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Westfield River Fishing Report

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

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

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
384 cfs
Air / High
43 / 54 F
Wind
SW 5 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01183500, 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.

Westfield River fishes cold and honest: earn your bites in the deep stuff. The river is running 384 cfs, on the rise. Today brings cloud cover, wind SW around 5 mph, rising pressure near 1006 hPa and a high of 54. Water sits around 41 F for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:15 PM-1:15 AM and 10:51 AM-12:51 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

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.

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.

Tomorrow: Similar at 54 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Tue, Nov 10, 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.

345587828384 cfs10/1010/2010/3011/09

Today’s flow against 112 years of November 9

At 384 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 01183500 (WESTFIELD RIVER NEAR WESTFIELD, MA) is at the 38th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 112 years of approved record the daily mean on November 9 was below 491 cfs; the highest was 6,240 cfs and the lowest 82 cfs.

p10 167median 491p90 2,287

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 01183500; 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 / Low54 / 41 F
WindSW 5-8 mph
Pressure1005.9 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain92% cloud, 15%
Sunrise / Sunset06:33 / 16:35
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~41 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 Westfield River this week

The best day on Westfield River this week looks like Saturday Nov 14, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

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

Today, Nov 9 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
11:15 PM-1:15 AM and 10:51 AM-12:51 PM
Minor period
6:45 AM-7:45 AM
Sun
06:33 to 16:35
Moon
New Moon, 0% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 14 mph
Rain chance
15%

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

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

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.

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 41 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovNov, ~41 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, Nov 8

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Brown trout led the card at excellent. High of 57 F, wind to 20 mph.

Sat, Nov 7

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Brown trout led the card at excellent. High of 61 F, wind to 13 mph.

Fri, Nov 6

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Brown trout led the card at excellent. High of 66 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 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: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

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 the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-11-09 at 11:15 UTC.
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
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written guide was drafted with AI assistance. Unlike our newer pages, it does not yet list the official pages its facts were checked against: that audit is under way, and anything it cannot verify will be 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.