U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Wolf Creek

National Fish Hatchery
Over a century ago, it was recognized 

that conservation measures were 

necessary to maintain good fishing in 

our public waters. Fishing has always 

been one of America’s leading forms 

of outdoor recreation. The primary 

responsibility of the Wolf Creek National 

Fish Hatchery is to raise rainbow, brown 

and brook trout which will help preserve 

this tradition for present as well as 

future generations of Americans. 

Construction of a dam, regardless of 

its type, alters the entire environment 

within a river. The first and most obvious 

change takes place when the reservoir 

fills, but many changes may also take 

place below the dam. Some of them might 

be subtle, and others, like those in the 

Cumberland tailwaters, might be quite 

drastic.

Wolf Creek Dam produced a large, deep 

reservoir in which the water stratifies 

into temperature layers during the 

summer and fall months. The water 

released into the Cumberland River 

comes from a deep, cool layer. It caused 

a loss of the original warm water fish 

habitat and replaced it with the present 

cold tailwater.

Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery 

Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery 

began production in 1975. This is 

one of the most recently constructed 

hatcheries in the federal hatchery 

system. 

This station 

currently 

produces 

approximately 

1,000,000 

trout 

weighing 

275,000 

pounds 

annually. In 

cooperation 

with the 

Kentucky Department of Fish and 

Wildlife Resources, fish are stocked 

into 120 different public fishing 

waters in the state. No private 

waters are stocked. The majority 

of the fish are stocked in waters 

controlled by the federal government, 

including the Daniel Boone National 

Forest, U.S. Army Corp of Engineer 

impoundments, Fort Knox and Fort 

Campbell.

The hatchery’s water supply comes 

from Lake Cumberland at a depth 

ranging from 25 to 100 feet below 

the water surface. The water 

temperatures will range from 40° to 

65° depending on the time of year. 

The water gravity flows through the 

hatchery at rates up to 15,000 gallons 

per minute.
Hatchery Hours

Welcome Visitors

Visitors are welcome to tour the 

hatchery and to fish in the creek 

below the hatchery.

7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CST daily.

May - Oct: 8:00am - 5:00 pm CST 

daily 

Nov - April: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm CST 

daily 

Restrooms, drinking water, and 

parking areas are provided for public 

use. During your visit, please feel 

free to ask questions you may have 

concerning the hatchery. 

Fishing is allowed in the creek below 

the hatchery. This creek is wheelchair 

accessible with a ramp at creek level. 

The creek is randomly stocked 3 to 4 

times a week.

The Cumberland river provides good 

fishing for trout, walleye, sauger, and 

others depending on the distance 

from the dam.

Lake Cumberland provides good 

fishing and is well known for striper 

fishing which has produced fish 

in excess of fifty pounds. Lake 

Cumberland provides an excellent 

recreational area. The lake is 

approximately 55,000 acres with many 

fingers where anglers can have their 

own little section to themselves.

Camping is available at the Corps 

of Engineers, Kendall Park, 877/444 

6777. The Lake Cumberland State 

Resort Park, 800/325 1709. Lodging is 

available at numerous resort lodges 

and motels in the area. Houseboats 

can be rented from different docks if 

you choose to sleep on the water. Visit 

the Lake Cumberland Website at: 

www.lakecumberlandvacation.com

This is an ideal vacation spot for 

anyone that likes water sports. The 

area offers several other forms of 

entertainment as well. Lexington, 

Bowling Green, and Louisville are 

about 100 miles from Jamestown, KY. 

1. Visitor Parking

Fishing and 

Camping

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3 3A

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Wolf Creek

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KENTUCKY

TENNESSEE

Wolf Creek

Fish Hatchery

Columbia Russell

Springs

Jamestown

Albany

Somerset

Burnside

Monticello

Whitley

 City

C U M B E R L A N D P K W Y

127

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Lake 27

Cumberland

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Visitor Center 

Hours
Egg hatching jar

2. Visitor/Environmental Education 

Center

The Visitor/Environmental Education 

Center includes many fun and 

engaging learning opportunities for 

the entire family. While here, be sure 

to check out the exhibits, view the 

film in the theater and browse the 

gift shop. The 8,700 sq. ft. facility also 

includes a classroom and office space. 

3. Hatchery and Juvenile 

Fish Rearing Area

Spawning operations are not 

conducted at this station. However, 

Federal hatcheries in Tennessee, 

West Virginia, Wyoming, 

and Montana hold adult 

trout (broodstock) which 

are spawned artificially. 

