Blue tailed Walleye

[Skunk City]

Got this guy yesterday afternoon on the USS FastEddie. Snapped a few quick pics before we realized how BLUE the tail was. Never seen one like this! Fish was a healthy 19.5" and released. Did some Google-ing and found some info on what's going on in the Great Lakes. A condition called "Sandercyanin" that produces a blue slime on Walleye possibly due to exposure to UV light. Interesting stuff!

[NorthJerzyG]

Cool lookin fish!! What causes it, water to clear, lol? Not deep enough?

[Skunk City]

"Though they can’t say for sure what purpose sandercyanin serves, researchers theorize it may aid in shielding the fish from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation. “Sandercyanin contains biliverdin, which is a byproduct of the hemoglobin carried by red blood cells,” says Schaefer. “One factor that causes hemoglobin to break down into biliverdin is exposure to UV radiation.”*Because biliverdin is known to act as a sunscreen of sorts in some species of animals, it is possible that, in an ironic twist of science, blue walleyes could be protecting themselves from the sun by excreting excess amounts of the very substance caused by its radiation. “That’s the hypothesis of the biochemists and geneticists who have worked on this project,” says Schaefer. He notes that production of sandercyanin is greatest in the summer months, corresponding to peak periods of sunlight, and the blue coloration is found only on the fish’s dorsal regions—which receive the highest UV doses.*An increase in the number of blue walleyes may be due to decreases in the ozone layer that protects Earth from UV radiation. “They may have always had the ability to produce sandercyanin and are just needing it now,” says Schaefer. He notes that some normally colored yellow walleyes also produce blue mucus, but it is most noticeable on the albino walleyes lacking yellow skin pigment. The albinism is likely the result of a recessive gene."

[Wilson]

Nice crisp fish and photos.
Zebra Mussels, Rock snot, Flat Heads, Snake Heads and now blue slime

[Jigman13]

Looks black sea bass-ish! Nice catch Skunk! Binsky??

[Skunk City]

Originally Posted by Jigman13

Looks black sea bass-ish! Nice catch Skunk! Binsky??

4" curlytail. Picked up a Rock Bass on the Binsky, no 'eyes.

Way to suck it up and get out there in the cold....Good job!!

[Skunk City]

Originally Posted by iceehot6766

Way to suck it up and get out there in the cold....Good job!!

24/7/365 Mitch. Wacking Walleye or growing roots into my couch? Clear choice I'd say .

[jimmythegreek]

nice job skunk, way to get it done on the USS Eddie in the cold. good seeing u guys out there, its gonna be good til ice I think

Originally Posted by Skunk City

24/7/365 Mitch. Wacking Walleye or growing roots into my couch? Clear choice I'd say .

I'm sick as a dog or I'd be out there also......hopefully by Thursday this cold will be gone.....I was out there on Sunday morning for a few hrs. then started feeling like I was coming down with something or i would have stayed much longer...I fish 12 months a year....never stop for nothing!!