Little Grassy Fish Hatchery
- Status
- Status not posted
- Entrance fee
- Statewide rule — see below
- Day-use reservations
- None mentioned
- Dogs
- Not stated — check with park
- Camping
- None listed
- Official site
- dnr.illinois.gov(618) 529-4100
Official page last checked Oct 30, 2026. How we keep this current
Overview
Little Grassy Fish Hatchery is a 95-acre park unit in Williamson County, about 6 miles southeast of Carbondale.
Fees and passes
Free: 'The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) does not charge an Entrance Fee to any state owned or operated land.' Camping, cabins and shelters are fee-based.
Statewide fee rule from Illinois's park system; this park’s page doesn’t list its own fees.
Reservations
- Day use
- No day-use reservation requirement mentioned
- Booking system
- ExploreMoreIL (IDNR camping, cabins, group camps and shelters)
We link to the official booking system rather than showing live availability, which changes minute to minute.
Things to do
Fishing
The main event at Little Grassy is the catfish production. Adult brood fish are paired and placed into spawning cubicles located in concrete outdoor raceways. The fish are provided an appropriate nesting site (milk can). Fertilized eggs are collected from the cans and processed indoors. The eggs are separated, enumerated and hatched in the incubation room.
Newly hatched catfish fry are placed in indoor start troughs for approximately three weeks. During this time, the yolk-sac fry develop fully and begin feeding on powdered food. The production process of the channel catfish provides a great viewing experience for visitors. ‘Prime time” for viewing the production process runs from early to mid-June. Yearling catfish in outdoor raceways are available for feeding by visitors from Memorial Day through July.
Read more from the park
Little Grassy is currently open to the public Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Walk-in visitors, as well as scheduled tour groups, are welcome. Scheduled tours can be adjusted to suit time constraints of visitors as well as the age group and knowledge base of visitors. Little Grassy Fish Hatchery is currently closed on weekends September-March and on state holidays that fall in the months of October-February. For information or reservations, please call: Little Grassy Fish Hatchery 618-529-4100.
A state fishing license is usually required.
Getting there
- Address
- 1258 Hatchery Lane
Makanda, IL 62958 - Nearest town
- Carbondale — about 6 mi southeast (straight line)
- Coordinates
- 37.6510, -89.1490
- Phone
- (618) 529-4100
Nearby state parks
Sources and freshness
- Illinois State Parks (IDNR state parks and recreation areas) — park page — last checked Oct 30, 2026
- IDNR All Parks list (AEM content-fragment list JSON) + each unit's landing page for official title, coordinates, address, phone
- USGS PAD-US 4.1 (boundary and acreage)
“Last checked” is when our system last read the official source. No change has been detected since this page was first published. Hours, fees and rules can change without notice — confirm with the park before you go. Methodology