After the eggs are taken 

and fertilized, they are 

held at the station until 

they develop to the eyed 

egg stage. Then the eggs 

are shipped overnight to 

production hatcheries like 

Wolf Creek National Fish 

Hatchery to hatch. 

This is the hatching and 

juvenile fish rearing area. 

When the station receives 

eggs, they are disinfected to 

prevent spread of fish diseases. They 

are counted using volume metric 

displacement and then placed in the 

hatching jars.

Eggs hatch approximately 

10 to 14 days after they are 

placed in the hatching jars. 

The fry are then transferred 

to the rearing tanks where 

they remain another 10 to 14 

days until they absorb their 

yolk sacs. As the yolk sacs 

are absorbed, the fry swim 

to the water surface and are 

fed specially formulated feed 

hourly. When the young fry 

reach approximately 2 inches 

they are called fingerlings.

When the fingerlings grow 

2-3 inches they are moved 

to the outside raceways where the 

larger fish are kept. The fish enjoy 

visitors and will swim to meet you 

but it is harmful to them if you catch 

them. 

3A. Shop and Feed Storage

A total of 7 different sizes of feed are 

used here at the hatchery. The size of 

the feed used is dependant upon the 

size of the fish. For safety reasons, 

this area is not open to the public.

4. Raceway Area

Fish are fed and cared for 

until they reach the desired 

stocking size. It takes 

approximately 16 months to 

develop from egg stage to a 9 

inch fish. 

Feeding activities range from 

twice a day for the larger fish 

to 5 to 6 times daily for the 

smaller sizes. As the fish grow, 

transferring of them from 

one raceway to another is a 

regular occurrence.

Throughout the year fish are harvested 

from the raceways and distributed by 

truck for stocking in over 120 different 

streams, lakes and tailwaters in 

Kentucky, Indiana and North Carolina. 
Please 

don’t 

harm 

the fish. 

Keep 

your 

hands 

out of the 

water.

5. Garage and Maintenance Buildings

These are maintenance, garage and 

chemical storage buildings where 

work activity involves the mechanical 

aspects of the hatchery’s maintenance 

and operation. For safety reasons, this 

area is not open to the public.

6. Feed Bins

Fish food is stored here for easy 

transfer to the vehicles which are used 

for feeding fish in the raceways.

7. Storage

For safety reasons, the area is not open 

to the public.

8. Road—Handicapped Only

9. Parking and Fishing Ramp 

Handicapped Only

10. Residences—Hatchery 

Personnel Only

11. Nature 

Explorer Hiking 

Trail

The 3/4 mile 

trail passes 

through a variety 

of ecosystems, 

winding around 

Hatchery Creek, 

and then back 

to the Visitor 

Center. Look for 

informational 

signs, bird 

houses, etc. 

along the trail. 

Native species 

like whitetail 

deer, wild turkey, 

rabbits, squirrels, 

song birds, 

insects, reptiles, 

and amphibians 

are common along the trail. Be 

mindful, many of these will bite, sting 

or cause other discomfort.

U.S. Fish 

& Wildlife 

Service

Wolf Creek 

National Fish 

Hatchery is 

one of 70 units 

in the National 

Fish Hatchery 

System. 

As a vital 

component 

of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(Service), the Fisheries Program 

has played an important role in 

conserving America’s fisheries since 

1871. Today it is a key partner with 

States, Tribes, other Federal agencies, 

other Service Programs, conservation 

organizations and private interests 

in a larger effort to conserve fish and 

other aquatic resources. The mission 

of the Service encompasses a variety 

of other programs including National 

Wildlife Refuges, Ecological Services, 

Mapping/GIS Support, Federal 

Assistance, Law Enforcement and 

Migratory Birds.

Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery 

is one of 14 Federal hatcheries 

located in the southeast region. These 

hatcheries serve a vital role in the 

management of our fishery resources.

Norfork Mammoth

Spring

Greers

Ferry

Dale

Hollow

Erwin Edenton

Warm

Springs

Bears

Bluff

Orangeburg

Welaka

Private

John Allen

Natchitoches

•Wolf

Creek

Chattahoochee

Forest

National Fish Hatcheries

Southeast Region

Warm Water Hatchery

Cold Water Hatchery
Natural Life

Trout eggs are deposited in 

prepared redds, or nests in the 

gravel of stream beds and hatch 

in 8 weeks or more. A young fish 

or fry lives for 3 to 4 weeks on 

food absorbed from the yolk sac. 

