ABOUT HICKLING’S FISH FARM

Hickling’s Fish Farm, Inc. is a family owned and operated business that has been supplying fish for stocking and wholesale since 1986. Vincent and Linda Hickling started the business after selling the dairy farm that they had worked for 27 years. Since then, they have evolved from hatching trout in the basement of their home to raising fish in over 30 ponds and in 4 climate controlled buildings containing approximately 33,000 sq. ft. with a capacity of nearly 430,000 gallons of water. Vincent and Linda’s son and daughter-in-law, Darin and Bonnie, came into the business full time in the spring of 2003. Darin grew up on the dairy and fish farms, then received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering technology. He worked as a staking engineer for the local electric co-op for nearly 6 years before realizing his true calling and returning to the business.

Family is a priority for the Hicklings. All of Vinnie and Linda’s children live within a few miles, which is a blessing as it keeps all of their grandchildren close. One of their grandsons, Chris, came into the business full time in the spring of ’09. One of Vinnie’s brothers, Lawrence, also lives within 2 miles of them and works the original dairy farm that has been in the family since the 1880’s, with son, Paul.  Everyone gets together often for pizza or barbecues, and it is unusual to have less than a table full for lunch.

DELIVERIES

Delivery is available for a delivery fee of $2.00+tax/mile one way.  However, we try to consolidate deliveries in the same area in order to help you cut delivery costs. Also, if delivery is required please give us plenty of lead time as we are usually scheduling deliveries at least 1-2 weeks out, especially during our busy seasons. For spring orders it is best to get your orders into us by mid to late April.  This will help guarantee that your order will be on one of the first deliveries in your area.

WEED CONTROL

Grass Carp

In our experience, one of the best methods of weed control is the triploid grass carp. They are a very effective alternative to chemicals and in the end probably more affordable and hassle-free. The carp are fairly expensive but the recommended stocking rate is only about 10 to 12 fish per acre. So, when you divide the initial cost by their useful life of 4-5 years, it really is a good option. Most weed control chemicals are expensive and need to be applied multiple times per year. Triploid grass carp are genetically altered so they will not reproduce in your pond. Regular (diploid) grass carp are illegal in New York because if they were to get into public waters they would wreak havoc on the vegetation. For this reason you must obtain a special permit from the DEC in order to purchase triploid grass carp. You can download a grass carp permit application by clicking on the following link (grasscarppermitapplication). There is no cost for the permit, but you will have to answer a few questions about your pond, and they will determine the maximum number that you may stock.

Pond Dye

Another option to help control weeds is pond dye. Pond dye is FDA approved so it’s safe to add to ponds even if you plan to eat the fish in your pond or go swimming.  The dye blocks sunlight from penetrating the water in order to inhibit weed growth.  The dye comes in 2 colors, TrueBlue (gives the pond a nice blue tint) and DeepBlue (gives the pond a more natural color).

Pond Bacteria

A third option for weed control is to add beneficial bacteria to your pond.  The bacteria helps get rid of built up sludge and dissolved nutrients in the pond that weeds and algae feed on thereby inhibiting their growth. Once again this is a completely natural and safe option, however, it tends to be fairly expensive and results can vary depending on the chemistry of your pond.

FISH FOOD

Hickling’s Fish Farm sells top quality fish food. Raising fish in a system in which we recirculate the water requires that we use the best food on the market. We use only top quality brands and fish foods on our farm. The fish food is a floating pellet sold in various sizes depending on the size of the fish that you are feeding. 

CONSULTING AVAILABLE

LET OUR EXPERIENCE WORK FOR YOU!

If you are building a new pond or just stocking an existing pond give us a call. When building a new pond, its construction can greatly affect the kind of fish that will live in it. Also, when hiring someone to build your pond be sure to hire a reputable contractor and don’t be afraid to ask for references. There is much more to building a pond than just digging a hole in the ground. When stocking your pond it is important to know what you are doing because stocking the wrong fish or combination of fish can turn a fishing heaven into a fishing headache. Whether you want just a recreational pond that the kids can fish like crazy or if you want a real trophy fishery we can help you achieve those goals.