About Friends of the Decorah Fish Hatchery
Friends of the Decorah Fish Hatchery is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization created to support and improve the services delivered to the public by the Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery, primarily through educating the public on the conservation, enhancement and protection of natural resources that is vital to the efforts of the hatchery and through conducting fundraising efforts to support these activities.
About Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery
Rainbow trout are raised in 24 raceways and three rubber lined earthen ponds at the Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery. Easy access to the raceways make this a popular stop to see the fish of various sizes. A handful of feed purchased from dispensers brings fish swirling to the the surface.
The fish hatchery is open to the public 365 days a year from sunrise to sunset. Group tours can be scheduled by calling the hatchery at 563-382-8324. Office hours are 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
About 130,000 catchable-size rainbow trout are raised each year. Decorah fish hatchery personnel are responsible for stocking 15 put-and-take streams in Allamakee, Howard, Mitchell and Winneshiek counties. The hatchery also stocks five seasonal urban lakes in Mason City, Sioux City, Spencer, Ames and Ankeny or Bondurant.