Length Weight seldom exceeds 2-4 lbs. 2 or 3 rows of black dots on the forward dorsal fin large black blotch at the base of the pectoral fin. In Canada these fish are found from the St. Lawrence-Champlain river system westward to the North Saskatchewan River and northward to the Hudson Bay watershed. Prefers large, turbid, shallow lakes and large, silty, slow-flowing rivers. It has a definite preference for larger rivers and spends much of its life there except during the spawning season, when it ascends tributary streams or enters backwaters in search of suitable spawning habitat.
Adults live largely on fish, crayfish, other crustaceans, and insects.
Young feed extensively on midgefly larvae and, as they become older, on immature and adult mayflies. Like Walleye, an important commercial and game fish. The species is harvested commercially in parts of Canada. Not prominent as a game fish due to its small average size. Eggs are deposited at random, fertilized, and left unattended.