The body of the Walleye surfperch is oval and strongly compressed.

The Walleye surfperch can be distinguished from other surfperch by the distinctive black tips on the ventral fins and black borders on the tail and anal fins.

Walleye surfperch are found in the Eastern Pacific Ocean from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada to central Baja California, Mexico, including Guadalupe Island (off northern central Baja California).

Mating takes place in October, November and December when the usual dense schools disperse with the males and females pairing off.

They reach maturity the following fall and winter; in fact, the largest proportion of the breeding population appears to be young of the year.