Stocked Fish Lakes in Ohio

In Ohio, more than 1.3 million people fish in public lakes throughout the Buckeye State. The majority of Ohio's public man-made reservoirs and natural lakes receive fish from one of the state's six fish hatcheries. Most fish production happens in the spring and the hatcheries stock Ohio's public lakes in spring and summer. Some of Ohio's largest public lakes are Seneca Lake, Grand Lake St. Marys, Lake Milton and Paint Creek Lake.

  1. Kincaid State Fish Hatchery

    • The Kincaid State Fish Hatchery is a 200-acre institution in western Pike County, Ohio, less than 10 minutes from Latham. This hatchery is responsible for breeding and stocking rainbow trout, hybrid striped bass and muskellunge. Kincaid is capable of producing about 100,000 muskellunge eggs and 27,000 catchable trout. The hatchery has 19 ponds for breeding fish.

    London State Fish Hatchery

    • Located in London, Ohio, the London State Fish Hatchery features 34 ponds for raising coldwater fish species such as muskellunge, rainbow trout and brown trout. This fish hatchery is open year-round. During the spring, the London State Fish Hatchery produces muskellunge, while trout are bred in the fall. This hatchery was built in 1896, making it the oldest fishing hatchery in Ohio.

    Castalia State Fish Hatchery

    • Erie County's Castalia State Fish Hatchery is in the northern region of the state, within 30 minutes of Sandusky. Established in 1997, this hatchery is the newest of Ohio's fish hatcheries. Steelhead and rainbow trout are the two primary fish raised at Castalia, which is the only Ohio hatchery to produce steelhead. Usually, Castalia and London hatcheries produce more than 25,000 trout annually. Castalia stocks rainbow trout in the fall.

    Senecaville State Fish Hatchery

    • Senecaville State Fish Hatchery is located at the base of Seneca Lake's dam. This 120-acre facility features 37 ponds for fish breeding. Channel catfish, saugeye, walleye and hybrid striped bass are Senecaville's fish species; the hatchery is Ohio's main producer for hybrid striped bass and saugeyes. All fish production -- except for channel catfish -- begins in the spring. Channel catfish production occurs in the summer.

    Hebron State Fish Hatchery

    • Built in 1982, the Hebron State Fish Hatchery is Ohio's largest fishing hatchery at 230 acres. This facility features more than 63 ponds. Hebron primarily raises saugeye, walleye and channel catfish, however, hybrid bass and bluegill are also produced there. The hatchery is less than two miles from Buckeye Lake, which is the hatchery's primary water supply.

    St. Mary's State Fish Hatchery

    • The second-oldest hatchery in Ohio is the St. Mary's State Fish Hatchery, completed in 1913. This 160-acre facility has 26 fish-rearing ponds. St. Mary's is on the eastern shoreline of the Grand Lake St. Marys, located in Auglaize County. Among St. Mary's produced fish are yellow perch, channel catfish, walleye, saugeye and largemouth bass. Production for St. Marys fish starts in the spring.