Visit Front Royal Fish Cultural Station

3957 Mountain Road, Strasburg, VA 22657

• Hours: Currently closed for renovation
• Phone: (540) 635-5350
• Map & Directions

Background

Front Royal Fish Cultural Station is located 5 miles east of Strasburg Virginia. The water supply for the hatchery comes from Passage Creek. Construction on the hatchery started around 1931 as a Civil Conservation Corps project under Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration. The first production was in 1933, hatching and rearing smallmouth bass and other species of sunfish for stocking in public waters of Virginia.

During the 2018/2019 season, the following fish were stocked from Front Royal:

31,448 WAE were produced and stocked at 3 locations on the Main Stem of the Shenandoah River.

930 NP were produced and stocked in 5 lakes.

925 Muskellunge were stocked in Burke Lake and numerous locations on the Shenandoah Rivers.

16,664 purchased CCF were stocked from the hatchery in 55 lakes.

The hatchery is currently closed for some much needed renovation work. The renovation work will consist of the installation of a new filtration system, new water supply lines, a new hatchery building and 4 lined production ponds.

Local attractions include Put and take trout fishing and a stretch of Delayed Harvest fishing by the hatchery, smallmouth fish on the Shenandoah, Skyline Drive, 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.

Assistant Hatchery Manager: Wayne Pence