Why walleye? How this flaky fish became a South Dakota food favorite
Makenzie Huber
This article is one of 18 South Dakota food favorites. For the complete list, go here.
Walleye: South Dakota's state fish can be deep fat fried or baked in tin foil with lemon, among other recipes for the versatile fish.
While walleye is native to South Dakota, the state fish didn't become popular among anglers until the '70s and '80s, according to Will Sayler, state Department of Game, Fish and Parks hatcheries manager.
It was designated the state fish in 1982, and is also the state fish of Minnesota and Vermont. The fish can be found in the Missouri River reservoirs, eastern glacial lakes of South Dakota and other reservoirs in the western part of the state.
"Walleye is a significant food in the upper Midwest. It's not just limited to South Dakota. It'd be in Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa," Sayler said. "We're a little more walleye-centric here just because we have a great resource."
The freshwater fish from the perch family is one of South Dakota's most recognizable fish today, but it wasn't popular until 50 years ago when fishing guides working along the walleye tournament circuit started to promote the fish.
Around that same time, the walleye population started to explode because reservoirs in South Dakota began to fill. Before that, Northern pike was the fish of choice among South Dakota anglers.
Today, Sayler said whenever a survey's taken among anglers, walleye is one of the most popular fish to come up.
Sayler himself eats walleye at least monthly when he can catch them and said it's a driver of fishing recreation and tourism in the state.
"It makes a big difference when walleyes are biting," he said. "It's kind of the poster child for why to come fishing in South Dakota."