texas freshwater fisheries center

We had a great visit. Both of the boys caught rainbow trout and had a bunch of fun. There were a lot of folks and the volunteers were helpful and very patient. great time and wonderful facility.

Be sure to arrive early (before 11:00 a.m.) in order to see the underwater dive show. And, the last tram tour is at 11:30 a.m. We drove to Athens specifically to visit the center, and it was worth the drive. What a great place. It is in a beautiful setting, is clean, has great exhibits, a tour, a 1 1/2 mi wheelchair accessible trail, a catch and release fishing pond, and a small gift shop. They even have fly fishing lessons on specific Saturdays to teach you how to fish. See their website for these special events. https://tpwd.texas.gov/spdest/visitorcenters/tffc/I think this place is especially good for kids ages 7 or 8 and up. There is so much information about fish and fishing, plus the history of the area here. They have tanks with local (Texas) fish for up close viewing. One exhibit allows for feeding the fish, and the kids may try their hand at fishing in the pond. And, the alligators are sure to be a favorite.

We loved the dive show (hand fed fish in tank) & my children loved catching their first fish there! Thanks for the fun times!

we stopped at the fresh water fisheries on the way home from caldwell zoo. we ended up enjoying it more than the zoo. it is a nice well run place with a lot of fish to feed. My sister loved feeding the different fish.

TFFC has so many things to see and do. You can tour the main building and watch the underwater show, stroll along the outdoor paths and enjoy nature or fish in the fishing pond for Catfish in the summer and trout in the winter.

Our family did this as a day trip from Fort Worth. As a person who doesn't fish, my expectations were pretty low but I thought the kids might find it interesting. We got there just in time to watch the diver feed the fish in the tank which was really neat, then they took us on a tour of the downstairs since it was a really cold day and the tram wasn't operational. Our guide told us quite a bit about what they do to help the largemouth bass population in Texas, and the other fish in Texas. The ways that they work with the hatchery and all the different genetic testing that they do was a surprise to me. The kids tried their hand at the catch and release pond but the cold and lack of patience soon drove us back indoors. I think we will head back in the spring, I'm interested in seeing the beehives they have on the property also. All in all it was a really fun day.

We loved this Center! The grounds are immaculate and beautiful as well. They have three fishing ponds and will even let you use their equipment in order to fish (for free)! A beautiful nature trail and marsh area (with magnificent pavillion). We were quite impressed that they were able to create the marsh area. Lots of excellent exhibits and very interesting dive show (if you miss it, they show a nice video every half hour). We were really surprised at how much we learned about our Texas fish! We didn't get to see any breeding ponds or tanks (as in other states) but this Center is so well done and nicer than any we have been to.Another thing we loved here was the Texas Game Warden Memorial and Museum. Very beautiful! Check the Museum's hours when you buy your admission ticket because it closes early. We loved that the game warden's are recognized in this place.Don't miss the gift shop at this Center! They are very reasonable and have all kinds of neat stuff.

A treasure hidden off the beaten trail. A jewel not to be missed .Located on the shores of beautiful Lake Athens in the piney woods of east Texas. State of the art Hatchery that is like a mini vacation to tour...lots to do...fishing, hike the trails, tour the hatchery , visit the gift shop, and tour the exhibits of alligator, and all kinds of native fish!

Guess I was expecting more. The exhibits are okay, but was expecting to see the breeding and rearing ponds. Didn't get to. It even looked like from a distance that some has been drained dry.

We took our grandkids here to see fish and experience fishing and were not disappointed. The fish on display were huge, the displays interesting, and kept our interest through the entire trip. The kids absolutely loved the diver show! The tram ride was interesting, but I think we could have skipped the nature trail. We expected to be able to catch more fish than we did in their fishing pond, but they said they wanted to make it more like real fishing. We did the "real fishing" the next day in Lake Palestine, and caught more fish in less time. Overall, we were very impressed with our visit.

Fun short stop! Would be especially great for children. Well done. Highly recommend. Opportunity for catch and release of catfish, they provide gear.

This Disneyland of freshwater fishing is not for fish lovers only, though that was my concern when I decided to take my city-dwelling kids here on a recent trip to East Texas. I expected fish flopping around in giant oil drums on a bunch of rickety old docks. Nope. The Fisheries is a modern, well-appointed living shrine to the inhabitants of Texas' myriad lakes and streams. In addition to the many aquarium displays, there's an interesting educational video shown in the theater, a museum-like section detailing highlights of Texas fishing culture, and lots of info about other area fauna, including (of course) the alligator. The best parts are the catfish pen -- and please note that these are no pedestrian cats, but humongous beasts that fight and scrap and stack on top of each other during feeding times -- and the stocked pond where you can fish for your own catfish (or whatever else is biting). There's no additional charge, and poles, tackle, bait and advice are provided. It was great fun to see my dainty, girly 11-year-old haul in a respectable cat. She wouldn't stop talking about it the rest of the day and even bought a pink commemorative fish T-shirt at the excellent gift shop. I believe it reads "Whatever boys can catch, girls can catch bigger."

This place is great to take families. Lots to see and you can take the kids fishing. Tram ride and Diver show is worth waiting for.

It was a great time. The exhibits are full of information and the live fish feeding very entertaining and informative. The kids in our group loved feeding the catfish that all lined up like they were begging. Just wish we had time to actually fish. Guess that'll be next trip.

Friends took us to the fisheries and it was alot of fun.You can feed the catfish(though watch out for getting splashed by them)You are at eye level with them and you could even touch the catfish if they let you.Neat getting a side view of the tanks holding assorted fish.If you have kids they can try their hand at fishing there.The hiking trails are very nice but not many people seem to know you can walk quite a ways on them.We saw turtles,birds, and even a snake..Our friends have said they have seen deer too..flowers were blooming still and that was nice and the weather was great for it..several areas to have a picnic.The grounds were well maintained and it was clean.