Brown troutBrown, rainbow and brook troutFish on your own. Guide prices are optional; check licence, permit and access requirements before going.
JFMAMJJASOND
- Guide, per angler
- $225–263
- Public access
- Good
- Crowding
- Medium
Swift River
Belchertown and Ware, Massachusetts · USA
Right now
Loading current conditions…
Flow, last 7 days (cfs)Normal range for these dates
Dam-controlled river. Flow here follows releases upstream, so it can change within hours. Check the release schedule before you drive.
Weather forecast
Forecast data loads here when available. Official weather source ↗
Day ratings weigh rain first (it raises and colors the river), then wind.
Flow: USGS Swift River at West Ware. Recent readings are provisional. Normal range: the middle half of past flows for these dates. Forecast: National Weather Service.
Recent changes
All changes →When to go
JFMAMJJASOND
Apr–Jun and Sep–Nov; tailwater fishes all year Wrong?
The water
Cold releases from Quabbin Reservoir keep the river fishable all year, and the stretch from Winsor Dam to Route 9 is catch-and-release, fly-fishing only. It is small, clear water with heavy pressure, so the trout see a lot of flies.
- Target species
- Stocked rainbows and browns, wild brook trout
- Trip style
- DIY-friendly
- Access
- Wade Wrong?
- Public access
- Good Wrong?
- Crowding
- High Wrong?
- Difficulty
- Advanced Wrong?
- License and rules
- Fishing licenseRegulationsWrong?
What a trip costs
You came from a self-guided day-trip search. The calculator starts with one fishing day and no guide. Licence, permit, travel and any other costs still apply.
Flies by month
May
- Sulphur #16
- March Brown #10–12
- Gray Caddis #12–16
- Little Black Caddis #18–22
- Blue Quill #16
June
- Sulphur dun / Parachute Sulphur #14–18
- Light Cahill #14–18
- Tan Elk Hair Caddis #12–16
- Parachute Adams #18–26
- Soft hackle (olive, Hare's Ear, Pheasant Tail) #16–20
September
- Sparkle Dun
- PMD Thorax
- Dave's Cricket
- Lightning Bug nymph
- Terrestrials #6–18
October
- Blue-Winged Olive
- Midges
- Late-season terrestrials
- Small flashy nymphs
Source notes
April and November are left out: the only support is Big Y's chart, which lists just midges (#18–22) and Little Black Caddis for those months. The June report is from 2016.
From local shops and guides: bigyflyco.com · deerfieldflyshop.com · fishingreports.orvis.com · bearsden.com. Ask the nearest shop what's working this week.
What to bring
- Rod
- 9 ft 5 wt
- Line
- WF floating
- Leader and tippet
- Long leader, light tippet (small flies are key)
- Wading
- Waders; studded boots
- Also pack
- Tiny flies
From fishingreports.orvis.com, orvis.com. Guides usually supply rods and flies on a guided day; ask when you book.
Guides and fly shops
- tempcoflyfishing.com · guide rates
- Big Y Fly Co · hatch chart or reports
- Deerfield Fly Shop · hatch chart or reports
- bearsden.com · hatch chart or reports
These are the businesses this page's prices and fly lists come from. A listing isn't an endorsement, and nobody pays to be here.
Getting there
Getting there
Fly into BDL Hartford, then 1 hr. About 37 miles (59 km) by road.
Open in Google Maps · Directions from BDL
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Driving from Hartford about 1 hr 20 min, Providence about 1 hr 50 min, Boston about 1 hr 50 min, New Haven about 2 hr.
More sources
mass.govSomething out of date?
Rates, seasons and access change. Tell us what's wrong and, if you can, where you saw it.
More trout rivers
Brown troutBrown, rainbow and brook trout
Rainbow troutStocked rainbows, browns and brook trout; some wild brook and brown troutFish on your own. Guide prices are optional; check licence, permit and access requirements before going.
JFMAMJJASOND
- Guide, per angler
- $225
- Public access
- Good
- Crowding
- Medium
The posted rate is one shop's New Jersey wade rate; it doesn't name the Flat Brook
Brown troutWild brown trout, rainbows, brook troutFish on your own. Guide prices are optional; check licence, permit and access requirements before going.
JFMAMJJASOND
- Guide, per angler
- $250
- Public access
- Good
- Crowding
- Medium