Ridge Fish Hatchery

Ridge Fish Hatchery. Washington Heritage Trail. . What was once West Virginia's only bass fish hatchery now produces nearly 70,000 pounds of trout a year.. Ridge Fish Hatchery was opened in 1931 through the influence of two local men: Vernon Johnson, Chairman of the Fish and Game Commission and state fish culturalist, Ted Fearnow. They selected the location along Breakneck Run because of its springs.. Brook and rainbow trout spend about 18 months at the hatchery before being stocked in nearly 30 different waters from nearby Cacapon State Park and Opequon Creek to Tomlinson Run State Park in the northern panhandle.. The life cycle begins with eggs arriving from other hatcheries in late fall. They are housed and fed five times a day in 16 hatcheries that still feed fry emerging from eggs on a pudding-like mixture of ground beef liver for the first month before switching them to commercial feed. The exceptional cold spring water requires this sturdier food source.. By mid-April, fingerlings are placed in outdoor raceways moving to the big, rock-walled pools by June where they remain for nearly a year. They are fed twice a day.. Flowing water is required for the hatchery. There is an impoundment dam for the springs and water from Breakneck Run. Once it passes through the hatchery, the water empties into Sleepy Creek and eventually, the Potomac River. Cold water holds more oxygen. Aerators are used to generate oxygen during warmer months.. Both dark brook trout and lighter rainbow can be seen in the pools. They often cluster head into the entry pipe because water there has the most oxygen. Trees surrounding the pools are oak and pine.. Operated by the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, Ridge Fish Hatchery is open daily from 8am to 4 pm. . This historical marker is in Ridge in Morgan County West Virginia