Fish Stocking
Raising trout since 1971
We stock Brook, Brown, Rainbow, and Golden Rainbow Trout, as well as Largemouth Bass and Bluegill. We sell live fish for stocking and can deliver all across the northeast.
Our brook trout and brown trout are raised from our own brood stock. For almost 50 years we have been selecting our fish to be of the highest quality. We want them to look great, fight hard, and be healthy. Our brook trout are spawned in the fall at 2 years old, and our brown trout at 3 years. We take pride in our breeding program and take care to continue building a healthy genetic lineage of trout.
Whether you’re a private landowner, a rod and gun club, or another fish hatchery, we can supply!
Big Brown Fish Hatchery
Big Brown Fish Hatchery has been raising trout since 1971. We supply high quality brook, brown, and rainbow trout, as well as largemouth bass and hybrid bluegill all around, but not limited to, the northeastern United States. Our brook and brown trout are reared from our own broodstock and our rainbow trout are raised from eyed eggs. In operation since 1971, we have a commitment to raising the highest quality sportfish that we can. Our deliveries range anywhere from our order minimum ($500) to our maximum load on our largest truck; 5,000 lbs. If you want trout for your stream, pond, club, or hatchery, we will be happy to work with you and provide high quality trout. Additionally, we can stock largemouth bass and bluegill for pond stockings all across the northeast.
Our delivery service guarantees to get your fish to you in good health, and includes half an hour to help get the fish into your water. Ordering is easy, just call in with what you would like, and we’ll check our inventory. Once the order is confirmed you can decide for delivery or self pick-up. The availability of sizes and species can vary throughout the year, but we’ll do our best to get you exactly the sizes and species that you desire.
We pride ourselves on the quality of our fish. They’re raised in high flows of cold water, with high quality feed and care so that they have the best health, color, fight, and fins.
LIVE FISH PRICESAbout Our Hatchery
Our fish hatchery is where we raise our broodstock, hatch out our eggs, and grow our fish. We raise them to stock in our fish and pay lakes, as well as for a myriad of customers; other farms, fishing clubs, pond owners, and restaurants. Maintaining a clean environment for the fish to grow takes constant work. The rearing areas are cleaned daily and waste is collected and reused as fertilizer for fields. Hatcheries are non-consumptive users of water, meaning the water that flows in, flowers back out without any large draw or “consumption” from the system.
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Our brood stock are selected for their appearance and health, and we maintain a large number of breeding pairs to ensure genetic diversity and health in the fish
Our brood stock are selected for their appearance and health, and we maintain a large number of breeding pairs to ensure genetic diversity and health in the fish. In the fall of each year we spawn our brook and brown trout. One by one we strip the eggs from the female and fertilize with a male. Trout are iteroparous, which means they can live through their first spawn and spawn more than once in their lifetime.
After fertilization, the eggs are carefully placed into upwelling jars for incubation. After a few weeks of careful monitoring, the eggs begin to “eye-up”. What appears to be a dark dot in the egg, is actually the trout growing. Once that eye is very visible, the eggs are placed on hatching trays in our hatching troughs. (The rainbow trout eggs we buy are fully eyed, so this is the stage they start at for us.) As the fish hatch from the eggs, they fall through the trays, into the troughs where they begin their lives.
At this stage the trout are called sac fry. The name comes from the fact that they feed off of their still attached egg sac for the first week or so after hatching. As they feed through their egg sac, they will begin to swim both up towards the water inflow, and up higher in the water column, hence the term, “swim up”.
At this point the trout, called “fry”, start to feed off of a mash feed high in protein and fat. In the early stages of life, trout require very frequent feeding and a diet much higher in protein than at later stages. As the trout eat and grow we move them to larger troughs with more water flow and space, a process we repeat through their growth at the hatchery.
After a few months the trout grow from fry to “fingerlings”, called such because they are about the size of, well, a finger. At this size they are moved from the hatch house to our outdoor raceways to continue growing.
Our Customers
We can deliver live trout and bass to just about anyone who wants them. Here are a few categories of customers we have.
Private Landowners
We can supply fish to your stream, pond, or lake. Whether you are looking to catch and release, put and take, or just to maintain a healthy pond community, we can provide fish to meet your needs.
Rod & Gun Clubs
We can supply for fishing derbies, regularly scheduled stockings, or occasional and one time deliveries. Sizes and species can be mixed according to quantity limits listed on the price list, on a per lb basis. Our delivery includes 30 minutes of stocking time with a driver and the stocking truck.
Other Farms
From fingerlings all the way up to 20”+ Brook, Brown, and Rainbow Trout, we can deliver up to 5,000 lbs per trip. Quantities of large fish are more limited. If you are a farm looking for large quantity delivery, please call for pricing.
Grocery Stores/Restaurants/Etc.
We can provide trout for grocery stores, restaurants, and more. Please call with quantity and size desired.
Trout and Bass Stocking
Where Our Fish Come From
Our brook and brown trout eggs come from our own broodstock, and are taken each fall. Eggs for rainbow trout are sourced from Troutlodge and Riverence, both of whom produce high quality rainbow trout eggs.
Our largemouth bass and bluegill are brought in at about 2-4 inches in the spring of the year. From that size we raise them in our own ponds.
Stocking
Fish bought from us are live hauled in tanks of cool water, with aerators and oxygen to keep the fish in great condition and health during transport. Upon arrival we will make sure the water the fish will be stocked into is within 6 degrees Fahrenheit.
