Fishing for Fun and Food

I don’t know about you, but I get the vast majority of my groceries at a store, or in a store-like setting. Yes, I grow some herbs and a little lettuce, and I love to pick wild blackberries wherever I can find them, but for the most part, I’m pretty far removed from the traditions of my hunter-gatherer ancestors. 

Little did I know there was a place right here in town where I can literally, and easily, fish for my supper. Cecil and Pam Thomas, owners of the , supply everything needed to catch fish in their ponds. And – this is key to me – they clean your catch, as well.

“You’re fishing for your food,” says Pam. And you can trust that the fish you catch will be good to eat. The Thomases keep a close eye on their stock, and the crystal clear water of Wildcat Creek, which feeds the farm, makes it easy to see exactly what is in the pond – thousands upon thousands of well-fed, healthy rainbow trout.

The creek originates from three springs in the hills above the property. It runs clean and cold, says Pam, with a temperature consistently in the mid-40s. “That’s exactly what trout like,” she adds. The Thomases have learned a lot about the likes and dislikes of trout in the past few years. They knew “absolutely nothing” about operating a hatchery when they bought the property seven years ago, laughs Pam. “We decided to take on the challenge.”

And a challenge it was. There were seven brood fish in the facility when the Thomases took over. The first year’s hatch was not successful. “I ended up with 20 live fish,” says Cecil. He read a lot on the Internet, and the second year they hatched 75,000 live fish. The Trout Farm is now a state-certified hatchery and fin-fish supplier, he adds.

So, how exactly does one hatch and grow trout? Every winter, Cecil harvests eggs and milt (sperm-containing fluid) from the farm’s approximately 55 brood fish. “He squeezes each one,” explains Pam, then mixes the eggs and milt together in a sink at the hatchery. The mixture is put into incubator trays and kept there until the fish hatch in the spring.

Fish need food, room and oxygen to be happy and grow, says Pam. As the trout get bigger, the Thomases move them from one pond to the next. By the time they are about 13 or 14 inches long they are ready for the fishing pond. That’s when the fun begins.

The Thomases host 75-plus groups a year, says Pam, including school field trips and birthday parties. In addition, hundreds of individuals come to try their hand at fishing. Cecil estimates he cleans about 6,000 fish a year for customers; 150-200 on a busy Saturday alone. “I haven’t cut myself once this year,” he says.

The Thomases enjoy watching the young anglers and their adults. “The grandparents are funnier than the kids,” says Pam. They try to make the experience educational. In what Cecil describes as a “classic moment,” he will show kids the still-beating heart of a trout that has been recently cleaned.

About half of the farm’s income comes from the U-fish business; the other half comes from customers who buy live trout to stock their own ponds or tanks. Unlike larger hatcheries, no order is too small for the Thomases. Cecil tells of delivering twenty 6-inch fish to a Yakima dentist who wanted to display them in a tank in his office. “He paid $20 for the fish and $200 for delivery,” he laughs.

Even if fishing isn’t your thing, you can enjoy the farm. “We have a couple of families who don’t fish,” says Pam, but who like to come to have a picnic and feed the fish from a dispenser of food near one of the ponds. The ambience of the farm is pleasant. “We try to keep it somewhat serene,” says Cecil.

If it is dinner you’re after, the Thomases will be glad to help you. “We’ll show you how to do it, but we won’t do it for you, says” says Cecil. “After the first time, you need to try,” agrees Pam, who wants everyone to know that the farm participates in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) for low-income shoppers. 

And, adds Cecil, “You can have a little bit of fun.” When was the last time you described your grocery-getting outing that way?