Tillett Springs Rearing Station
Tillett Springs Rearing Station
P.O. Box 416, 195 County Road 16
Tillett, Wyoming 82431
ph: (307) 548-6650
2.5 miles east of Lovell on U.S Highway 14A, then 8.5 miles northeast on State Highway 37. Turn left onto the Crooked Creek Road and continue 5 miles on Crooked Creek Road.
Located on the western slope of the Big Horn Mountains, Tillett Springs Rearing Station is approximately 17 miles northeast of Lovell, Wyoming. The rearing station was constructed in 1958, and named for the Tillett Ranch who granted the Wyoming Game and Fish Department a 99 year lease for the property. Located a short distance from the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range and Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, this facility offers visitors scenic beauty as well as the opportunity to view fish culture activities.
Species raised include: kokanee, brown trout, Eagle Lake rainbow and Snake River cutthroat trout.
Where does Tillett Springs get its water?
Two natural springs provide an excellent source of water supplying 1,380 gallons of water per minute at a constant temperature of 54 F. Tillett Springs Rearing Station has one concrete pond, one dirt pond, one rubber lined pond, and 12 concrete raceways, 5 feet wide and 100 feet long to raise fish. Fish are grown to stocking size in the concrete raceways and the rubber lined pond.
In 1994, an isolation hatchery was constructed at Tillett to give the station the ability to raise fish of undetermined disease status. The primary function of the isolation hatchery is to incubate and hatch eggs collected from wild brood sources. The eggs and fish are kept isolated from all other fish on the station until they pass disease inspection.
After passing the inspection the fish can then be transferred to other rearing units on the station, or to other hatcheries in the state to be reared for stocking. Our isolation hatchery has been used to hatch Yellowstone cutthroat eggs taken from the Le Hardy Rapids in Yellowstone National Park, golden trout eggs, kokanee, brown trout and tiger trout eggs.
How does Tillett Springs stock fish?
Once fish have reached the size requested by fish management crews they are ready to be stocked. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department only stocks fish in waters where there is suitable habitat and public fishing is allowed. Around 200,000 fish are stocked annually from this facility.
There are several ways fish are stocked. Trucks, boats, and even helicopters help the fish reach their final destination. Trucks are the most common way of transporting fish from the facility to the lake or stream. Insulated tanks keep the water cool while oxygen bottles and aerators provide oxygen to the fish during transport. Boats with onboard tanks are sometimes used when fish need to be scattered through particular parts of streams or lakes. Helicopters are used when a lake is inaccessible by truck, such as in high mountain lakes in wilderness areas.
The Tillett Springs Rearing Station serves the Wyoming public, as well as other states, by providing high quality fish for anglers. This helps insure angling opportunities for the present and future generations.
