About Us
Beginning Over a Century Ago
Our story begins even before the first catfish were raised. Near the turn of the 20th century, Sam and Martha Stamper lived about a mile from the present-day farm and raised 13 children, including their daughter Edna. Edna married Warner Moore, and the couple lived next door to the Stampers. Together they had two sons — Bob, born in 1927, and George, born in 1937. Sadly, Warner passed away in 1947, when George was only 10 years old. Bob stepped up to help his mother and younger brother continue farming, setting the stage for what would eventually become Moore’s Fish Farm.
In the 1950s, Bob and George began raising channel catfish to bring in extra income during the winter months. George later settled at what is now the home farm, where he and his wife Joann expanded the operation — raising catfish for the food market, running cattle, baling hay, and farming crops. He also operated a bulldozer service, building ponds across the region and stocking them with fish. Over time, the farm grew to include minnows, grass carp, bass, and bluegill.
When George passed in 1997, his daughter Dianna — the first of George and Joann’s children — carried on the fish farm with her husband, Dewayne Mote. Together, they added Koi and Tilapia to the operation, continued raising cattle, and kept the hay business going. Dianna also launched the now-beloved Fish Fry restaurant in the late 1990s, carrying forward her father’s passion for both farming and community.
After Dianna’s passing in 2007, Dewayne, along with his son Brandon and daughter-in-law Casey, stepped in to run the day-to-day operations. Since then, the farm has continued to grow. We’ve expanded our tilapia program, added seasonal trout, introduced blue catfish, and more than doubled the seating at the restaurant. By adding Brahman-influenced cows, we’ve carried on a long tradition of diversification in our operation.
Today, the fourth-generation fish farmers are already part of the farm’s story. Dewayne and Dianna’s grandsons can often be found in the summer — bagging fish for customers or working in the hay fields — learning the same values of hard work, stewardship, and family tradition that have guided Moore’s Fish Farm for over 70 years.
And just next door, the family legacy continues as well. Bob’s son, Scott, and his wife Debby now operate his place as the Flying M Ranch (flyingmranch.com), a wedding venue, carrying on their own branch of the family tradition.