The Bob Tyler Fish Hatchery, formerly known as the North Mississippi Fish Hatchery, is located west of Enid Lake on 58 acres of land leased from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is easily accessible to locals and visitors from I-55.
About the Bob Tyler Fish Hatchery
Phase I construction, completed in 2006, includes a state-of-the-art hatchery building (tank room, wet lab, office, and staff rooms), a maintenance shop, 16 1-acre production ponds, a settling pond, and residence. Water is supplied by two ground water wells and a pipeline from Enid Lake. High quality water at a variety of temperatures for indoor and outdoor fish rearing is produced through a system of filters, heaters, chillers, and degassing chambers. The hatchery building houses 40 incubation jars and 36 holding/rearing tanks. In addition to the production ponds, there are two 80-ft outdoor raceways.
The hatchery is located below Enid Dam in Yalobusha County, Exit 233 off of I-55. (Note: GPS will not locate the address.) You can send mail to the hatchery at Bob Tyler Fish Hatchery and Visitor Education Center, P.O. Box 100, 457 CR 36, Enid, Mississippi 38927.
Hatchery Operations and Spawning
The hatchery produces cool and warm-water species including: northern largemouth bass, southern walleye, (yes, we have walleye in Mississippi), paddlefish, alligator gar, white crappie, black crappie, Magnolia crappie, bluegill, and redear sunfish. Spawning usually begins in March and runs through June. Most of the brood fish are held in 1-acre ponds year-around though some, like flathead catfish and walleye, are collected from local reservoirs. The incubation jars, raceways, and rearing ponds hold fry and fingerlings from March through November.
Once eggs hatch inside the incubation jars, the fry (newly hatched fish) are placed into the production ponds. These fish grow in the ponds until the fall, when water temperatures cool. These "fingerlings" are then harvested and stocked into public waters. Visitors may view spawning activities from the observation area in the hatchery building.
Research, Management, and Education
The Visitor Education Center (VEC) at the Bob Tyler Fish Hatchery in Enid provides an educational, entertaining experience that promotes freshwater fishing and encourages conservation and stewardship of aquatic resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you certify a State Record Freshwater Fish?
How do you certify a State Record Freshwater Fish?
Application and Rules for State Record Fish
- Fish must be caught on rod, reel and line, or pole and line, and hooked with any legal hook or lure.
- Fish must be weighed in the presence of MDWFP personnel on certified scales or scales legal for trade. The weighing must witnessed by others, who must sign the application form. No provision for weight loss will be allowed. The actual weight of the fish at the time of weighing will be the official weight. It is desired (but not mandatory) to have signature(s) on the application form of witness(es), if any, to the actual catching of the fish.
- Two (2) photographs (preferably in color) should be taken of the proposed record fish:
- One (1) of the angler and fish.
- One (1) showing a clear, close-up side view of only the fish.
- Length of the fish must be measured using a flatboard and with fish mouth closed, from tip of snout to tip of tail (with tail squeezed together to give longest possible measurement), which gives the maximum overall measurement. Fork length measurement should also be taken from the tip of shout to the fork of the tail. (See diagram on application.)
- Girth of the fish will be measured around the thickest portion of the body. (See diagram on application.)
- Applications for black bass, crappie, and sunfish must be positively identified and verified by a Professional Fisheries Biologist with the MDWFP.
- The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks reserves the right to further check fish identification or verification of witnesses and to refuse any application that is questionable. It will be considered "just cause" for disqualification of current application and any previous records established by anyone who knowingly falsifies a record fish application.
If the rules are not clear, please reread them.
All rules will be strictly adhered to. The decision of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks is final.
Record Fish Applications:
Return applications to:
MDWFP Fisheries Bureau
1505 Eastover Dr.
Jackson, Mississippi 39211-6374
Dennis Riecke, MDWFP Fisheries Biologist
Where are walleye found in Mississippi?
Where are walleye found in Mississippi?
Historically, walleye were collected from the Mississippi and Pearl Rivers. They may have existed in other river systems, but these are the documented locations with those fish in museum collections. In the book The Inland Fishes of Mississippi, Dr. Stephen Ross states that walleye were reportedly common in the 1950s. Today, walleye are only found in the northeast part of the state. We know that they are genetically unique from every other strain in the nation. These Southern Strain of walleye are found in the Mobile River drainage in Mississippi and Alabama.
We have been spawning and stocking walleye for years in the creeks around Columbus, MS. These fish don't live more than six years, are not common, and are restricted in their range. Some years ago, someone petitioned the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to declare this race of fish "endangered," but not enough information existed to do so.
What is the state fish? What species are only found in Mississippi?
What is the state fish? What species are only found in Mississippi?
The state fish is the largemouth bass.
There are three fish species found only within the state of Mississippi and nowhere else in the world: bayou darter, found in the Bayou Pierre system south of Vicksburg; and Yazoo shiner and Yazoo darter, both found in the streams of the Yazoo river drainage in northwest Mississippi. A (2001) book, "Inland Fishes of Mississippi" by Stephen T. Ross, provides color photographs and a wealth of information on the 288 species of freshwater fishes in Mississippi.
Dennis Riecke, MDWFP Fisheries Biologist
What is a Magnolia crappie?
What is a Magnolia crappie?
The Magnolia crappie is a triploid hybrid cross between a black-striped black crappie (a scarce color variation of the black crappie) and a white crappie. This fish has a black stripe running from the front of the dorsal fin along the top of the body, normally extending to the upper jaw.
The eggs and milt are stripped and hand mixed, then the eggs are placed in a pressure chamber, causing triploidy--the development of three sets of chromosomes. The resulting fish is sterile because it has three sets of chromosomes. Because they can't reproduce, they have been stocked into some smaller water bodies like Lake Charlie Capps where fertile crappie would overproduce and few would grow to a harvestable size due to a lack of enough food.
Dennis Riecke, MDWFP Fisheries Biologist
When do crappie spawn in Mississippi?
When do crappie spawn in Mississippi?
Generally, crappie in Mississippi spawn from March 15 - April 15, but it depends on water temperature. 60° - 68° F is their preferred spawning temperature. The big fish usually spawn before the small fish. Sometimes 10 - 60 fish will be spawning in a small area. The male fish get darker as the amount of black pigment on them increases.
When are free fishing days and weekends?
When are free fishing days and weekends?
Anyone may fish along the Gulf Coast on July 4th each year in waters south of I-10 without a saltwater fishing license. Those who have purchased a Lifetime Sportsman's License do not need to ever purchase a saltwater fishing license.
During the first weekend (Saturday and Sunday) of National Fishing and Boating Week, which is usually the first week of June, fishing permits are not required MDWFP State Fishing Lakes and State Parks, and statewide fishing licenses are not required.
How do I find a freshwater fishing guide?
How do I find a freshwater fishing guide?
Where can I find fishing reports for the lakes?
Where can I find fishing reports for the lakes?
Do you raise trout at the NMFH?
Do you raise trout at the NMFH?
No. Trout are not native to Mississippi. Trout stocked into private ponds provide a seasonal fishery during the winter months. A state record rainbow trout is acknowledged, but this fish crossed the Mississippi River from Arkansas during drought conditions, into Lake Whittington.
Do you sell fish or give fish away?
Do you sell fish or give fish away?
No. Everything, we raise at the NMFH is for public stocking only. For information on stocking, see information compiled by the MDWFP and Mississippi State University Extension Service.
Additional Resources
Contact Information
Hatchery Office: (662) 563-0542
Visitor Education Center: (662) 563-8068