For a while now, I've been blabbering about diversifying the variety of life in the pond. The way I see it, having a variety of fish will keep any one species from overrunning the pond. Similarly, by making sure there are plenty of small fish and not just a few very large fish, when the otters come by for a visit they won't eat all of the fish.
After looking around for a nearby hatchery, I found http://freshwaterfishco.com/. They are only open to the public for an incredibly limited time, and today happened to be one of those times.
Time to hit the road!
Pitstop
Halfway to the hatchery, my stomach started rumbling and I needed some food.
A burger no-toast, no-onion, with chilis, and some fries crispy later, I was back on the road.
A Simple Sign
Oops, I drive past this on my first go. Considering that I wrote down the directions and then forgot to take them with me, this isn't surprising.
Dear Awesome Fish Hatchery,
Get a sandwich board. :)
Big Tanks
There are some massive tanks and ponds at the hatchery, but since the ponds are in the ground and there are no elevated places to stand, I didn't try to take a pic of the ponds.
Smaller Tanks
On "open to the public" days, the hatchery opens up the barn that contains all of the smaller tanks where cutesy wootsy little fish are raised.
Not quite a cat
One day, perhaps, I will get a white sturgeon or two.....
Perhaps.
Anyway, after this pic was taken, I purchased some catfish and headed home. Instead of taking the shortest route, I instead opted to take a more circuitous path through the South-East of Elk Grove, CA and skirt Sacramento altogether.
Meow Meow
This is what I purchased: 20 channel catfish that are of a size that won't be easy food for the existing fish in the pond, and are smaller than a good meal for the no-good otters.
More Meow
As I was releasing the catfish into the pond, someone decided to see what I was up to. Hi Buddy!
Meow meow meow.