FITTSTOWN, OK – In one way or another, the name Dunn has been associated with fish farming in this part of Oklahoma for more than 30 years.

Jack Dunn, patriarch of this fish farming family, raised game fish and largemouth bass here for some 20 years, before moving to Arkansas, and continuing in the fish busines, in 1993.

When Jack moved, his son David and daughter Lisa (Phillips) took over the operation, eventually buying their father out.

During a recent visit, I had a chance to sit a spell and chat with David about his family’s many years in the fish growing business while getting a closer look at the successful Dunn’s Fish Farm operation of today.

The farm has grown substantially since its early days but has remained true to the guiding principles of its founder.

When Jack first started the farm, he decided to try raising trout and smallmouth bass, based largely on the available water supply.

The stream that supplies most of the farm’s water was, and is, cold enough, clear enough, and has adquate flow to serve those species well.

His instincts proved correct and as the farm grew, Jack added channel catfish and, eventually, game fish.

Under Jack’s leadership, Dunn’s was one of the first operations to run fish delivery routes across a large, multi-state territory.

That strategy also paid off and has, in fact, been a cornerstone of the success of this family business. Today, Dunn’s Fish Farm is currently selling fish into a 13-state area spanning the southern and middle parts of the country.

Production on the farm is in 130 acres of ponds, ranging in size from 1/2 to 10 acres, scattered across roughly 300 land acres.

The farm is also equipped with an elaboate vat system, in which fish can be held and sorted prior to shipment. The vats are supplied with gravity-fed spring water and are equipped with diffusers and agitators for oxygenation, if needed, depending on fish size and stocking densities.

This modest sign announces your arrival at Dunn’s Fish Farm, giving little clue that the Oklahoma business is one of the largest providers of fish and fingerlings in the region. Above, David Dunn kneels in front of the pristine stream that serves as the farm’s primary water supply.


Based on many years of experience and responding to customer demand, Dunn’s handles a wide variety of species, including: largemouth bass, channel catfish, hybrid bluegill, Florida bass, coppernose bluegill, redear bream, black crappie, Florida largemouth bass, fathead minnows, oriental koi, diploid and triploid grass carp, and Florida striped bass.

To further serve their customers, Dunn’s also carries a comprehensive line of pond and lake management supplies.

Those products include: Dunn’s Sure-Ketch Turtle Trap, Dunn’s Fish Trap, Trophy Grower Liquid Pond Fertilizer, aerators, seines, and more.

Dunn’s bills itself as one of the largest fish dealers in the country, and their delivery operation would seem to confirm that.

The farm employs 14 over-theroad drivers and owns its own fleet of four tractor-trailer live fish hauling rigs, plus two smaller live haul trucks.

The semis are set up with 20 individual compartments per trailer; the smaller trucks are divided up with 10 compartments each.



From left, David Dunn, Bill Kelley Sr., and Bill Kelley Jr. stand with one of the turtle traps manufactured and sold by Dunn’s.














Although the Dunn’s name and reputation is well known, David said marketing remains an important part of the company’s overall business strategy.

They advertise in about 100 newspapers each week, spread across the states they serve. Dunn’s also bulk mails some 5,000 pieces of sales literature weekly and periodically distributes an e-mail newsletter with pond management tips and information.

Good people, of course, are essential to the success of any business, a fact that was driven home to Dunn’s a few years back.

About four years ago, David and Lisa decided to move the operation to Arkansas. The lay of the land there makes pond consruction easier and less expensive, plus Arkansas is a little more centrally located to the farm’s distribution chain, David explained.

But finding the help they needed locally proved to be a struggle in Arkansas and after three-plus years of fighting the labor battle, they opted to move back to Oklahoma.

“Farming and raising fish is the easy part,” David said. “The hardest part of this business is managing people.”

Dunn’s currently employs about 30 people. They have their own mechanics, build their own traps, raise and haul their fish, and even offer pond electro-shocking service for fish population surveys.

David said he has one person on staff whose primary job is spending about 90% of her time obtaining and updating licenses and permits for the fish delivery side of the business.

One longtime employee who David regards as a true colleague and friend is Bill Kelley Jr.

