Hagemann Ranch Trout Farm

Bait and Switch! Sad day. Long drive for nothing. I saw a family pay $ 45 for pole rental, bait, and a few drinks. We came prepared with our own poles and snacks. But, we were there for 2 hours and left with 2 disappointed kids. There was a staff of 2. A lady in office collecting fees and selling stuff from store, and a guy on porch setting up poles for people to rent. There were a total of about 40 people fishing while we were there, and we saw only 2 fish caught by same guy. I got a crayfish on my line and so did another girl. Lots of frogs. Our first choice that day was Smith’s Trout Farm near Calistoga, but that was the weekend of the fires. They don’t charge anything to fish there (unlike Hagemann’s Ranch $ 3 per person), and «catch fees» are half of Hagemann’s. I guess if fish are caught you don’t have to charge to fish and for poles!

No fish. Nobody to help us on my son’s birthday. Talked to others with similar experiences lately. Place should close down.

This place is the worst, I was with my family and there were no fish, This place is full of frogs nothing more i do not recommend it, My name is Victor Portal and that place sucks, there was nothing!

Today was our second visit to this trout farm. We didn’t catch any fish and the only fish we did see caught were very small.

I am a single mom who has two boys. I took a trip to the trout farm and found it a wonderful place. There are picnic tables, BBQ’s in a quiet setting by two ponds to have a fun time.
Customer service was excellent from a college student «Dustin». He assisted us in baiting, catching fish and even cleaned them afterwards.
While it can get expensive the prices are transparent both on the web and posted at the shop. The fish were measured on the table right in front of us. The day was fun and the kids loved catching fish.

Our party caught around 15 fish without realizing how expensive it was all going to be. And I’m pretty sure some of the 11 inchers weren’t 11in. We ended up spending about 100 bux for the fish, worms, and some sodas. Even after that we probably would have had my daughter’s 2^nd birthday party there but after a really negative experience with the woman that rang us up, I just would rather not go through the hassle of trying to book and plan an event with this woman. I mean this lady was yelling at someone she was talking to on the phone (while she was supposed to be helping us, you know, the paying customer…) And she became extremely flustered by the simple task of trying to add numbers together. She was pretty nasty, won’t be going back there I prefer competitive fishing anyway. This place is basically like fishing out of a swimming pool

Not the cheapest but there isn’t much alternatives in the Bay Area. The ponds are definitely larger then the other ones we have been to where you just throw a pole in and get a catch right away. Friendly people running it and clean restrooms.

I am a fishing rookie. I never caught anything in my life, nor have I gone fishing often. This is a good place to get the fishing atmosphere and feel good about catching something.
Staff are very helpful. You can rent poles and worms from the shop for not much money. Where the money adds up is the fish you catch. You cannot catch and release any fish. And for 8 fish I think we paid around $ 50 – 60 bucks, not including the rented gear. (Hence missing the 5^th star)
If you’re going to come here, read the following:
1. It’s easy to miss that sign from Highway 1. Keep a look out when you are close to the ranch.
2. Roads are narrow/​gravel. Leave the Mercedes at home.
3. Outdoor weather and conditions, so dress appropriately
4. Some hand sanitizer is highly recommended
5. If you have one of those Coleman protable BBQ grills that would be perfect. So you can catch and BBQ (The staff can clean out your fish, no extra charge)
6. Yellow jackets everywhere. And they are not friendly. Bring your epipen if you are allergic to bees.

this place was nearby a campground we vacationed at so we gave it a try. we caught 14 fish in 1.5 hrs so it was fun for kids to get the experience. a little pricey but I would guess typical for trout farms. it was easy and a clean place so perfect to get the kids interested. it can get expensive quickly although all prices are given up front before you fish.

Did some research and found this place on Unilocal,was surprised to see it was the only fish farm open during the week. We arrived about 11am and the place was pretty much a ghost town, with only a few other people there. Walked up got our pools and earthworms. Asked where the best place in the pond and was told by the dock, which turned out to be a great spot.
Within a few minutes we had our first bite. Being this was my 5 year olds first time fishing I had him reel it in, it was a beautiful 10 inch rainbow trout. Over the next two hours we caught 10 fish, ranging from 9 to 11 inches.
Walked our bounty back up to the shop and the help cleaned the fish and showed my son all the insides of a fish, stomach, heart and so on, he thought that was very cool. They bagged our catch in ice and the we settled the bill. After all, we paired about $ 65 for the whole experience.
If you want to introduce a child to fishing this is the place to go, they do have some shaded areas, picnic benches and BBQ pits if you want to cook up right there!

Place was nice and Larry was very helpful! Taught us how to put bait and fish! Helped grandma with her needs! Like like!

