Fishing_Content Page_Root River Steelhead Facility Open House

Root River Steelhead Facility Open House

From Hatchery to Hook - Supporting Lake Michigan's Fishery

Join us on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for an open house at the Root River Steelhead Facility in Racine - 2200 Domanik Drive - where eggs from trout and salmon are collected to produce the next generation of fish to test Lake Michigan anglers.

Everyone is encouraged to attend this FREE, fun-filled event, whether you're a novice angler, a veteran angler or just like to see fish! Enjoy guided tours of the facility with DNR crews demonstrating fish spawning procedures, fishing rod casting lessons, fly-tying and more.

Two photos of the Root River Steelhead Facility: One person showing a fish from the facility and childern viewing fish in a tank.

 

Go behind the scenes and discover how we support Lake Michigan fish populations.

The Root River Steelhead Facility is located in Lincoln Park along the beautiful Root River in Racine. The DNR built the facility in 1992-1993 in partnership with Salmon Unlimited Wisconsin to aid in the capture and egg collection of migrating trout and salmon. Millions of trout and salmon are stocked annually into Lake Michigan tributaries, where they spend their young lives before entering Lake Michigan to live and grow. Eventually, these trout and salmon return to the same stream where they were stocked to perform their annual spawning rituals.

Open House Activities include (weather permitting)

DNR staff partner with dozens of volunteers from our local clubs and organizations to offer fun, hands-on learning experiences like:

  • Guided Tour and Spawning Demonstrations – Provided by Wisconsin DNR staff. Fish enthusiasts of all ages can join one of our guided tours to learn how DNR crews capture fish and why we need to collect trout and salmon eggs to raise in hatcheries for stocking into Lake Michigan.
  • Touch of the Wild Education Trailer –Provided by Outdoor Heritage Education Center and brought to you by Milwaukee Great Lakes Sportfishermen. Touch of the Wild is a walk-through trailer where kids of all ages are able to explore by touching and engaging with displays. The trailer features more than three dozen species of fish and wildlife, including full-body and shoulder mounts of species native to Wisconsin. So much to explore!
  • Fly Casting Clinic – Provided by Southeast Wisconsin Trout Unlimited. Come learn from the experts!
  • Backyard Bass – Provided by Salmon Unlimited. Great activity for kids! Backyard Bass are plastic casting targets shaped like fish. They are designed to make learning to cast fun and easy. With a good cast, you can catch one of the fish and reel it in!
  • Trolling Boat Display – Provided by Salmon Unlimited. A Lake Michigan fishing boat and captain will be on display and available throughout the day to answer your questions about fishing on Lake Michigan.
  • Fly Tying – Provided (weather pending) by Kenosha Sportfishing and Conservation Association. Come see the skillful art of fly-tying. Volunteers from KSFCA have been offering fly-tying seminars for over 30 years.
  • And More - Meet representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mass Marking Program, Root River Council, and Wisconsin Conservation Wardens who will be on hand throughout the day to answer questions.

Admission is free! Don’t miss this great chance to be introduced to the world of fisheries management. We can’t wait to see you there!