The number of eggs produced by individual females varies according to body size and physical condition, but normal fecundity ranges from 23,000 to 50,000 per pound of fish weight. Incubation lasts 12 to 18 days, depending upon water temperature. Cold weather, which delays hatching, extremely heavy wind action or currents which might wash the eggs ashore, and muddy water which coats the eggs with silt are prime factors which decrease hatching odds. For several days it will drift about, absorbing the yolk sac and gaining strength. Growth is fairly rapid in the south, but slower in more northerly latitudes.
Females grow more quickly than males.
The male walleye is not territorial, and does not build a nest. The fertilized eggs are heavier than the water and fall into crevices in the stream or lake bottom where they stick to stones and debris. The maximum number of eggs released by one female has been estimated at 612,000. But more important in controlling populations are water temperature, stream flow and wind at spawning time, and interference from other species which spawn over the walleye eggs. The major controlling factor of walleye populations appears to be mortality during the egg and fry stage.