Sportfishing is one of the most popular outdoor activities in Arizona.
And while some sportfish may have been hatched in the lakes and streams they are found in, the vast majority were not.
In recent years, Page Springs has become famous for growing grapes, but few know that the area has a much longer history of growing trout.
The Page Springs Fish Hatchery — which has been in use since the 1930s — was originally owned by the Page family before the Arizona Game and Fish Department began leasing it in 1938. The hatchery was eventually purchased by the game and fish department in 1949.
Since that time, the hatchery has been renovated to a large degree, most recently with the installation of all new raceways and covered canopies in 1993.
Before the raceways were covered, predatory birds used to take 30 percent of the fish produced at Page Springs, but now that loss has been minimized.
As the largest trout growing facility in Arizona, the now 116-acre hatchery raises more than 600,000 catchable rainbow trout [9.5 inches or more], around 100,000 rainbow fingerlings and approximately 50,000 brown trout every year.
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Aug. 14 issue of the Camp Verde Journal or Cottonwood Journal Extra.
