Swift River, Winsor Dam to Rte. 9
The rule for this water, with the receipt.
Special regulations for Swift River, Winsor Dam to Rte. 9, as the state words them
Hampshire County · River · MA
The rules for this water, verbatimOfficial text
Straight from MA's official regulations. Rules in force today lead; out-of-season rows are dimmed. Nothing is paraphrased. Not legal advice: verify the posted rules at the water.
- All fishGear only fly fishing is allowed
- All fishJuly 1-Dec 31Gear catch-and-release/artificial lures onlyFrom Rte.9 to Cady Lane, only catch-and-release/artificial lures are allowed from July 1-Dec 31, and fish harvest and bait are allowed Jan.1-June 3.
- All fishJan.1-June 3 (dates as written)Bait fish harvest and bait are allowedFrom Rte.9 to Cady Lane, fish harvest and bait are allowed Jan.1-June 3.
Statewide base layerParsed
These defaults apply where the rules above do not modify them.
- Season
- All Other Freshwater Species 9 Jan. 1 – Dec. 31Statewide
- Gear
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Bait
- fish harvest and bait are allowedThis water
- Poles
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
Where the verbatim rules above name a species, season, or limit, they replace the rows below. Each row is tagged with the layer it comes from.
| Species | Daily limit | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|
Landlocked Salmon | 2 | min. 15 | Statewide |
Chain Pickerel | 5 | min. 15 | Statewide |
Black Bass | 5 | min. 12 | Statewide |
Northern Pike | 1 | min. 28 | Statewide |
Tiger Muskellunge | 1 | min. 28 | Statewide |
Walleye | 5 | min. 14 | Statewide |
Smelt | — | - | Statewide |
All Other Freshwater Species | — | - | Statewide |
Frogs (except leopard frogs) | 10 | min. 2.5 inches or less snout to vent | Statewide |
Bullfrog, green frog | 12 | min. none | Statewide |
Snapping turtle | 2 | min. 12 in. | Statewide |
How this answer was assembled
- StatewideStatewide river rules are the base layer: default season, gear, bait, and limits.
- This waterSpecial rules written for this exact water replace the statewide defaults where they speak.
- Emergency orderEmergency orders in effect today override everything else. They sync quietly when the phone has coverage and never lock you out of the app.
Where this section begins and ends
The drawn shape is the named water, matched from the official list against OpenStreetMap and accepted only because the name resolved to a single feature in this water's county.
Different sections of this water can have different rules. The exact section boundaries are not marked on the map yet; each rule above describes in plain words where it starts and ends, and that written description is the authoritative boundary. Map boundaries come water by water, never as a guess.
Season at a glanceDerived
Sampled mid-month from the dated rows; short windows can slip between samples. The rows above are authoritative.
At the water nowContext
Streamflow: 126 cfs at swift river at west ware, ma (2026-10-13 07:15)
Forecast: National Weather Service. Flow: nearest active USGS gauge in this water's area, which may sit on a different reach. Conditions are context, not rules.
What are you fishing for here?Advice
Pick from the species named in Swift River, Winsor Dam to Rte. 9's rules. Setups are checked against the gear rules in force today, and your picks are remembered on this device only. These are rule-aware suggestions, not a claim about what is biting; advice, not law, and the rules above govern.
You also need (Massachusetts)
- Freshwater fishing license (age 15 and older). Anyone age 15 or older needs a license to fish fresh water. The license is free for Massachusetts residents 15 to 17 years old and for those 70 and over.
- Must be carried, expires Dec. 31. You have to have the license on you while fishing, either printed or on your phone, and show a clear image of it if asked. Licenses run out at the end of each calendar year.
Checked against MassWildlife (Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife), "Who needs a freshwater fishing license?", Mass.gov on Aug. 4, 2026.
Receipts
Local services near Swift River, Winsor Dam to Rte. 9
Tackle shops, guides, and boat launches that serve this water will appear here - a separate lane below the rules, so a local business can reach you without ever getting between you and the regulation.
Run a shop or guide service on Swift River, Winsor Dam to Rte. 9? Get listed.