Visit Front Royal Fish Cultural Station
3957 Mountain Road, Strasburg, VA 22657
- Hours: 8:00 to 3:00 Monday through Friday (Closed on weekends)
- Phone: (540) 635-5350
- Map & Directions
Background
Front Royal Fish Hatchery was built beginning in 1931 as a Civil Conservation Corps project under Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration. The facility’s first fish production was in 1933, when smallmouth bass and other species were hatched and reared for stocking in public waters of Virginia. In recent years, the hatchery has focused on producing walleye, muskie and smallmouth bass fingerlings. The hatchery also serves as a distribution point for trout, catfish, and other species to the waters of northern and northwestern Virginia. The water supply for the hatchery comes from Passage Creek.
In 2020, the hatchery closed for extensive renovations, which included two new hatchery buildings with sophisticated, temperature-controlled hatching equipment, a state-of-the-art filtration system at the intake from Passage Creek, and the lining of four ponds. The improvements will allow for more efficient and effective fish hatching, raising, and collecting. A ribbon-cutting ceremony in May 2023 marked the re-opening of the facility, which will aim to bolster the smallmouth bass populations in the South and Shenandoah river systems.
“This hatchery has played a crucial role in sustaining fish populations in our local waters since 1933, and the reopening of the facility will ensure that we can continue to provide a healthy environment for our fish while providing, diverse, high quality fishing opportunities for the anglers of the Commonwealth,” said DWR Fish Hatchery Superintendent Brendan Delbos.
Local attractions include Put-and-Take trout fishing and a stretch of Delayed Harvest fishing by the hatchery, smallmouth fishing on the Shenandoah River, Skyline Drive, the George Washington National Forest, numerous trails including the Appalachian Trail, canoeing and tubing livery services, Civil War battlefields and museums, CCC Camp Roosevelt, antique shops, and bed and breakfasts.
Hatchery Manager: Wayne Pence