Yesterday I called Oneida County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) to get a recommendation for local fish hatcheries that would supply minnows for my ponds.  They were at a loss, as they no longer supplied fish and could only recommend Gander Mtn (!?!).  I asked if adjoining county SWCDs still sold fish and they said that Madison County might, but they were uncertain if one had to be a resident of the county.

I called Madison County SWCD and they couldn’t have been more helpful.  By luck they were calling in their fish order this week and took my order for 500 fathead minnows, 100 large mouth bass fingerlings, and 50 catfish fingerlings to be picked up this Friday.  I need to bring 30+ gallon containers 2/3rds full of the pond water.  I am pumped.  Only a few years from fishing now.