Veteran's Day Office Closure
Colorado Parks and Wildlife offices will be closed for Veteran's Day, Wednesday, November 11.
Pueblo Fish Hatchery
Facility Type:
Cold Water
Warm Water
Hours:
Contact hatchery. From July 1 through October 31, no trout will be available for public viewing.
Tours:
- Self-guided tours
- Guided tours
Address:
500 Pueblo Reservoir Road
Pueblo, CO 81005
United States
Pueblo Fish Hatchery
Facility Type:
Cold Water
Warm Water
Hours:
Contact hatchery. From July 1 through October 31, no trout will be available for public viewing.
Tours:
- Self-guided tours
- Guided tours
Address:
500 Pueblo Reservoir Road
Pueblo, CO 81005
United States
Navigate to:
Pueblo Fish Hatchery
The Pueblo Hatchery, the only cold water and warm water facility in Colorado, raises fry, fingerlings, and catchables of rainbow trout. The hatchery also raises crappie, bluegills, largemouth bass, brown trout, saugeye, wiper, and walleye.
The hatchery was built by the Federal Bureau of Reclamation, but Colorado Parks & Wildlife is responsible for its operation and maintenance.
Aerial view of Pueblo State Fish Hatchery.
Pueblo State Fish Hatchery.
Staff collecting trout at Pueblo State Fish Hatchery.
Fish eggs in incubator tanks.
Walleye Production
Walleye eggs are collected from wild spawning operations at Cherry Creek, Pueblo and Chatfield Reservoirs. CPW crews set nets along the dams in early spring. The adult fish are stripped of their milt and eggs and are then released. The eggs are fertilized and brought to the hatchery for incubation and hatching. After hatching, most walleyes will be stocked as 3−5 day old fry. They are placed in plastic bags at densities of 100,000 per bag, oxygen is pumped into the bag and they are sealed and placed into insulated bags for transport.
Around 30−45 million walleye eggs a year pass through the hatchery. One million or so of the walleye fry are not directly stocked out, but are held back to be restocked into some of the 32 ponds to be raised for fingerling (1–2 inch fish) production. Both fry and fingerling walleye are stocked all over Colorado at lower elevation reservoirs.
Visitors Welcome!
- Visitor center with pamphlets and brochures
- From July 1 through the month of October there will be no trout available to be viewed by the public
- Self-guided tours
- 'Feed the Fish' fish food dispensers (requires quarters)
A man holding a crappie.
Pond Production
Pueblo Fish Hatchery raises largemouth bass, walleye, saugeye, striper, wiper, bluegill, black crappie and occasionally hybrid grass carp. Pueblo has 32 earthen ponds — 16 one-acre ponds and 16 half-acre ponds — for production. The ponds are f illed with water and fertilized, using cottonseed meal, alfalfa pellets and/or old fish food. The fertilizer promotes the growth of phytoplankton (microscopic algae), which in turn is fed on by zooplankton (small water bugs).
A week or so after the fertilizer has been added and the zooplankton has bloomed, the ponds are stocked with fish to be reared. These fish eat the zooplankton and grow for about 30−45 days. The pond is fertilized 1−2 additional times to maintain the nutrient levels. Once the fish reach the desired size, the ponds are drained and the fish are collected in a concrete structure called a kettle. Like the trout, the fish are weighed and placed in the f iberglass fish tanks on trucks and taken to reservoirs to be stocked.
Your Fishin’ Is Our Mission!
Colorado’s Fish Stocking Program
Since 1881, Colorado Parks & Wildlife fish hatcheries have been dedicated to improving the fish populations of our beautiful state. Today, CPW operates 19 hatcheries that breed, hatch, rear and stock over 90 million fish per year. Many of the fish produced are to enhance angling opportunities, while others serve a critical role in native species recovery efforts. Colorado fish hatcheries support our angling pastime, which contributes 2.4 billion dollars annually to our state's economy!