Spokane, WA

We just got back from a tour of the Spokane Fish Hatchery. My husband had been bugging me to plan one for my MOMS Club as he still remembers feeding the fish there as little kid. The Spokane Fish Hatchery is located at 2927 W. Waikiki Road in Spokane. It is next to St. George’s School.

The Inland Empire Chapter of Safari Club International provides volunteer tour guides to give your group (15 person min.) a tour. Self guided tours can be taken seven days a week 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. However, I would highly recommend getting some friends together and scheduling a formal tour. The formal tour allows you to see the fish in all stages of life and provides food to feed the larger fish.

The Spokane Fish Hatchery was built in 1934 and is one of the State’s largest. It produces 40 percent of all Rainbow Trout eggs. Hatchery’s are designed to help supplement the wild fish population in Washington.

As you drive into the Fish Hatchery you will see rows and rows of fish ponds. There is also a lovely picnic area to eat at. Behind the picnic area is the Spokane Aquifer’s Griffith Spring, which provides 9 million gallons of 51 degree water year round. This is ideal trout-rearing conditions. The Spring automatically regulates itself to the right temperature.

Today, we saw thousands of Rainbow Trout in all different stages of life, itty-bitty to as large as 5 pounds. The larger fish were fun to feed as they jumped and splashed about as they raced for the fish pellets. The kids had a wonderful time feeding them and love to throw the food in and watch the fish react. We also saw thousands of baby Cutthroat Trout and Kokanee.

The tour guides said a fun time of year to visit for the older kids is November through January when on-site spawning is going on and you can watch them harvest some of the 9 million eggs from some 6,000 fish. The video showing this was fascinating and I cannot wait until my son is a little older and we can go watch this process.

If you are interested in volunteering to help with tours, etc. call Mike Coyle of the Inland Empire Chapter of Safari Club International at (509) 220-3004.

For more information about the Spokane Fish Hatchery you can contact the Washington State Department of Wildlife at (509) 892-1001. They can answer any questions you have and assist in scheduling a tour.