Fish Hatcheries

Big Spring Fish Hatchery
16212 Big Spring Road, Elkader, IA 52043, 563-245-2446
Wayne Wingert; Michael Posanski

About 150,000 rainbow trout are raised at Big Spring and stocked by hatchery personnel into 15 cold-water streams. All trout reared at Big Spring are obtained from the Manchester Hatchery when they are 2-3 inches and then grown to catchable-size (10-12 inches). It takes approximately 15 months to grow a trout to catchable-size.

The water supply for Big Spring is fed by the largest cold-water spring in Iowa. Flows from the spring usually range from 20,000 to 30,000 gallons per minute (GPM), but can exceed 150,000 GPM. The Big Spring Watershed is one of the most well-known and studied sites in the nation when it comes to information on groundwater in a karst (limestone) dominated landscape.

The Big Spring Rearing Station is located along the Turkey River 10 miles northwest of Elkader in Clayton County. The Big Spring Basin is a showcase for large sinkholes, losing streams and caves.

The Turkey River at Big Spring is open for public fishing. Recently completed renovations include an improved angler access trail along the river, a trout pond at the entrance that is open for public fishing and a kids fishing pond for young anglers 15 and under (kids must be accompanied by a licensed adult). Trout are stocked in the Turkey River, Big Spring Pond and the Kids Fishing Pond 2-3 times a week from April 1 through the end of October. The hatchery grounds and Turkey River are open to the public 7 days a week year round. A primitive campground is located at Big Spring that is open to the public and within walking distance of the hatchery.

The fish hatchery is open to the public 365 days a year from sunrise to sunset. Group tours and inspiring school educational events can be scheduled by calling the hatchery at 563-245-2446. Office hours are 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

How To Get Here: Take county road X16 (Gunder Road) north of Elkader past the golf course; go west on Big Spring Road.

What you need to fish for trout: Anglers 16 or older need to buy a fishing license and pay the trout fee to fish for trout. Anglers younger than 16 can fish for trout if they are with a licensed adult or they can pay their own trout privilege if they want to keep their own daily limit of 5 trout.

Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery
2321 Siewers Spring Road, Decorah, IA 52101, 563-382-8324
Brian Malaise; Steve Pecinovsky

The Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery is a production rearing station for growing rainbow trout. About 130,000 catchable-size rainbow trout are raised each year. Decorah Fish Hatchery personnel are responsible for stocking catchable-size trout in 15 streams throughout Allamakee, Howard, Mitchell and Winneshiek counties. The hatchery also stocks six seasonal community trout fisheries.

The Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery is located one mile south of Decorah in Winneshiek county. The picturesque limestone office and residence date back to the 1930s as a project of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The hatchery has 24 cement flow-through raceways and three rubber lined earthen ponds.

The fish hatchery is open to the public 365 days a year from sunrise to sunset. school tours can be scheduled by calling the hatchery at 563-382-8324. office hours are 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

How to get here: from highway 9, take trout run road for about 1.5 miles. turn south on siewers spring road to the hatchery.

Guttenberg Fish Hatchery
331 S River Park Dr., Guttenberg, IA 52052, 563-252-1156
Karen Osterkamp; Kevin Hanson

The Guttenberg Fish Hatchery, located in downtown Guttenberg, has produced northern pike fry for the Iowa DNR since 1974. Before that, the hatchery was owned and operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Each spring, after ice out, staff at Guttenberg and other DNR stations in eastern Iowa net northern pike from local backwater lakes. Hatchery operations typically start around March 15 and all fry are shipped out of the Guttenberg hatchery by April 15.

Station activities include:

• conduct hrep (habitat rehabilitation and enhancement projects) monitoring for pre and post project fish habitat data.
• work closely with the iowa dnr ltrm and research teams, wisconsin dnr, u.s.f.w.s and army corps of engineers to plan and design habitat for the most species in a cost effective manner.
• monitor and report invasive species concerns and inform boaters of invasive species presence and laws.
• attend partner coordination meetings on hrep to ensure project is constructed to design with the most benefits to fish and wildlife.
• conduct permit reviews for mississippi river sovereign lands to avoid and minimize impacts to sovereign lands and mussel species.
• collect walleye and/or northern pike broodstock for fish culture to be stocked statewide.
• conduct aquatic education programs and fishing clinics
• operate the guttenberg visitor aquariums.

Manchester Fish Hatchery
22693 - 205th Ave., Manchester, IA 52057, 563-927-3276
Dan Rosauer; Aaron Schwartzhoff; Eric Bailey; Garald Rivers

The Manchester Fish Hatchery, located 4 miles southeast of Manchester, has a long and storied history. The first fish were produced here in the 1890s. It was operated by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service until 1976 when it was given to the State of Iowa via a land trade. Since 1976, it has functioned as Iowa’s trout brood stock station where trout are spawned, incubated and hatched each year to produce over 600,000 fish to be stocked in Iowa waters.

