Gone fishing!

The fishing line goes tight, knifing toward deep water. The fisherman bites his lip and cranks hard on the handle of his reel as he backs away from the pond's bank. The fish dives, then jumps, shaking a spray of water skyward before being reeled to shore.

"The fishing's always great at Star Prairie," says trout farm owner Marcy Graham proudly.

She should know. Marcy and husband Charles (Mac) Graham have been raising rainbow trout for 21 years on their 23 acres bordering the fast-moving water of the Apple River in western Wisconsin. They moved to the property from urban Minnesota to raise trout and a family. They were looking for a rural lifestyle and found it with the fishes.

The farm has been raising trout since being homesteaded in 1856. After they purchased it, the Grahams expanded and improved the ponds and fish-rearing areas.

Pond design is important

The Grahams raise trout for public fishing, process fish for area restaurants, and provide trout for other growers. They also do consulting work on issues such as pond design, pond stocking, fish production, and pond landscaping.

Their acreage is populated with ponds that hold fish in varying stages of growth. They incorporate landscape design around the ponds.

Smaller ponds hold young fish and have to be protected from above by hanging nets to keep out predators like kingfishers and herons. Mink and otters cause trouble, too.

Older fish inhabit larger ponds. For sport fishing, trophy-size 6- and 7-year-old fish live in a pond next to a fishing shack. The fishing shack and trophy pond are open to the public from May to September and year round by appointment. Fish are sold by the pound.

Visitors to the trout farm come singly and in groups and are supplied all the equipment, except coolers, needed to bring home a supply of fresh trout. There is no license requirement and no limit on the amount of fish customers can catch.

Many local kids work part-time at the Graham's trout farm, assisting the recreational fishing patrons and doing other farm chores. One big chore is cleaning weeds from the ponds. The weeds are wet and heavy and have to be piled on shore and hauled away. Weeds take up room needed for fish and use up oxygen at night, giving off carbon dioxide. They also cause trouble when seining fish for harvest.

Two years to market

Ponds on the farm are fed from four limestone bedrock springs that provide an ample supply of 46°F. water year round. It takes about two years for trout fry (young fish) to reach a saleable length of 12 inches.

The fish need to be moved from pond to pond several times as they grow. They are fed daily rations of 17% protein pellets.

Trout eggs are purchased from a supplier in Idaho. They are hatched in special tanks that use gravity-flow spring water. After about six months, the small fish are moved from the hatchery to one of the outside ponds.

All fish are rainbow trout, bred for their rapid growth. They are ready for market at about 3/4 pound. The Grahams also sell about 1,000 pounds of home-smoked trout and salmon each week to local markets.

Check state regulations

Most states have regulations that govern the raising of trout, since they are considered a game fish in wild waters. Because permits vary widely from state to state, be sure to check local regulations before beginning a new operation.

Star Prairie Trout Farm

Charles (Mac) and Marcy Graham
400 Hill Avenue
Star Prairie, WI 54026
Phone: 888/545-6808
Web: starprairietrout.com
E-mail: sptrout@pressenter.com

Open May through September or by appointment year round.