LITTLE GRASSY FISH HATCHERY

Little Grassy Fish Hatchery is Illinois' warm-water hatchery. Located seven miles south of Carbondale, the hatchery utilizes water from Little Grassy Lake for production. The original facility began operation in 1959. Major expansion and renovation in 1979 allowed production to be increased to keep up with stocking demands.

Little Grassy is known primarily for production of warm-water species such as channel catfish, largemouth bass, redear sunfish, and bluegill. However, cool-water species (walleye, muskellunge) may be produced depending upon water temperature and egg availability.

Little Grassy currently produces 15 million fish annually. These fish are stocked: 1) as fry into Carlyle Lake (walleye); 2) as fingerlings into privately owned ponds (redear sunfish, bluegill, channel catfish, largemouth bass); 3) as advanced fingerlings into select state or public lakes (largemouth bass); or 4) as nonvulnerables into state or public lakes (channel catfish into state or public lakes statewide, muskellunge into select lakes).

Little Grassy is open to the public seven days a week between 8:00 am and 3:30 pm during both production season and non-production season. Tours are offered year round.

During the non-production season, visitors may view the state-of-the-art facility. Various mechanical operations and fish production techniques and procedures are explained with aid of photo storyboards.

During production season, visitors may view broodfish in spawning cubicles, eggs incubating in artificial hatching jars, and various sizes of fish in indoor rearing tanks. Young catfish in outdoor raceways may be fed by visitors.

Little Grassy welcomes walk-in visitors as well as scheduled tour groups. Tours may be adjusted to suit time constraints of visitors as well as age group and knowledge base of visitors. For information or reservations, please call 618 529-4100.

January
Facility open; no fish for viewing

February
Facility open; no fish for viewing

March
Muskie production

April
Walleye production

May
Largemouth bass production

June
Channel catfish production; largemouth bass fingerlings stocked into private ponds

July
Channel catfish in outdoor raceways

August
Channel catfish in outdoor raceways; statewide stocking of nonvulnerables begins

September
Stocking of nonvulnerable channel catfish continues

October
Private pond stockings of channel catfish, redear, and bluegill; completion of nonvulnerable channel catfish stockings

November
Facility open; no fish for viewing

December
Facility open; no fish for viewing