hatcheries

Hatcheries in Georgia

Richmond Hill Fish Hatchery

Located on 87 acres in Bryan County, the Richmond Hill Fish Hatchery includes 31 fish rearing ponds, as well as 3 Kid's Fishing Event (KFE) ponds. Donated by Henry Ford in 1936, the hatchery produces bluegill, redear sunfish, largemouth bass, striped bass, and hybrid bass. It has produced over 800 million striped and hybrid bass fry since the statewide propagation program started in 1968.

McDuffie Fish Hatchery

McDuffie Hatchery is located in McDuffie County. Visitors may fish for Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, and Redear Sunfish.


Directions

From Thomson: South on Highway 17 to US Highway 278; left (east) for 5.6 miles; right on Ellington Airline Road for 2.8 miles; right on Fish Hatchery Road for 0.8 miles.

Cordele Fish Hatchery

Cordele is a 160-acre hatchery located in Crisp County. There are 22 ponds that raise channel catfish, shoal bass, largemouth bass, white bass, striped bass, and hybrid striped bass. Visitors can view this process with the best times being during the spring spawning and fall harvest activities.


Directions

From Cordele: Travel approximately 1 mile West on Highway 280. Turn right on Fish Hatchery Road and go 1.5 miles to reach the hatchery.

Bowens Mill Fish Hatchery

Bowens Mill Hatchery is located just south of the Wilcox/Ben Hill line in Ben Hill County. It is located 10 miles north of Fitzgerald on U.S. Highway 129.

The hatchery raises hybrid bass, striped bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish (shellcracker), and channel catfish for stocking into public reservoirs. Some channel catfish are grown to catchable size for stocking into PFAs and for kids fishing events. Some largemouth bass are raised to a larger size for stocking into north Georgia reservoirs where survival of larval bass has been unsuccessful.

Buford Trout Hatchery

Open Monday - Friday from 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. and Weekends and holidays from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Buford Hatchery allows visitors for self-guided tours to view five hundred thousand trout, both brown and rainbow, being reared to stock into Georgia’s designated trout waters. Located on the banks of the Chattahoochee River in Forsyth County just north of Atlanta.