One of Renton’s hidden gems and favorite family pastimes is back up and running after recent renovations and extended closure. Springbrook Trout Farm, established some 70 years ago, is now open for its “U-fish” or self-serve fishing sessions after having been closed off-and-on for the past several years.
If you grew up in the area, you might have visited the place as a child with your daycare or elementary school. Springbrook is still a popular place for elementary school groups, birthday parties and family reunions, according to Trout Farm Manager Tami Thueringer. She’s worked at the farm since 2000, left in 2007 to attend college and get married and recently returned as the manager.
Before her time, the farm started out as a saw mill in the 1940s. Then it became a fish farm for railroad workers and eventually the “U-fish” trout farm that it is today.
“So what’s neat is that we’re grandfathered into Springbrook Creek,” said Thueringer. “With all the regulations now around creeks and how far you have to stay away from them, it’s very unlikely you could go anywhere and build something like this today.”
The six-acre farm has holding tanks for live fish sales and ponds for fishing. Thueringer and her crew have recently done a lot of landscaping, weeding, raking and pruning of fruit trees to restore the farm to its past glory. They’ve cleaned the rearing tanks, added play chips to play and viewing areas, fixed sewer lines and added French drains. They’ve uncovered old landscaping that was previously covered by vines and made improvements to the treehouse, which is made of remnants of the old saw mill.
The rustic treehouse is easier to get up than to get down and Thueringer has had to rescue a few kids, but all seem to enjoy the improvements made to the kids’ play area.
The natural creek starts just beyond the farm property and runs into Springbrook Farm where it is diverted into three ponds for small, medium and large rainbow trout. The farm charges by length so customers can decide what price range they can afford. The trout used to be hatched on site, but now they are brought in from another family-owned fish farm, Nisqually Trout Farm in Lacey.
Customers receive what Thueringer calls “little Huck Finn poles,” a bucket and homemade bait for their fishing adventure.
Last Thursday, the farm hosted a birthday party for a group of elementary school-aged children. After receiving the rules from Thueringer, the party-goers each got their fishing poles and headed down to one of the ponds. There were squeals of excitement and laughter as children marveled at their catch.
“You’ve got all these kids who, where we live, didn’t grow up next to a creek or didn’t grow up with parents who went fishing because there’s a lot of money involved in your license and tackle and driving somewhere and finding a lake,” said Thueringer.
Because the ponds are stocked almost every two weeks, visitors are almost guaranteed to catch a fish at Springbrook Trout Farm.
“They come here; they catch one right away and they’re so excited,” said Thueringer. “It’s usually everyone’s first fish, you know, little kids who come here.”
The visitors also get a lesson in fish anatomy, once the fish are caught and cleaned at the trout shack. Thueringer admits that sometimes fish escape into a drain or through a screen and the farm accidentally contributes to the population of the creek that runs through it. The staff at the farm continues to work to renovate the property.
The farm is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., May 1 to Sept. 30, 2015. No fishing license is required. For more information about Springbrook Trout Farm visit, www.springbrooktroutfarm.com.