We loved this place. I went with Grandma, a 4 year old and and 2 year old and really enjoyed sitting and fishing with my sons. It was a long trip but my 4 year old really enjoyed catching the fish himself. My 2 year old had a fish on his line but he didnt know how to reel it in so the fish got away. It wasnt that easy catching fish. They are really sneaky. I enjoyed teaching my kids how to cast out and watch for the trout eat the worms. heheheh I was hoping my kids would get a giant trout but alas we got a little one. Hey i’m not complaining. As long as i get a happy face from my kids, I’m all good.

this place was AWESOME! perfect spot for the little ones. we have a 5-​year old and a 2 ½-​year old and they had a blast. they actually have 2 separate ponds, the main pond that most people stay at and another pond up the hill. we stayed at the main pond but i think next time we’ll try the other pond up the hill, it seemed a little more secluded. i like that they provide picnic tables and bbq’s for families to cook or have a nice picnic lunch. Next time around we’d like to spend the whole day out w/​grandma and grandpa, bbq, and fish. You do want to be careful because the price can add up fast, you look at the fish and don’t realize just how long they are. We caught 5 fish, one 11inch three 9inch and one 6inch fish, along w/​3 pole rentals we paid $ 35. It’s nice that they clean and ice your fish as well. The people here are extremely nice and helpful. We look forward to another family trip out here

Very enjoyable — I take my grandson there one or two times a year. Upper pond has the bigger fish. Be prepared to do real fishing, trying worms, different power baits, even lures. This is a «probably catch’ pond, not a sure catch one. A bit of a drive, but a nice one. Kids love it. Mostly dirt edge, so be prepared with play clothes.

After a weekend of not catching fish in other places nearby we were recommended this place by a chance camping acquaintance.
My three kids and I were not disappointed. Although I had a pole and tackle I opted to rent theirs. They charge $ 2.00 to use your own poles or $ 3.50 for theirs. I rented theirs because the poles were already set up the way they knew was best, and we had horrible tangle luck with the poles we had been using.
We had no problems with their gear or with catching fish. My 3 kids lit up with delight every time their bobber sunk down and they got to reel in a fish. Having said that, the «no catch and release policy» means that you have to keep and pay for whatever you catch, which we found usually meant small 9 – 10 inch fishes. However I think the policy makes sense since the fish we caught would otherwise have probably died after the hook was removed.
Quick Tip: Use a smaller hook with the full worm. Be patient and just watch.
I found that if I used the full worm the little fishes would eat at it and not get caught and eventually a bigger fish, for us 11″, will eventually eat the rest with the hook. You could also try using a larger hook to space out the time a bit more as well.
So ultimately the visit was worth the $ 55 I spent for the 2 poles, worms, 8 fish (two each) we caught and were cleaned for us by the professional and pleasant enough staff, and the 1.5 hours we spent there. If we go back I might bring a barbecue to cook and eat the fish there as well.
Bonus: The kids loved bull frog hunting and the staff never said anything to us, although there is a sign that says no frog catching. I think they may be missing another revenue opportunity there… frog legs anyone?
The 5-​star review is meant for what it is. You will catch fish and I think what you pay is fair for the service and the location. It is a perfect stop on your way to or from a camping or Russian River stay.

me and my family visit this place and was fun, but very expensive ! the staff was friendly and helpful, you will not catch a trout more than 12 inches i paid a total of 73.50 i think is little over priced, nice place but you can take your family somewhere alse with that budget.

Good place to catch some trout with the kids. Don’t expect more than 12−14″ though. There is no longer a catch and release so you pay for ALL fish caught even the 6-​inchers which can add up quickly. Otherwise a nice place to kick back and relax and let the kids catch some fish.

If you’re looking for something to do while you’re in bodega bay, you can try coming to this small trout pond. It is easy to miss when you’re on the highway, but if you’re driving from Petaluma, it’ll be on your right. You have to look for the sign and the little dirt road that takes you there.
I came here during labor day weekend last year and the weather was nice, we went to the tiny shack near the parking lot (with porto johns) we rented fishing rods and bought a little container of live worms as bait. You walk down to the tiny lake, with a wooden little dock that extends into the pond. Most of the area around the pond is pretty dusty and dry, you probably want to bring something to sit on, def bring sun block and a hat, not much shade, theres like one picnic table with a bbq grill, and tons of drinks to keep you hydrated.
Lots of families here bring children. You gotta be patient, the fish (mostly rainbow trout) are pretty smart, they don’t just bite b/​c they want to eat since everyone is throwing crap into the lake, some people (like us) left empty handed with a tan, and some people (the kids) left with like 4 fish within a couple hours, most of the fish I saw caught this day were pretty small like 8 inches? Pretty hit or miss I guess. But whats really fun is that there are TONS of tiny froggies and dragon flies everywhere. One of the rules are that you can’t catch and release, and you cannot catch the frogs. They have workers watching here and there so I wouldn’t take my chances!
I think I had most fun not catching fish, but playing around with the froggies. They’re so cute!!!
Would I come here again? probably not, unless I was dying for something to do… it day was kind of uneventful and boring… but kids love it!
Winter Schedule
October — November
April — May
Weekends Only
9am to 4pm
Summer Schedule
June — September
Thursday thru Monday 9am to 4pm
Closed Tuesday & Wednesday
go to website for prices
POLE RENTALS
$ 4.50
$ 2.00 own pole