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Stillwater River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Wachusett’s quiet feeder: a small wild-trout stream winding through central Massachusetts meadows toward the reservoir.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
5 cfs
Air / High
82 / 82 F
Wind
WNW 11 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01095220, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 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.

Stillwater River feels the season turning: shorter days, grouping fish. The river is running 5 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 11 mph, rising pressure near 1008 hPa and a high of 82. Water sits around 54 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutGood

Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown troutGood

Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 74 F with a rain chance. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Stillwater River near Sterling.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01095220.

2152835 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp82 F
High / Low82 / 63 F
WindWNW 11-16 mph
Pressure1008.2 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain19% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset06:15 / 19:16
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~54 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 82/63 F, wind 11 mph, rain 1%

Fair or better. A 11 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

When to come: the Stillwater 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
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 54 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 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 Stillwater River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 79 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 74 F, wind to 7 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 66 F, wind to 6 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 license. Standard stream limits: DCR watershed rules (no waders in some zones, seasonal closures near the basin) apply on the lower river. Check MassWildlife and DCR.

Access

Road crossings in Sterling (Route 12, Muddy Pond Road, Griffin Road) and DCR watershed gates toward the Stillwater Basin.

About this water

A small wild-and-stocked trout stream in Worcester County, Massachusetts, feeding the Stillwater Basin of Wachusett Reservoir.

Fishing Stillwater River: the full guide

A meadow stream with standards

The Stillwater gathers off the Wachusett Mountain foothills and winds through Sterling’s meadows and woodlots into the Stillwater Basin of Wachusett Reservoir. It is modest water: twenty feet wide, pool-riffle-pool: but it stays cold enough to hold wild brook trout in the upper reaches and browns through the middle river, supplemented by state stockings in spring. As a bonus, lake-run browns and landlocked salmon from Wachusett nose into the lower river in fall.

Small-water tactics

Fish it like the intimate stream it is: short rods, upstream dries and a soft step. Spring stockings (April-May) make the easy fishing around the Route 12 and Muddy Pond Road crossings; the wild fish live in the shaded bends and undercut meadows between. Hendricksons and caddis in May, terrestrials all summer where the meadow grass overhangs, and small streamers swung through the deeper bends for the fall movers.

The Wachusett connection

The lower river inside the DCR watershed lands runs under reservoir rules: it is the draw for anglers hunting something bigger, when Wachusett browns and salmon push upstream in October-November. Check the gauge: the river fishes best between 15 and 60 cfs; snowmelt and spring rain blow it out briefly, and August can pinch it thin: walk further upstream to the shaded water when it does.

Getting on it

Crossings at Route 12, Redemption Rock Trail, Muddy Pond Road and Griffin Road offer pulloff access in Sterling and Princeton, with DCR gates on the lower watershed reaches (walk-in only). It pairs naturally with a Wachusett shore day: reservoir mornings, river afternoons. Sterling center covers coffee and supplies.

Common questions

Does the Stillwater hold wild trout?

Yes: wild brookies in the cold upper water and wild browns through the middle reaches, alongside spring stockings near the road crossings.

When do lake fish run up?

Fall, with October the peak: browns and the occasional salmon from Wachusett stage in the lower pools. Respect DCR boundaries and closures.

Is it worth a trip on its own?

Pair it with Wachusett or the Quinapoxet: together they make one of central Massachusetts’ best wild-trout days.

Is fishing good at Stillwater 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

Webster Lake23 miQuabbin Reservoir28 miSwift River28 miMerrimack River31 miMansfield Hollow Lake48 miPawtuxet River48 mi
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