, cold lakes and clean rivers and a clean feeder, 

 with flesh of the finest quality, and it is no wonder that it has long been 

 the favorite of epicures. It can be truthfully asserted that in Minnesota 

 it is everyman's fish, because rich and poor alike find it available. During 

 the hotter months it retires into deep water and may be somewhat more 

 difficult to catch on the usual tackle. During May and June, and again 

 in September, October, and even November, it provides more sport to 

 the average angler than all other species combined, with the exception 

 of the crappie and sunfishes. It may be caught either by still-fishing 

 with live minnows for bait or by trolling and casting with live minnows, 

 artificial minnows, or spinners. 



The walleye spawns shortly after the ice melts. The spawning run 

 starts when water temperatures range from 38° to 44° F. The spawning 

 season is apparently determined by the temperature of the water and 

 may come early in April or, if the season is cold, may be delayed until 

 the first part of May. During the spawning season great numbers of 

 walleyes migrate up tributary streams, where the eggs are usually de- 

 posited in riffles. The adults usually stay in the headwaters from three 

 to six weeks after spawning, and then return to the main body of water. 

 However, large numbers of walleyes do not leave the lake, but deposit 

 their eggs on gravel reefs in the shallow waters of the lake (Stoudt and 

 Eddy, 1939) . 



On the spring run to the spawning grounds the males usually precede 

 the females by a few days; The reverse is true toward the close of the 

 run. It is sometimes difficult to determine the sex of walleyes less than 

 13 to 14 inches long, even at the spawning season. Consequently many 

 erroneous estimates of the relative numbers of males and females have 

 been given. The length of the males rarely exceeds 15 inches, but the 

 females are uniformly larger, and ripe ones usually exceed the male's 

 maximum by several inches. A large female weighing 12 pounds, taken 

 on the Upper Mississippi above Wolf Lake in 1918, produced 388,000 

 eggs, from which 270,000 fry were hatched. This fish was taken in 

 several successive seasons and became locally famous as "Old Silver 

 Spot." Careful records kept at the Bemidji spawning station indicate, on 

 the basis of several thousand records, that the average production of 

 eggs per female is 49,614. However, it must be noted that this figure does 

 not represent the total number of eggs that might be deposited under 

 natural conditions over a period of several hours or days, for no efforts 

 were made to take all the eggs; only those flowing freely were taken. 

 Average counts of the eggs in the ovaries indicate that there are about 



