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Wachusett Reservoir Fishing Report

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

Shore fishing only on a 4,041-acre drinking-water reservoir with lake trout, landlocked salmon and smallmouth bass.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~44 F est.
Air / High
42 / 52 F
Wind
W 7 mph

Sources: 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.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Wachusett Reservoir fishes cold and honest: earn your bites in the deep stuff. Today brings cloud cover, wind W around 7 mph, rising pressure near 1005 hPa and a high of 52. Water sits around 44 F for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:11 PM-1:11 AM and 10:47 AM-12:47 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Lake troutGood

Winter: Vermont says most of its lake trout fishing is done through the ice, and Michigan anglers jig spoons tipped with cut bait in deep Great Lakes bays.

CrappieGood

Bites slow; a minnow or small jig fished slowly near deeper cover is the usual approach, and through the ice where lakes freeze.

Yellow perchGood

Ice season. Perch stay active under the ice in both shallow and deeper water, so small jigs or spoons tipped with live bait over known winter areas are the usual approach.

Rainbow troutGood

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.

Smallmouth bassFair

Fish hold in slower, deeper water; fish slowly and expect fewer bites until spring warming.

Largemouth bassFair

Below about 50Β°F feeding slows sharply, Iowa DNR notes; use small, slow baits near deep cover and fish the warmest part of the day.

Landlocked salmonSlow

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 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.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovNov, ~44 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp42 F
High / Low52 / 39 F
WindW 7-15 mph
Pressure1004.6 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain82% cloud, 14%
Sunrise / Sunset06:30 / 16:30
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~44 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Wachusett Reservoir this week

The best day on Wachusett Reservoir this week looks like Thursday Nov 12, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Thursday, Nov 12 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Nov 9 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
11:11 PM-1:11 AM and 10:47 AM-12:47 PM
Minor period
6:42 AM-7:42 AM
Sun
06:30 to 16:30
Moon
New Moon, 0% lit
Sky and wind
Showers, 11 mph
Rain chance
14%

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

Species guide

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

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.

Lake trout illustration

Lake trout

Spring and fall in shallow water, deep in summer, and through the ice in winter

Lake trout are slow-growing chars of large, deep, cold lakes, native from Alaska and northern Canada to New England and the Great Lakes, and introduced in many western lakes. Winter: Vermont says most of its lake trout fishing is done through the ice, and Michigan anglers jig spoons tipped with cut bait in deep Great Lakes bays.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Fish hold in slower, deeper water; fish slowly and expect fewer bites until spring warming.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. Below about 50Β°F feeding slows sharply, Iowa DNR notes; use small, slow baits near deep cover and fish the warmest part of the day.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Bites slow; a minnow or small jig fished slowly near deeper cover is the usual approach, and through the ice where lakes freeze.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Caught all year, including under the ice through winter

Yellow perch are schooling panfish of the Great Lakes and northern lakes, and Michigan DNR calls them the game fish most often caught in that state. Ice season. Perch stay active under the ice in both shallow and deeper water, so small jigs or spoons tipped with live bait over known winter areas are the usual approach.

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.

When to come: the Wachusett Reservoir 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
Landlocked salmon
Lake trout
Smallmouth bass
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Yellow perch
Rainbow trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 44 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovNov, ~44 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 Wachusett Reservoir 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. Lake trout led the card at good. High of 54 F, wind to 15 mph.

Sat, Nov 7

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Lake trout led the card at good. High of 61 F, wind to 11 mph.

Fri, Nov 6

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Lake trout led the card at good. High of 67 F, wind to 9 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

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 fishing license at 15 and older. Shore only, first Saturday in April to December 31, one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset; no boats or bodily contact with the water. DCR watershed violations carry fines up to $50,000 and can cost fishing privileges. Check MassWildlife's regulations for limits.

Access

Designated gates on Routes 70, 140 and 12/110 and the West Boylston basins; DCR's interactive public access map shows parking and trails. Temporary restrooms at the Oakdale Rail-Trail, Old Stone Church, Gate 22 and Gate 36.

About this water

A 4,041-acre Nashua River reservoir in Boylston, Clinton, Sterling and West Boylston, Worcester County, Massachusetts.

Fishing Wachusett Reservoir: the full guide

A protected water supply

Wachusett Reservoir is a 4,041-acre impoundment of the Nashua River in Boylston, Clinton, Sterling and West Boylston, linked by the Quabbin Aqueduct to Quabbin Reservoir 40 miles west. DCR manages it as part of the drinking-water system for 2.7 million Massachusetts residents, so boating, swimming and any bodily contact with the water are prohibited, as are pets, alcohol, fires and magnet fishing.

Season and gates

Shore fishing runs from the first Saturday in April, ice permitting, to December 31, from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. DCR opens Route 70 Gates 6 to 17A, Route 140 Gates 17 to 23, Route 12/110 Gates 25 to 35, and the Thomas, Oakdale and Stillwater basins in West Boylston. MassWildlife points to Gate 14 at the end of Scar Hill Road, Gates 6 and 8 on Route 70, Gates 35 and 36 on Route 110, Gate WB 12 at the Old Stone Church and Gate 25 on Route 12; fishing is not allowed on the north dike.

Lake trout, salmon and smallmouth

MassWildlife calls Wachusett one of two Massachusetts waters with naturally reproducing lake trout and landlocked salmon, and it stocks trout each spring. Trout, salmon and lake trout cruise the shallows after smelt in spring, then drop deep as the water warms, when smallmouth bass and white perch take over; black crappie grow large but are scarce. The agency is candid that catch rates are on the low side for the state.

Before you eat the catch

DCR and the Department of Public Health advise limiting or avoiding some Wachusett species because of mercury; DCR says the drinking water itself is not affected. DCR studies the fishery with MassWildlife, including a creel survey in 2022.

Common questions

Can I fish from a boat or wade?

Not on the reservoir. DCR allows waders only on the Stillwater River above its confluence with Waushacum Brook and on the Quinapoxet about 200 feet above the Oakdale Power Station; small boats with electric motors are allowed on West Waushacum Pond, the Quag and Muddy Pond in Sterling.

When is the season?

From the first Saturday in April, if the ice is out, through December 31, from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset.

What fish are in the reservoir?

MassWildlife surveys list lake trout, landlocked salmon, smallmouth and largemouth bass, white and yellow perch, chain pickerel, black crappie, rainbow smelt and several sunfish, and trout are stocked each spring.

Is fishing good at Wachusett Reservoir right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Stillwater River3 miWebster Lake24 miCharles River25 miMerrimack River29 miQuabbin Reservoir31 miSwift River31 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 42.3800, -71.7300 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 5, 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 5, 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.