Fly Fishing Report on the Swift River Massachusetts: April 19, 2024
Flows are 547 cfs at 4.38 or still blown out. Hopefully, it will fall back down soon. Very good hatches are taking place. Our Light Green and red (blood) midge larva and pupa flies pre-rigged in tandem are very popular here. Little Brown stoneflies and Little Black Caddis are also hatching.
Shoot us an email for a complete fly list of hatches and Perfect Flies to imitate them. Our double nymph rigs and dropper rigs are work good here. https://perfectflystore.com/product-category/flies/perfect-fly-trout-flies/pre-rigged-flies/
We also have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes. They make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery: We can get flies to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Please see the bottom of this column for ordering options.
Type of Stream
Tailwater
Species
Brown Trout (wild and stocked with
holdovers)
Rainbow (wild and stocked with
holdovers)
Brook trout (wild)
Size
Medium
Location
Western Massachusetts
Nearest Towns
Palmer
Season
Year-round
Access:
Good
Non-Resident License
State of Massachusetts
Fishing License Article – Everything you need to know: Click Here
Weather
National Weather Service Link
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
4, 5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 to 12 ft., 5 or 6X Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Supreme Four, Superb Five
or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 4/5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery:
Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
Copyright 2013 James Marsh
Fly Fishing The Swift River In Massachusetts
The Swift River in Massachusetts is one of the only true tailwaters in the state in the sense that the water comes from the cold deep, depths of a lake or reservoir. It is discharged from water that is seventy feet deep and therefore, stays cold year-round. You can fish the Swift River successfully in the hot Summer or cold Winter. The river contains wild, stream-born trout as well as stocked trout.
From Quabbin Reservoir downstream, the Swift River is only seven miles in length but trout fishing is excellent the entire way. In fact some of these trout are as far down as the Chicopee River at the Swift Rivers confluence with it.
There’s a three mile long catch and release section that extends downstream from the dam. The first mile below the dam, downstream to the state highway 9 Bridge, is fly fishing only. There are other special regulations subject to change, so make sure you check on them before fishing. Fly fishing the Swift River in this section is usually provides a good catch.
The stream backs up slightly in the Blondsville section of Palmer. Two dams slow down its flow but the water still remains cold and clear enough to support trout. The water below these dams isn’t fished as much as it is just below Quabbin Reservoir. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a good number of trout because it has plenty. It’s just largely overlooked by most anglers. This leads to overcrowding of the upper section of the stream at peak
season times.
There’s excellent access along the upper section down to Blondsville. A grid of public property follow the river its entire length. There an unpaved road that follows much of the river below the Blondsville dams that provides access..
The Swift River has one tributary worth fishing. The Jabish Brook The stream flows from Pelham for twelve miles to its confluence with the Swift. Access is provided along state road 181 and U. S. Highway #202. It has a good population of brook trout that are stream-born as well as trout that are stocked by the state.
The Swift River does have a good population of aquatic insects for a tailwater. The great majority in terms of numbers are probably midges but there are many more. Most of the midges are cream and red, or blood midges. Several species of Blue-winged Olives are present with Spring and early Summer hatches and early Fall hatches. Several species of caddisflies are present. The majority are Cinnamon Sedges and Little Sister Caddis but there are others. Sculpins are by far the most important fish species for the trout to eat.
Make sure you have a good Sculpin streamer like our Perfect Fly Brown Sculpin. There are also some terrestrial insects, mostly hoppers, ants and beetles.