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Charles River Fishing Report

Updated Mon, Nov 9, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Charles River at Waltham: a river where MassWildlife records trophy carp and catfish, under a state advisory that limits most fish to one meal every six months.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
286 cfs
Air / High
43 / 53 F
Wind
WSW 5 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01104500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Monday
9
November 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Charles River rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The river is running 286 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind WSW around 5 mph, rising pressure near 1004 hPa and a high of 53. Water sits around 51 F for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:09 PM-1:09 AM and 10:45 AM-12:45 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Fair

In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Tomorrow: Similar at 50 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Tue, Nov 10, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Water and weather

Live readings from CHARLES RIVER AT WALTHAM, MA.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01104500.

107180253286 cfs10/1010/2010/3011/09

Today’s flow against 95 years of November 9

At 286 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 01104500 (CHARLES RIVER AT WALTHAM, MA) is at the 68th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 95 years of approved record the daily mean on November 9 was below 176 cfs; the highest was 1,490 cfs and the lowest 3 cfs.

p10 61median 176p90 508

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 01104500; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp43 F
High / Low53 / 42 F
WindWSW 5-13 mph
Pressure1004.2 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 13%
Sunrise / Sunset06:28 / 16:28
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~51 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Which day to fish Charles River this week

The best day on Charles River this week looks like Saturday Nov 14, at 4 out of 5, against 2 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Nov 14 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Nov 9 β€” Tough

Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Solunar majors
11:09 PM-1:09 AM and 10:45 AM-12:45 PM
Minor period
6:40 AM-7:40 AM
Sun
06:28 to 16:28
Moon
New Moon, 0% lit
Sky and wind
Showers, 11 mph
Rain chance
13%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Charles River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

When to come: the Charles River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Catfish (blue, channel)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 51 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovNov, ~51 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Charles River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Sun, Nov 8

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at fair. High of 55 F, wind to 14 mph.

Sat, Nov 7

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at fair. High of 63 F, wind to 10 mph.

Fri, Nov 6

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at fair. High of 69 F, wind to 9 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Massachusetts requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Massachusetts freshwater fishing license; see the current MassWildlife freshwater regulations. A Department of Public Health consumption advisory covers the whole river from the Medway Dam to the Museum of Science Dam.

Access

DCR Charles River Reservation (sunrise to sunset), with parking at Herter Park, the Watertown Dam and the Woerd Avenue Boat Launch, among others.

About this water

The Charles River at Waltham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Flow on this page comes from USGS 01104500, Charles River at Waltham.

Fishing Charles River: the full guide

Trophy fish on record

MassWildlife's best-bets lists, built from its Freshwater Sportfishing Awards records, name the Charles River among the waters that have produced trophy carp and trophy catfish or bullhead.

Eating fish from the river

The Department of Public Health advisory for the Charles between the South Natick Dam and the Museum of Science Dam, the reach that includes Waltham, cites PCBs, pesticides and PFAS. Adults should not eat carp and should limit any other species to one meal every six months; children under 12 and people who are pregnant, nursing or may become pregnant should also avoid largemouth bass. Upstream, between the Medway Dam and the South Natick Dam, the advisory cites mercury, chlordane and DDT.

The DCR reservation

The Department of Conservation and Recreation's Charles River Reservation stretches about 20 miles along the river, is open from sunrise to sunset and lists fishing and a boat ramp among its activities and facilities. Its parking areas include Herter Park, the Watertown Dam and the Woerd Avenue Boat Launch.

Common questions

Can I eat fish from the Charles at Waltham?

Only sparingly. The state advisory for this reach says adults should not eat carp and should limit other fish to one meal every six months; children and people who are or may become pregnant or are nursing should also not eat largemouth bass.

What does MassWildlife record from the river?

Trophy carp and trophy catfish or bullhead, both listed in its best-bets pages from the Freshwater Sportfishing Awards Program.

Where can I get on the water?

The DCR Charles River Reservation lists a boat ramp and parking at sites including the Woerd Avenue Boat Launch and Herter Park.

Is fishing good at Charles River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Merrimack River19 miWachusett Reservoir25 miStillwater River28 miPlum Island37 miWebster Lake39 miHampton42 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 01104500 β€” CHARLES RIVER AT WALTHAM, MA
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-11-09 at 10:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 42.3723, -71.2337 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.