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Swift River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Swift River below Quabbin: a 5.5-mile tailwater with year-round catch-and-release water above Route 9 and wild brook trout under study.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
38 cfs
Air / High
57 / 57 F
Wind
N 7 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01175500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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.

Swift River asks for patience today: short windows, precise presentations. The river is running 38 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind N around 7 mph, rising pressure near 1027 hPa and a high of 57. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:22 AM-11:22 AM and 9:52 PM-11:52 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown troutExcellent

Below 50°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Brook troutExcellent

Below 50°F is the fall spawning band (40-50°F in Vermont), so stay off spawning gravel. In winter Maine IFW finds pond fish close to shore in 4 to 12 feet of water under the ice.

Landlocked salmonGood

Right after ice-out salmon are near the surface; through the ice, Maine IFW advises fishing the first 15 feet below it. Wild fish spawn in tributaries from mid-October to late November.

Tomorrow: Similar at 59 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Swift River at West Ware.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01175500.

538311238 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 114 years of October 23

At 38 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 01175500 (Swift River at West Ware) is at the 18th percentile for the date: below normal. In half of the 114 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 64 cfs; the highest was 536 cfs and the lowest 23 cfs.

p10 33median 64p90 161

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 01175500; 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 temp57 F
High / Low57 / 37 F
WindN 7-12 mph
Pressure1027.4 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:11 / 17:55
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~47 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 Swift River this week

The best day on Swift River this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 2 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Tough

Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Solunar majors
9:22 AM-11:22 AM and 9:52 PM-11:52 PM
Minor period
3:44 AM-4:44 AM
Sun
07:11 to 17:55
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Clear, 10 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

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

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Below 50°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Brook trout illustration

Brook trout

Spring and fall in ponds and lakes, when fish come shallow; summer in the coldest headwater streams

The brook trout is a char native to eastern North America, a fish of cold, clean streams and ponds, and the state fish of Michigan. Below 50°F is the fall spawning band (40-50°F in Vermont), so stay off spawning gravel. In winter Maine IFW finds pond fish close to shore in 4 to 12 feet of water under the ice.

Landlocked salmon illustration

Landlocked salmon

Spring and fall near the surface, deep in summer, and under the ice in winter

Landlocked salmon are Atlantic salmon that complete their whole life in fresh water, feeding mainly on rainbow smelt in cold lakes of Maine and the Northeast. Right after ice-out salmon are near the surface; through the ice, Maine IFW advises fishing the first 15 feet below it. Wild fish spawn in tributaries from mid-October to late November.

When to come: the Swift 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
Brook trout
Landlocked salmon
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 47 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~47 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 Swift River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 65 F, wind to 13 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 60 F, wind to 10 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 67 F, wind to 12 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

A Massachusetts fishing license is required. MassWildlife special regulations: from Winsor Dam to Route 9 only fly fishing is allowed, and the reach is one of the state's catch-and-release areas (artificial lures only, no bait in possession). From Route 9 to Cady Lane it is catch and release with artificial lures only from July 1 to Dec. 31, with harvest and bait allowed in the first half of the year. Statewide trout limit: 6 a day, no more than 3 brook, brown or tiger trout. Landlocked salmon may be kept on the Swift below Quabbin, one of the few waters where MassWildlife allows it.

Access

MassWildlife publishes a Swift River map for the regulated water from Winsor Dam to Cady Lane; Route 9 crosses the river and marks the change in rules.

About this water

The cold tailwater of Quabbin Reservoir in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, running about 5.5 miles from Winsor Dam toward Bondsville.

Fishing Swift River: the full guide

A tailwater fed from deep in Quabbin

MassWildlife describes the Swift River as fed by cold, clean water from deep within Quabbin Reservoir, with conditions that support wild and stocked trout all year. Its studies cover the 5.5-mile tailwater from Winsor Dam down to near the first Bondsville dam. MassWildlife calls it one of the most popular trout destinations in the state.

Stocked rainbows and browns

MassWildlife's 2021 mark-recapture study tracked rainbow trout stocked from March to June and in October, and brown trout stocked in May. Unusually, the Swift also gets a summer stocking of rainbows. About half the stocked rainbows and a third of the browns could not be found a week after stocking, and by early 2022 only 14% of 3,326 rainbows and 32% of 619 browns were accounted for; the agency has not yet determined why.

Wild brook trout research

Since summer 2023 MassWildlife has run a large study of the river's wild brook trout, with antenna stations along the river reading internal tags in marked fish. Tagged brook trout are safe to eat; the tag comes out when the fish is cleaned.

Flows

The USGS gauge Swift River at West Ware (01175500) reports live flow on this reach.

Common questions

Why does the Swift hold trout all year?

Water released from deep in Quabbin keeps it cold and clean, which MassWildlife says supports wild and stocked trout throughout the year.

Can I keep trout?

Not between Winsor Dam and Route 9. From Route 9 to Cady Lane, only in the first half of the year (catch and release from July 1); below Cady Lane the statewide limit applies.

Is it fly fishing only?

Only from Winsor Dam to Route 9. Below Route 9, artificial lures are allowed, and bait is legal there in the first half of the year.

Is fishing good at Swift 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

Quabbin Reservoir5 miWestfield River22 miStillwater River28 miWebster Lake29 miWachusett Reservoir31 miCoventry Lake35 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 01175500 — Swift River at West Ware
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:15 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 42.2800, -72.3300 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 6, 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 6, 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.