These two guys work hard, often jamming two weeks worth of customer visits and jobs into a single week. It’s not unusual for Bill and David to be out stocking fish, or treating weeds, or installing an aerator, long after dark, working by the headlights of a pick-up truck.















Among the specialty services offered by Dunn’s in response to customer requests is electroshocking for fish population surveys. Using the custom-equipped electroshocking boat at left, Dunn’s can shock a pond’s fish population with a non-lethal stun, allowing biologists to examine the fish for size, growth rates, and species mix before returning them to the water unharmed.


To work this hard and remain friends requires dedication and a keen sense of humor. They have both.

If they ever get out of the fish business, Bill and David should really consider going on the road with a comedy act. The stories they tell, all allegedly true, are pretty funny stuff.

I can’t do them justice and won’t even try, but here’s just a sampling of the subject matter: there’s the time one of them was bitten on the butt by an emu while installing a fountain; there was the monkey who tried to mate with one of them as they were busy doing pond work; and, how about the time an ostrich attacked David for being in his space!

You get the picture.

In all seriousness, these guys are the perfect complement to each other. David is the glue that holds the farm together, and Bill is the glue that holds David together. Their strengths and interests are distinct, but blend well. David is the fish guy, Bill’s a computer guru … and so on.

Back to the farm tour.

If you grow fish outside, you’re going to have to deal with predators. Dunn’s is no exception.

David said seasonal predation by cormorants is a major headache. The voracious birds can eat up a big chunk of profits if left undisturbed. David said the farm crew stays busy running the cormorants off the ponds and that it is very difficult to keep them off.

Then there are snakes. Here’s David’s tips on snake behavior.

“Copperheads are just mean, aggressive, and will come after you if you even look at them wrong. Whereas, rattlesnakes will defend, but will not come after you unprovoked.”

An interesting distinction, but it would seem that poisonous snakes are to be avoided whenever possible, regardless of species. At least that’s my strategy.

One farm predator turned into a kind of pet, David recalled.

Dunn’s had an alligator snapping turtle in residence for several years. David had a permit for the turtle because he was listed on the endangered species list. He lived in the vats and was the biggest turtle of his kind known to be in captivity.

Now this turtle was not exactly cuddly; he could snap a 2" x 4" in half without even trying.

He got to be a bit of a celebrity when Jack Hanna from the Cleveland Zoo (yes, the same guy from Letterman and the Tonight Show) used to stop by to visit.

David said the turtle, which had become the farm mascot, eventually got to be fairly expensive to have around. The turtle developed a taste for grass carp, and basically wouldn’t eat anything else.

Dunn’s finally donated him to the Oklahoma City Zoo when the big turtle tipped the scales at 160 pounds.

So besides hard work, a sense of humor, and an ability to work with large and dangerous animals, what else does it take to be successful in the fish business?

David believes that customer satisfaction has to be the number one priority. Honesty and integrity is equally important, he said.

Among the many species handled by Dunn’s for its vast network of customers across a 13-state area, are black crappie, bluegill, and largemouth bass. Dunn’s runs its own fleet of live haul delivery trucks and provides pond management services and supplies, as well.



As he put it, success is self-perpetuating when you have excellent name recognition.

“You always look for an advantage (over your competitors) with better pricing, service, or whatever. But you do not deceptively change the name of a fish to give it more marketability. This should not be done in the fish business.”

David also offers these words of wisdom to neophytes and even veteran producers who are too narrowly focused on merely growing production volumes.

“You better make sure you have a market for your product.

“So many people I have seen in this business do not have a market for their product. They put themselves in the position where they can’t control the market; then they are at the mercy of the marketplace.

“If you create your own market, and keep it reasonably within your control, you should do okay,” he said.

Dunn’s has done okay, for sure.

It’s the result of a family effort, years of hard work, and careful listening to the farm’s vast network of satisfied customers.

To learn more about Dunn’s visit them on the web at <www.dunnsfishfarm.com>.

Bob Robinson is a fisheries biologist with Kasco Marine Inc. He can be reached at bob.r@kascomarine.com.

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