MATTAWAN — Michigan’s reputation as a great state for fishing is no big secret.

Whether they are drawn to the state’s extensive network of inland rivers and lakes or to one of the Great Lakes, residents and out-of-state anglers flock to Michigan’s waters year-round.

In fact, according to Dr. Daniel O’Keefe, Southwest District Extension educator at the Michigan Sea Grant, “Michigan is ranked number one in the Great Lakes for the economic impact of fishing on its economy, and it is number two in the country for expenditures made by out-of-state anglers.”

With all of that fishing going on here, have you ever wondered how the fish manage to keep up?

While some natural reproduction does occur, the State of Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources has been helping the fish keep their population numbers up for decades.

According to the DNR’s website, Michigan’s six state fish hatcheries produce “13 million trout and salmon and 30 million walleye, muskies and sturgeon annually.”

While those state fish hatcheries are spread throughout both peninsulas of the state, one of them—Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery—is just a short drive from southwest Michigan, and a visit to the Mattawan facility is not only educational and fun, but it is also free.

Open seven days a week from Memorial Day through Labor Day, Wolf Lake offers both indoor and outdoor activities that both adults and children will enjoy. The summer hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

“Definitely, the highlight of visiting Wolf Lake is going on a tour of the hatchery, and all ages enjoy the tour,” said Shana Ramsey, a hatchery interpreter who has worked at Wolf Lake for 11 years. “It takes about half an hour to go through the hatchery, and you learn all about the different stages in the life cycle of the fish.”

As the DNR’s website notes, “Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery produces a wide range of fish species for both inland and Great Lakes waters.”

Those species include steelhead trout, chinook salmon, walleye, northern pike, channel catfish, northern muskellunge and lake sturgeon. In fact, Wolf Lake is the only state hatchery where lake sturgeon is raised, and lucky visitors might catch a glimpse of those enormous fish in the hatchery’s show pond. In any case, they will definitely see plenty of steelhead.

“Feeding the fish on our show pond is a must,” Ramsey said. “Everybody loves it, and everybody gets a free token to feed the fish a handful of fish food. They are also welcome to buy tokens and feed them more if they want to.”

The hatchery also has a network of nature trails for visitors to use year-round from dawn to dusk. The trails wind around 11 earthen ponds, which range in size from two to 25 acres. Birds and other wildlife can be seen from the trails, and there is even a bird-viewing platform and benches for visitors to use.

In addition to the outdoor activities at Wolf Lake, the hatchery also has a Visitors Center, which was built in 1983. A six-year renovation process was completed in 2008.

There, one can learn about the history of Michigan fishing and fish planting in addition to learning about the various species of fish that make Michigan their home. Short, educational films are shown throughout the day as well.

The Visitors Center also has a small gift shop as well as number of live animals that folks can see when they visit, and if they come at the right time, visitors can watch their daily feedings.

“Our ‘Feeding Frenzy’ program takes place on weekdays at 12:30 p.m. during the summer. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes, and that’s when we feed all our critters, like our turtles and salamanders and so forth,” Ramsey said. “It’s great for younger kids who might not be able to handle the whole hatchery tour or for folks who just want to stop by for a few minutes.”

Beyond the activities that the fish hatchery offers on a daily basis, they also offer free instructional programs each week.

The first is the kids’ fishing program, “Hook, Line and Sinker.” Taking place on Fridays from 5 to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 to 11 a.m., the program offers kids ages 3 to 16 a great opportunity to learn the basics of catch and release fishing. They can then try out their new skills at the hatchery.

“We supply all of the equipment, and no sign-up is required,” Ramsey noted.

The hatchery also offers a free archery program called “Arrows Away” on Thursdays, beginning at 4 p.m. and at 5:30 p.m.

“We offer a one-and-one-half-hour archery program for ages 5 and up, and we get everything from novices to advanced archers,” Ramsey said. “It’s mainly for kids, but we also get a few adults.”

As with the fishing program, all equipment for the archery program is provided, and no sign-up is required.

If you are looking for a fun, educational outdoor experience that is not too far from home, you may want to consider joining the nearly 30,000 visitors who make their way to Wolf Lake each year.

Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery is located at 34270 County Road 652 in Mattawan, and they can be reached at (269)668-2876. More information can also be found at www.michigan.gov/wolflakevc.