Life-Cycle of Rainbow Trout

Egg to Fingerling

Undeveloped 

Egg

Hatching

Fry

Fingerling

Trout

Eyed Egg Sac Fry

About the time the yolk is completely absorbed, 

the fingerling emerges from the gravel and 

feeds on microscopic aquatic organisms.

From the many eggs deposited in the gravel, 

only a very few young fish are produced and 

survive to adulthood. Most of the eggs and 

young fish die from natural causes such as 

floods, silt, drought and predators. Under 

natural conditions, relatively few trout reach 

catchable size to be taken by fishermen.
Threatened and 

Endangered 

Species

The Wolf Creek 

National Fish 

Hatchery is 

actively engaged 

in the recovery 

and restoration of 

many imperiled 

aquatic species. 

These activities 

are carried out 

through on station 

propagation, reintroductions, and field 

surveys. Today, almost every river 

and stream in the Southeast has been 

modified in some way. All of these and 

other forces have dramatically altered 

the Southeast’s aquatic biodiversity 

and fishery resources. Although some 

changes affecting aquatic habitat, 

such as reservoirs, have contributed 

substantially to recreational fisheries, 

the Southeast’s aquatic biodiversity 

is threatened, and by some measures 

the Southeast’s aquatic ecosystem 

health is poor and continues to 

decline.

Annual Catch A Rainbow 

Kids Fishing Derby

The first Saturday in June brings 

the exciting Catch a Rainbow Kids 

Fishing Derby to Wolf Creek National 

Fish Hatchery each year. This event 

is free for children ages 1 to 15. 

Fantastic fishing, prizes, trophies, 

food and drinks are available to 

participants during this great family 

event. For more information, visit 

www.catcharainbow.org.

Friends of Wolf Creek National Fish 

Hatchery, Inc.

The Friends of Wolf Creek National 

Fish Hatchery, Inc., is a non-profit 

group dedicated to supporting the 

hatchery and its mission. Comprised 

of volunteers, the Friends are a vital 

component of the many programs at 

the hatchery, including sponsoring 

the Catch a Rainbow Kids Fishing 

Derby, conducting 

educational programs 

and tours, and 

operating the Visitor 

Center gift shop. 

The Friends also 

participate in fun 

group outings and 

monthly meetings. 

New membership is 

always welcome. www 

friendsofwolfcreeknfh.

com.
Photos by USFWS

Visitor/

Environmental 

Education Center

Opened to the 

public in September 

2006, the Visitor/

Environmental 

Education Center 

is the first of its 

kind for the U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife 

Service’s Southeast 

Region Hatcheries 

Program. With 14 

hatcheries in the 

region, Wolf Creek 

NFH is the first 

hatchery to have 

such a facility.

The Visitor/

Environmental 

Education Center 

is a wonderful place 

to stop in and learn 

more about the U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife 

Service and Wolf 

Creek National 

Fish Hatchery. 

The exhibits area 

also includes 

information 

concerning the dam 

and the lake, native 

and non-native 

plant life, wildlife 

and much more.

Environmental 

education and 

other outreach 

programs are an 

important part 

of the hatchery’s 

mission. Please 

feel free to inquire 

with our staff for 

further information 

concerning our 

variety of programs 

and events.

For complete 

details and updated 

information visit 

fws.gov/wolfcreek/ 

For regular 

updates, photos, 

hatchery news 

and more, follow 

us on Facebook 

at facebook.com/

WolfCreekNFH/ 

and on Twitter 

at: twitter.com/

WolfCreekNFH/

During your visit, 

don’t forget to also 

stop in and view our 

8 minute film in the 

theater. Take time 

to browse our gift 

shop too, which is 

full of wonderful educational items to help 

make your trip more memorable. And if 

you have students or other groups looking 

to take a more “hands on” approach to 

learning, there is also classroom space for 

your next environmental education field 

trip.

Thank you for visiting!

We have enjoyed having you visit the

hatchery and invite you to return often. 

Your awareness of our natural resource

and its needs is the basic foundation

for support of healthy fish and wildlife

populations.

For Additional Information Contact 

Environmental Education/Outreach 

Specialist 

Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery 

50 Kendall Road

Jamestown, KY 42629

Th: 270/343 3797

Email: James_Gray@fws.gov
Wolf Creek 

National Fish Hatchery

50 Kendall Road

Jamestown, Kentucky 42629-6502

270/343 3797

Email: James_Gray@fws.gov

http://wolfcreek.fws.gov

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

1 800/344 WILD

May 2014