Located in Hoffman between Southern Pines and Rockingham, the McKinney Lake State Fish Hatchery is a warmwater hatchery featuring 23 ponds covering more than 18 acres of water. This hatchery is used primarily for growing fingerling-sized (3-4 inches) channel catfish to harvestable size (8-12 inches) for the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission's Community Fishing Program. It works in conjunction with the Watha State Fish Hatchery near Wilmington to provide monthly stockings of channel catfish from April through September at 30 Community Fishing Program sites statewide.
In the past, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service operated the McKinney Lake Hatchery and produced striped bass and other warmwater fish species at this facility. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission leased the facility in 1996 and began stocking channel catfish from the McKinney Lake Hatchery in March 1998.
