The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission's Inland Fisheries Division operates six fish hatcheries that raise a variety of fish for stocking into North Carolina's public waters. These hatcheries are designated as "warmwater", "coolwater" or "coldwater" hatcheries. Because state-operated hatcheries stock only public waters, people seeking to stock private lakes and ponds must contact a commercial hatchery.
The McKinney Lake Hatchery in Richmond County raises channel catfish exclusively for the state's public waters. The Watha Hatchery in Pender County raises striped bass, striped bass hybrids, channel catfish and largemouth bass for the state's public waters.
Located in Hoffman between Southern Pines and Rockingham, the McKinney Lake State Fish Hatchery is a warmwater hatchery featuring 23 ponds covering more than 18 acres of water. This hatchery is used primarily for growing fingerling-sized (3-4 inches) channel catfish to harvestable size (8-12 inches) for the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission's Community Fishing Program. It works in conjunction with the Watha State Fish Hatchery near Wilmington to provide monthly stockings of channel catfish from April through September at 30 Community Fishing Program sites statewide.
In the past, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service operated the McKinney Lake Hatchery and produced striped bass and other warmwater fish species at this facility. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission leased the facility in 1996 and began stocking channel catfish from the McKinney Lake Hatchery in March 1998.
Channel catfish are spawned at the Watha Hatchery, and the fry are raised there until they reach "fingerling" size (3-4 inches). These fingerling channel catfish are then transported to the McKinney Lake Hatchery where employees feed and care for the fish in 0.8-acre ponds for about one year until they reach the "harvestable" size range (8-12 inches). These harvestable-size channel catfish are stocked regularly (usually monthly) into 23 of the 30 lakes that are included in the Commission's Community Fishing Program. Catfish for the remaining seven lakes are provided by the Watha Hatchery.
Beginning in April, channel catfish are collected from the ponds and stocked into Community Fishing Program across the state based on the Community Fishing Program Stocking Schedule that can also be found on this website. Using large nets called "seines", hatchery employees collect the catfish and move them into spring-fed tanks in a holding house. From these tanks, the catfish are stocked into Community Fishing Program lakes over the course of several days. The catfish are not fed several days prior to harvesting and stocking. Anglers at Community Fishing Program lakes know that as soon as these catfish are stocked, they cooperate readily when presented with an enticing worm, chicken liver or other catfish bait.
In addition to the 23 ponds designated for channel catfish rearing, the McKinney Lake State Fish Hatchery has another pond on site that is reserved for an annual children's fishing day. The public is welcome to tour the hatchery during normal working hours, 8a.m. - 4p.m., on weekdays. Free, 30-minute tours for groups of 15 or more can be arranged by calling ahead and scheduling a tour with hatchery personnel. For more information, write to McKinney Lake State Fish Hatchery, 220 McKinney Lake Road, Hoffman, N.C. 28347 or call 910-895-5330.
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Located in Pender County between Burgaw and Penderlea, the Watha State Fish Hatchery is a warmwater hatchery featuring 43 ponds covering more than 45 acres of water. It is used to produce channel catfish, largemouth bass, striped bass, Bodie bass (striped bass hybrids), bluegill sunfish, redear sunfish, redbreast sunfish, hybrid sunfish and American shad for stocking public waters across the entire state of North Carolina. The Watha Hatchery works in conjunction with the McKinney Lake State Fish Hatchery near Rockingham to provide monthly stockings of channel catfish from April through September at 30 Community Fishing Program sites statewide.
The Watha Hatchery was formerly a commercial hatchery operated as the Cape Fear Fish Farm. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission purchased this facility in 1992 and began stocking sportfish from the Watha Hatchery in March 1992.
The Watha Hatchery stocks 18 reservoirs annually with striped bass and Bodie bass (striped bass hybrids). In addition, two coastal rivers, the Tar and the Neuse, receive annual stockings of striped bass from the Watha Hatchery. Seven of the thirty Community Fishing Program lakes receive channel catfish stockings from Watha, and other public bodies of water receive largemouth bass and various sunfish from Watha. Over the last two years, the hatchery has begun stocking American shad fry into the Roanoke River. Watha personnel stocked about 50,000 shad fry in the Roanoke River in 1999. More than 308,000 were stocked in the Roanoke river this spring.
