Where was the old D&B fish farm?
The farm was located about 7 miles East of Crockett and about 2 miles off SH 21.
During my time there I helped develop a new and superior strain of blue catfish, known in the industry as the "D&B" blue catfish. If you've eaten US Farm Raised catfish from the grocery or in a restaurant, its likely you have tasted fish derived from that strain as one half of the hybrid used nowadays.
Overton Fisheries carries the pure strain D&B blues and is the only place I know of to get them. The strain has been tested upside down and backwards by universities in Mississippi and Arkansas, and continues to outperform any other catfish out there.
While I was there we produced the majority of the fish we stocked (unlike most "fish farms" nowadays that are merely brokers for fish produced elsewhere) which included over 21 species.
The owner, Cecil Deauman, was a true pioneer of aquaculture in Texas.
D&B Fish Farms no longer exists, even the ponds have been returned to pastures as fish farming is all but illegal in Texas now. But it was there once and so was I.
I still raise my own fish for the most part and continue to develop new strains, especially for largemouth bass. Most of my projects are very large.
Those of you looking to stock ponds with quality fish raised in Texas for Texas lakes and ponds could do a lot worse than Overton Fisheries. Todd Overton produces much of his fish for sale himself and makes available several what he calls "signature strains" of high quality stocker fish. There are a few others out there that raise their own strains of high quality fish, myself, Bob Waldrop at Tyler Fish Farms and a few others, but most just broker fish from out of state, a lot of which are not the best strains for the purpose.
