Out east it's actually considered a different species of walleye. Blue pickerel or blue walleye. What your buddy caught was most likely a genetic variant and has been known to happen.
The blue walleye in eastern Canada are considered extirpated by most but there are always rumours of people catching one (though it's most likely just a regular walleye with the genetic variation).
Ever heard of blue lobsters being caught? Same deal.
tl;dr your buddy caught a walleye with a genetic variation that makes it blue
Did you snap a picture? That would be cool to see come out of a lake out here. I'm guessing that's pretty rare out west.
I read (somewhere I can't recall) that there are 3 color variations and pigmentation variants that happen in walleye. Gold, Blue and Greens. The Greens are common in Manitoba, Blue in the Erie basin, and Golds out west here.
Just a couple of days ago on a Manitoba forum a guy caught a blue walleye. He posted a picture of it beside a regular walleye and it definitly was blue.
Blue Walleye?
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