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Westfield River Fishing Report

Updated Mon, Sep 14, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

A Wild and Scenic western Massachusetts river: the Westfield runs trout through the Berkshire hills.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
809 cfs
Air / High
67 / 69 F
Wind
NW 11 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01183500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Monday
14
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.

Westfield River rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The river is running 809 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind NW around 11 mph, rising pressure near 1016 hPa and a high of 69. Water sits around 54 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing crescent, the solunar majors run 1:11 AM-3:11 AM and 1:11 PM-3:11 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: Similar at 67 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Tue, Sep 15, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from WESTFIELD RIVER NEAR WESTFIELD, MA.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01183500.

253472691809 cfs08/1508/2509/0409/14

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp67 F
High / Low69 / 55 F
WindNW 11-21 mph
Pressure1016.1 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain2% cloud, 23%
Sunrise / Sunset06:29 / 19:01
MoonWaxing Crescent, 8%
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.

Mon Sep 14 · Showers, 69/55 F, wind 12 mph, rain 23%

Fair or better. A 12 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Westfield 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 Westfield 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 Westfield River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Sun, Sep 13

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 71 F, wind to 8 mph.

Sat, Sep 12

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 77 F, wind to 8 mph.

Fri, Sep 11

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 76 F, wind to 10 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

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. Catch-and-release and special regulation sections apply on parts of the system: check current MassWildlife rules.

Access

Chesterfield Gorge, Route 112 and Route 20 corridors, and state and town access points on the branches.

About this water

A Wild and Scenic river system draining the eastern Berkshires to the Connecticut River, western Massachusetts.

Fishing Westfield River: the full guide

Three branches out of the hills

The Westfield River drains the eastern Berkshires through its East, Middle and West branches before running to the Connecticut River at Agawam. Much of the upper system carries federal Wild and Scenic designation, and it is western Massachusetts’ premier trout river, holding wild brook and brown trout in the branches and stocked fish through the main stem.

Trout in the branches

The East Branch through the Chesterfield Gorge and the Middle and West branches hold the best water: pocket water, plunge pools and long runs in a forested corridor. Dry-dropper rigs, nymphs and small streamers all produce. Catch-and-release sections apply on parts of the system and offer the best fishing.

The main stem and the seasons

Below the confluence the main stem is stocked heavily and fishes well in spring and fall, warming through midsummer when the branches stay cooler. Spring runoff can be heavy in this steep drainage; late summer often drops the branches low and clear, calling for careful approaches and lighter tippet.

Hampshire and Hampden county logistics

Access is via the Chesterfield Gorge reservation, Route 112 and Route 20 corridors, and numerous state and town access points, with the Knightville and Littleville flood-control areas providing more water. Westfield and Northampton are the base towns. Check the Westfield gauge before committing to a wading day.

Common questions

Where is the best trout water?

The East, Middle and West branches, particularly the East Branch through Chesterfield Gorge.

Are there wild fish?

Yes: wild brook and brown trout hold the branches, alongside stocked fish in the main stem.

When does it fish best?

Spring after runoff drops and again in fall; the branches stay cooler through midsummer than the main stem.

Is fishing good at Westfield 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

Farmington River17 miSwift River22 miHighland Lake24 miQuabbin Reservoir25 miCoventry Lake30 miNaugatuck River35 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 01183500 — WESTFIELD RIVER NEAR WESTFIELD, MA
Read from waterservices.usgs.gov/nwis/iv. Latest value timestamped 2026-09-14 at 10:15 station time.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 42.1068, -72.6990 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.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Written and reviewed by a person against the sources above. Errors are published in the verification log, not quietly corrected.

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.

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