For more information, write to Watha State Fish Hatchery, 4945 Shiloh Road, Watha, N.C. 28471 or call 910-283-5099.
The Table Rock Hatchery in Burke County is the Division's sole coolwater hatchery. It raises muskellunge, walleye and smallmouth bass.
Located in the North Carolina foothills 10 miles north of Morganton, Table Rock State Fish Hatchery is a coolwater hatchery consisting of 17 ponds covering 9.25 acres of water, a flowing water flume line for holding trout, and indoor hatching and rearing facilities. In winter months, water temperatures at Table Rock are not as cold as water temperatures at our mountain trout hatcheries - thus the distinction between coolwater and coldwater hatcheries. The hatchery's water supply from Irish Creek provides suitable water quality for raising a wide variety of fish species - from channel catfish to trout. Table Rock is used primarily for raising fingerling smallmouth bass, walleye and muskellunge to be stocked into public lakes and rivers of western North Carolina.
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission built the Table Rock Hatchery in 1946.
In early spring, Table Rock is used as a distribution center for stocking catchable trout in the northwestern counties of the state. Up to 60,000 brook, brown and rainbow trout are held at Table Rock during the winter for final grow-out before stocking in public trout waters in early March. Trout stocking at Table Rock is completed by May, when water temperatures become too warm to sustain trout. Walleye from a captive broodstock are spawned at the hatchery in late March and moved to grow-out ponds in April. They are released in receiving waters in May as two- to three-inch "fingerlings." Smallmouth bass spawn at the hatchery in April and are grown until June when they are two inches in length. Muskellunge also spawn in April and are grown throughout the summer and stocked as juveniles in October. The average stocking size for muskie is 12 inches or larger. Large amounts of forage fish, mostly fathead minnows and goldfish, are raised at Table Rock to feed muskellunge fingerlings and bass and walleye broodstock. During summer months, Table Rock also participates in stocking channel catfish for the Community Fishing Program.
Table Rock has participated in research programs designed to evaluate techniques for spawning walleye and marking the hatchery-produced fingerlings. These techniques are critical for field evaluations of the success of stocking programs. The public is welcome to tour the hatchery on weekdays or use the picnic grounds any day during normal working hours, 8a.m. - 4p.m., on weekdays. Free tours for groups can be arranged by calling ahead and scheduling with hatchery personnel. For more information, write to Table Rock State Fish Hatchery, 3419 - Fish Hatchery Ave., Morganton, N.C. 28655 or call 828-437-3977.
The Armstrong Hatchery and Marion Hatchery in McDowell County and Bobby N. Setzer Hatchery in Transylvania County raise one million brook, brown and rainbow trout annually.
Located 10 miles north of the town of Marion and 2.5 miles off NC 226A, the Armstrong State Fish Hatchery is a coldwater trout hatchery consisting of two sections of outdoor raceways and indoor egg- and fingerling-rearing facilities. The clear, cold water of the Armstrong Creek watershed provides a good environment for raising trout. Armstrong Hatchery is responsible for stocking catchable-size trout in the public trout waters of 11 counties in the northern section of North Carolina's mountain region.
The Armstrong Hatchery's upper section of raceways was built by the Wildlife Resources Commission in 1957, and its lower rearing section was added in the mid-1960s. Armstrong underwent a major renovation that was completed in 2017.
Armstrong Hatchery maintains its own strains of brook and brown trout broodstocks that have been bred and maintained on the site for 40 years. These fish are spawned each fall and the eggs are incubated to the eyed-egg stage when they are transferred to Marion Hatchery for final hatching and rearing to "fingerling" size (approximately four inches in length). In late spring, the fingerlings are returned to Armstrong for grow-out to "catchable" (10-inch) size. During the grow-out phase, hatchery staff feed trout a prepared diet that supplies the complete nutritional requirement for optimum growth.
The hatchery is open to the public during normal working hours, 8a.m. - 4p.m., on weekdays. For more information, write to Armstrong State Fish Hatchery, 3336 Armstrong Creek Road, Marion, N.C. 28752 or call 828-756-4179.
