Fillmore Fish Hatchery

Fillmore Fish Hatchery. 1942 - Present. , Warm-Water Beginnings , Fillmore Hatchery was one of the first warm water hatcheries constructed in California to produce catchable-sized trout. , Completed in 1942, the facility, comprised of 30 ponds, 4 cottages, a feed room, and a garage building, cost approximately $74,000. , A Hatchery Modernization , In 1969, the hatchery was modernized. The dirt ponds were replaced with four 1,000 foot concrete raceways, and a hatchery building with 7 circular tanks. , Raising Trout for Anglers , As a major production hatchery, Fillmore. raises approximately 252,000 pounds of rainbow, brown and brook trout annually for Southern California anglers. , That equates to half a million rainbow trout, stocked annually for the enjoyment of recreational angling. , Trophy Trout Program , From November through February, Fillmore Hatchery partners with the Department of Water Resources to stock one pound trout in Pyramid Lake for great winter fishing. , The Hatchery Water Supply , The water at the hatchery comes from four large wells and fluctuates between 59 degrees in winter to 62 degrees in summer. The water is pumped from 150 to 600 feet below the surface, it is cool and pure. Approximately 10.7 million gallons of water are pumped every day. , After the water leaves the hatchery, it is used by agriculture. As the water percolates back into the sandy ground, it is cleansed through filtration and is ready to use for other purposes.