Our hauling water is typically around 50F. The fish can then be stocked as per the customers’ direction. The stocking truck will have buckets and a net, and if it is a large quantity and the truck can get within 10 feet, we can chute the fish in.
Raising our Trout
Our trout are raised in flow through raceways. With high flows of cold water, low stocking densities, high quality feed, and continual waste removal, we can raise fish that are healthy and robust, and that have great fins, color, and fight. We feed a pelleted food diet to our fish. It has the fatty acid and amino acid composition necessary for trout to grow and be healthy, and is low on waste.
At our hatchery, there is 24/7, 365 care. Hatch house tanks are cleaned twice a day every day, waste is constantly removed from the water, and a low stress environment (for the fish) is maintained. Employees at Big Brown have a mix of training, education, and experience (Some with 20+ years of experience at Big Brown alone!). During stocking season we have 9 full time and a few part time employees to help with all things stocking.
It takes all of that experience along with keeping up with current literature and developments to be able to raise multiple species of trout, and bass and bluegill. Brook, brown, and rainbow trout all eat the same diet and require basically the same conditions to grow. The main difference, which results in brook and brown trout being more expensive, is the rate of growth. Rainbow trout grow much faster, for us up to about 15 inches in a good year. Brook trout can make it to 13 inches, and browns only up to about 12 inches.
Raising Bass and Bluegill
We buy in bass and bluegill after they are feed trained at warm water hatcheries. Spawning largemouth bass and bluegill is a different process than spawning trout; broodstock must be kept in ponds and the eggs collected from the pond after natural fertilization. As the fish begin to feed they must have plankton in the water to feed on. After that, they are feed trained, a process where the juvenile fish are slowly weened off of plankton and onto a pelleted diet. There is often a high percentage of fish that don’t take to the pelleted feed. We haul bass in bluegill in after they are feed trained.
Bass and bluegill are grown in our own ponds. They are warm water fish and thus require different conditions than trout; warm water, and lower flows. We grow bass up to 12 inches and bluegill up to 8 inches.
Stocking Guide
If you are interested in stocking fish, be that in your pond/stream, or for a club you’re a part of check out our stocking guide. If you’re unsure of the species and or quantity to stock, it may help you decide what the best fit is for you.
Genetics
We keep hundreds of breeding pairs to ensure genetic diversity and health in our brook and brown trout. We select for look and overall health, being careful not to apply for selection pressure than necessary. Keeping a large number of pairs and applying minimal selection pressure prevents inbreeding, and helps the fish to have better health far into the future.
Our Fish
Need some guidance on what fish to stock, or how many? Check out our Stocking Guide!
Trout
All trout require consistently cold (below 70 degrees Fahrenheit), flowing water for survival.
Check our stocking guide for more information on if trout are the right fish to stock in your water.
Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
One of the most popular sportfish in America, Rainbow trout have been stocked across the country for years.
They are fast growing and hearty, and put up a great fight. Rainbows are native to cold water streams of western states, and will typically not spawn successfully in the east.
Rainbow trout are the same species as Steelhead Salmon.
Golden Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Golden Rainbow Trout are the same species as rainbow trout, they’re just a color variation that is bred in.
Often called palomino’s the names are used interchangeably, but technically a palomino is a golden rainbow mixed back with a rainbow.
Brown Trout (Salmo trutta)
Brown trout were brought to the US in the mid eighteen hundreds, and quickly became an angler favorite.
They are more voracious predators than rainbows and brooks, often eating other fish when the opportunity presents. Brown trout are in the same genus as Atlantic Salmon.
Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)
The brook trout is the state fish of Pennsylvania. They are the only native trout to PA, and the whole northeast.
Brook trout are in the genus Salvelinus, often called char, and are closely related to lake trout. The orange belly, multiple colored speckles, and white lined fins are defining characteristics.
Bass & Bluegill
Bass and bluegill are great to stock in ponds. They require warmer temperatures than trout, and grow well in pond temperatures in the 70s (degrees fahrenheit).
If stocking a pond, a bass/bluegill combination is one of the easiest fish communities to manage.
Largemouth Bass (Micropterous salmoides)
Largemouth bass are widely considered to be the most popular freshwater sportfish in the USA.
Many lakes and ponds across the country have populations of largemouth bass that are enjoyed by anglers. Because largemouth bass are a warmwater fish, they typically grow to much larger sizes in the southern states.
Hybrid Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus x Lepomis cyanellus)
Many anglers’ fishing journey began by catching a sunfish of some species. Hybrid bluegill are a cross between bluegill and green sunfish.
They are considered panfish which are coveted for their great taste and are easy to identify by their spiny dorsal fin and round shape.
Hauling
Our truck fleet can deliver just about anywhere.
We have a fleet of 5 different stocking trucks, all with different live hauling capacities. Our smallest is a pickup truck with two different tanks, capable of hauling 600 lbs (~600 13” trout) in total. It is also our most maneuverable, so more suitable for small ponds and streams. The largest in our fleet is a ten-wheeler capable of hauling 5,000 lbs (~5,000 13” fish) per trip. Our delivery radius includes Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
Each truck is equipped with specialized hauling tanks, each tank having an aerator and supplemental oxygen. The use of both an aerator and oxygen help to minimize the stress of live hauling on the fish in route to the stocking site.
1st Privately Licensed Pennsylvania Trout Farm
Historic hatchery and fishing preserve. Fee fishing for trout and bass, nestled in the beautiful Paradise Valley in the Poconos
23 Hatchery Drive, Cresco, PA 18326 570-629-0427 info@paradisetrout.com