Hot Creek Fish Hatchery

This is the largest rainbow trout fish hatchery in California as well as a key way station for the raising of the Golden Trout, California’s state fish. The journey of the Golden Trout begins when employees of the Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery hike into the wilderness to trap pregnant females. At the Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery, the females lay their eggs. When the eggs reach a stage at which they have recognizable eyes, they are brought to the Hot Creek Fish Hatchery. After growing into three-inch fingerlings, the fish are loaded on board a tanker airplane that takes off from Mammoth Lakes Airport and dumps the fish into lakes in the Sierras. Prior to the stocking program, the natural range of the Golden Trout did not extend to these lakes. Built in 1936, Hot Creek Fish Hatchery is one of the largest such facilities in the Western states and is instrumental in supplying fertilized trout eggs to the region, state, country, and beyond. It also takes steps to ensure the survival of lesser known native species such as Kamloops rainbow troutk. Wires overhead protect the hatchlings from predatory birds.