Station activities include:

• spawning, incubating and hatching of rainbow, brook and brown trout.
• raise and supply fingerling rainbow trout to both big spring and decorah hatcheries.
• raise and stock catchable size rainbow for iowa’s stream and community trout fisheries.
• building, grounds and equipment maintenance.
• a myriad of public relations duties including: guided tours, public speaking presentations, multi-media contacts and educational science class assistance.

The hatchery grounds are open from sunrise to sunset daily. Tours are self guided around the exterior raceways of trout. office hours are by appointment.

Mount Ayr Fish Hatchery
2093 E Loch Ayr Rd., Mount Ayr, IA 50854, 641-464-3108
Andy Jansen; Jon Christensen

The Mount Ayr Fish Hatchery, located one mile north of Mount Ayr, was established in 1941. The initial design consisted of five earthen diked ponds. Three additional ponds were added in 1961 increasing the total production area to a little over six acres. Recent changes to pond design and layout have decreased the number of rearing ponds to five with an increased production area of approximately eight acres.

Historically, the facility has raised channel catfish, largemouth bass, bluegills, redear sunfish, walleye, sauger, smallmouth bass and hybrid striped bass. Recent production has focused on hybrid striped bass, largemouth bass, bluegills and blue catfish.

Hybrid striped bass fry are grown into fingerlings from fry shipped to Mount Ayr in early May from other hatcheries. The two-inch long fingerlings are then stocked into southwest and south central Iowa lakes, Coralville Reservoir and Rathbun Reservoir. Largemouth bass are grown to five inch fingerlings from two inch fingerlings received from the Fairport Fish Hatchery. Bluegill production is achieved through natural reproduction then stocked in the fall.

Rathbun Fish Hatchery
15053 Hatchery Place, Moravia, IA 52571, 641-647-2406
Randy Esser; Paula Surber; Adam Havard; Bryan Daniels

The Rathbun Fish Hatchery is an intensive warm water fish hatchery. The species of fish propagated here grow best in water temperatures between 50 and 90 f°. Channel catfish and walleye are the primary fish species raised at the hatchery. Muskellunge are over wintered and other species may be raised based on stocking requests throughout Iowa. Brood stock walleye are collected in April from Rathbun Lake using gillnets. These fish are taken back to the hatchery where they are spawned before being returned to the lake. Fish produced at this facility are stocked statewide in Iowa ponds, rivers and more than 250 lakes and reservoirs.

Each year, more than 100,000 eight-inch fingerling catfish, 75,000 two-inch fingerling catfish, 70 million walleye fry, 225,000 two-inch walleye fingerlings and 175,000 nine-inch walleye fingerlings are produced at the hatchery.

Athough the rathbun hatchery facility is relatively new, it is not a new project. Planning officially started in December 1970 with construction beginning in March 1974. The facility was dedicated on June 11, 1977. The project cost nearly $6 million with funds coming from three sources. The iowa legislature appropriated $2.3 million from Iowa's general fund. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided $700,000 and the sale of hunting and fishing licenses financed about $3 million. Annual operating funds are provided entirely by the sale of hunting and fishing licenses. The original design included 40 indoor raceways and 20 semi-circular outdoor tanks. ten one acre ponds were completed in 2000.

The Rathbun Hatchery is located in Appanoose County about seven miles north of Centerville on road J5T. The hatchery is open year-round Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Large groups must call ahead (641-647-2406) to make an appointment. Small groups are self-guided.

Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery
122 252nd Ave., Spirit Lake, IA 51360, 712-336-1840
Kim Hawkins; Jacob Miller; Shawn Peterson; Jeremy Menting

The Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery is a walleye, northern pike and muskellunge hatching and rearing station. Production facilities include four egg incubators with a total capacity of 1100 quarts, 20 indoor raceways, six non-drainable ponds and two natural lakes. Water is obtained from Spirit Lake and is discharged into East Okoboji Lake.

The hatching period begins in late March, when ice cover leaves area lakes. Adult fish are collected when they travel the shoreline to spawn and are captured with gillnets. Fish are transported to the hatchery where eggs are removed and fertilized. All adult fish are returned to the lake in which they were captured. Incubation takes place in special jars that allow fresh water to flow over the eggs, supplying oxygen. Walleye eggs are also collected from Storm Lake and Clear Lake, and transported to the Spirit Lake hatchery for incubation. After hatching, fish may be stocked as fry or reared to advanced fingerling stages. Fry are fed a commercial diet in the hatchery or stocked into a nursery lake where they eat natural foods.

Each year, 75 million walleye fry, 100,000 six-inch walleye fingerlings, 25,000 seven-inch walleye fingerlings, and 2 million northern pike fry are produced at the hatchery.

The hatchery is open year-round Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.; closed on holidays.