Walleye vs Yellow Perch
The check that settles it
Perch has bold dark vertical bars and no canine teeth, and rarely exceeds a pound.
Why this matters beyond curiosity
- Look-alike species often carry different limits. Walleye and sauger, black and white crappie, pike and muskie, blue and channel catfish — each pair can have different sizes, seasons and daily limits in the same water.
- Check it before the fish goes in the livewell. Most of the tests on this site take seconds and are far easier on a fish you are still holding.
- If you cannot tell, release it. That is the answer that is never wrong, and it is the one a warden will not argue with.
- Regulations are set by your state or province and change annually. This site identifies fish; it does not tell you the rules. Check the current regulations for the water you are on.
Walleye
Perch familySander vitreus
- Markings
- mottled
- Body
- torpedo
- Typical size
- 1–8 lb
- Regulations
- Walleye and sauger frequently have different limits, and their hybrid — the saugeye — is stocked in many waters and is often regulated as one or the other. Check your state.
Yellow Perch
Perch familyPerca flavescens
- Markings
- vertical bars
- Body
- torpedo
- Typical size
- 0.2–1 lb
- Regulations
- Limits are usually generous. Some Great Lakes waters have specific perch seasons and daily limits worth checking.
Confirming a walleye
- White tip on the lower lobe of the tail. Sauger lacks this.
- A dark blotch at the rear base of the spiny dorsal fin, but no rows of spots on the fin membrane.
- Large glassy eyes that reflect a torch beam.
- Two completely separate dorsal fins and obvious canine teeth.
Confirming a yellow perch
- Six to eight bold dark vertical bars on a yellow-gold body.
- Orange or reddish pelvic and anal fins.
- Two separate dorsal fins but no canine teeth.
- Rarely exceeds a pound.