On The Water Logo

Road Trip: Swift River Belchertown, MA

By Andy Nabreski

Variety is the spice of life, and when it comes to fishing, I especially like to mix things up. I enjoy fishing for just about anything, and recently I’ve discovered a newfound fascination with fly fishing… and I have a lot to learn.

I got an invite last week to join Craig Jones on a fly-fishing adventure to the Swift River. Craig’s been fishing the river for decades, and knows it like the back of his hand. I recently was given a 4-weight fly rod as a gift, and this would be the perfect trip to break it in.

Windsor Dam. The Swift river originates at the Quabbin Reservoir, which is a massive and deep body of the water. The river originates from the base of this massive dam. The water drains in at the bottom of the reservoir, which provides a steady supply of cold water to the river year round, with seasonal water temperatures ranging from 37 to 61 degrees. This cool water source keeps the river chilled in the summer and warm in the winter, which creates ideal trout habitat.

After a short 5-minute walk in from the parking area, we arrived at the Y-pool. The upper region of the river is fly-fishing only, no bait allowed, and 100% catch & release. As I entered the river, I nearly stepped on a 16-inch rainbow trout at the edge of the bank. As I looked around, I was amazed. Big fat trout… everywhere. Dozens of them scurried out of the way as we worked upstream. The adrenaline began to surge, and I tied on a fly as fast as I could. I would soon find out, however, that these fish are well educated, and just because you see a lot of them, it doesn’t mean you’ll catch a lot of them.

If you’re looking for complete solitude, the Swift river might not be for you. The river gets quite a bit of fishing pressure, and even mid-week we were greeted by a small crowd. These anglers are all here for good reason however, this place is filthy with trout.

My friend Ian Campbell joined us on the trip. Like myself, Ian recently got a new freshwater fly rod, and this was his first go with it. He was the first one to hook up, after getting a hot tip from a nearby angler that they were hitting grasshopper patterns. This was his first trout on the fly rod, a nice 16-inch rainbow.

This river is absolutely loaded with big trout, but catching them in the middle of a hot and sunny summer day is no easy feet for a beginner flycaster. It seemed that each cast would pass over at least several fish. I got a lot of looks, but not a lot of takers. After rifling through half the dry flies in my box, I finally picked out a large foam bee pattern. When all else fails, go big and loud. On the second cast this respectable rainbow thought it was real, and I had my first fish in the net. Unfortunately, the fly was destroyed by this fish, so I began another parade through the fly box.

As the sun went down below the tree-line, the activity picked up, and the trout soon began rising towards the surface.

As the fish became more active, it didn’t take long for Craig to hook up with a nice rainbow.

Craig likes to use a tandem fly rig with a tiny emerger pattern fished behind a dry fly.

A gaggle of geese nervously passes us on their way upriver. There was no shortage of scenery or wildlife along the river.

Overall this was a great day trip and a fun mid-summer diversion. Sight-fishing for trout in rivers and streams is a challenge and can be addictive.  Most states in the Northeast offer trout areas for fly-fishing and catch-and-release-only. It was remarkable to see the benefit these regulations have had on this stretch of river. As much as I wished I had a box of nightcrawlers, I learned a lot about fly-fishing on this trip, and can’t wait to get back out there.

7 responses to “Road Trip: Swift River Belchertown, MA”

  1. Jamie G

    Great write-up, Andy!

  2. Bruce Davis

    That beautiful habitat is endangered by the potential demolition of a downstream dam save the dam people need monies to preserve the swift as it is. they need support please check into this it would be a shame to loose this habitat that supports many species

  3. Mid-Winter Sight Fishing

    […] Massachusetts, and got to experience one of the coolest trout fisheries in Massachusetts (check out his report). When he described the crystal clear water, plentiful trout and beautiful surroundings, I […]

  4. dan strawn

    I’m planning on fishing the Swift River in the week of 6/11/14 .any suggestions on where to fish and with what ? Any advise would be helpful . tight lines!

  5. David Best

    Back in he late 50’s to early 60’s, I was stationed at Westover, AFB, and lived in Ludlow. I regularly fished the Swift River, and some of its tributaries, such as the Jabesh Brook. I found fishing there very profitable. Very enjoyable Memories – I caught brookies, browns, and rainbows.
    Once, when it got hot, I got in the shade on the bank to cool off. Looking downstream, I saw a fly fisherman working his way upstream, seeming to be having no success. Then a hatch of flying insects broke out over the water. I watched the man down stream reach out, grab one of the insects, and examine it. Staying right where he was in the river, he pulled out an Xacto knife handle, stuck the blunt end into a hole in a block of wood, attached to his belt. He then took out a hook, placed it in the blade end of the knife handle and tightened its vice mechanism. He swiftly tied a fly that presumably matched the hatch. He then cast into the dimples of the feeding fish, catching six, nice, 12-inch rainbows. Feeding stopped as quickly as it had started. It was a great lesson.

  6. Philippe Muller

    Believe it or not I caught a pickerel at the Y pool. I had no idea they are in the river.

  7. Eric

    If a person really thinks about something and focuses on it you can understand. Water runs down hill. The beaver slows it.Happy new year from the beavers California’s, you removed us from the water ways now you PAY.If a person really thinks about something and focuses on it you can understand. Water runs down hill. The beaver slows it.

Leave a Reply

Local Businesses & Captains

Share to...
BlueskyBufferChatGPTCopyFlipboardGrokHacker NewsLineLinkedInMastodonMessengerMixNextdoorPerplexityPinterestPrintRedditSMSTelegramThreadsTumblrVKWhatsAppXingYummly