Located north of the town of Marion and 1.5 miles east of US 221, the Marion State Fish Hatchery is a coldwater trout hatchery consisting of four earthen ponds, eight concrete raceways, a hatchery building with indoor rearing tanks, and a spring-fed, water-supply pond. Because Marion Hatchery is located close to the spring sources of its water supply, water temperatures at Marion Hatchery are cooler in summer and warmer in winter than at other state trout hatcheries. These moderate water temperatures allow rapid hatching of trout eggs and provide a good environment for growing trout "fingerlings" year-round. The hatchery's primary function is hatching trout eggs and rearing newly hatched trout to fingerling size for the state's hatchery-supported trout waters program. Secondary functions include raising forage fish and broodstock muskellunge to support "muskie" production operations at Table Rock State Fish Hatchery.
The Marion State Fish Hatchery was built in 1926.
Eggs of brook, brown and rainbow trout typically are brought to Marion Hatchery from other state fish hatcheries each fall. The eggs are placed in incubators where flowing water provides oxygen to the developing trout for two to six weeks until hatching. Newly hatched trout, called "sac fry," are placed in troughs inside the hatchery building and given an artificial feed that supplies the complete nutritional requirements for fast growth. After two months in 55-degree water, the sac fry grow to about two inches long. At that time, they are moved to outdoor raceways where they will be grown to "fingerling" (3- to 4-inch long) trout. Marion Hatchery provides most of the fingerling trout that are transferred to Armstrong Hatchery for final grow-out to "catchable" size (10 inches). Marion Hatchery also supplies trout for many of the hatchery-supported trout streams that are managed using fingerling stockings.
Three earthen ponds at Marion are used to raise goldfish and fathead minnows. These fish species are used as forage for muskellunge ("muskie") at Table Rock State Fish Hatchery. A fourth earthen pond is used as a holding pond for raising broodstock muskie. The muskie are raised at Marion from one-year-olds until they reach peak sexual maturity at three to five years old when they are transferred to Table Rock for use as broodstock.
Marion State Fish Hatchery is located north of the town of Marion on Fish Hatchery Road, just off Hankins Road, 1.5 miles east of US 221. The hatchery is open to the public during normal working hours, 8a.m. - 4p.m., on weekdays. For more information, write to Marion State Fish Hatchery, 645 Fish Hatchery Road, Marion, N.C. 28752 or call 828-803-6037.
Setzer produces over 75% of trout for the agency’s trout stocking program. 2024 trout stockings will not be impacted. Beginning in 2025, the Setzer Hatchery will undergo a major renovation that will result in a reduction in trout stockings during the 2025, 2026 and potentially 2027 trout stocking seasons. We will continue to provide updates during this important process, which ultimately ensures the sport of trout fishing will robustly continue in North Carolina for future generations.
Why:
Located in the Pisgah National Forest near Brevard, the Setzer Hatchery was built in the late 1950s by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and was operated as a national fish hatchery for more than 20 years. Since 1983, the Commission has operated and maintained the hatchery for trout production and distribution.
Setzer Hatchery is the state's largest trout hatchery. The facility consists of a hatchery building with 16 indoor rearing tanks and 54 outdoor raceways. The water supply for the hatchery comes from the Davidson River and Grogan Creek, which supply about 3,500 gallons per minute of cold mountain water year-round. Setzer Hatchery maintains its own strains of brook and, brown trout broodstock. These fish supply the fertilized eggs used to produce successive generations of trout. Mature broodfish are spawned during October and November, and the fertilized eggs are maintained in incubators until hatching, usually 30-40 days. Fish are fed a prepared diet daily, and grow at a rate up to one inch per month. 10-inch “catchable” fish are generally produced in 12-16 months.
Bobby N. Setzer Hatchery is located one mile off US 276 in the Pisgah National Forest near the town of Pisgah Forest. For more information, write to Bobby N. Setzer State Fish Hatchery, P.O. Box 728, Pisgah Forest, N.C. 28768, or call 828-877-3121.
Because state-operated hatcheries stock only public waters, people seeking to stock private lakes and ponds must contact a commercial hatchery. A list of hatcheries licensed to sell fish in North Carolina is available from your local North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.
N.C. Department of Agriculture Commercial Hatcheries: a list of commercial hatcheries for stocking private ponds and commercial aquaculture enterprises.
Pond Management Guide: for stocking rates, species, and stocking times. It is available free of charge from the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service or from the Wildlife Resources Commission.
N.C. State University Fisheries and Pond Management Extension: for additional information on stocking and pond management.