Swift River (Belchertown and Ware)

The Swift River flows out of Quabbin Reservoir at Winsor Dam in Belchertown, and its first few miles are special-regulation trout water. The stretch from the dam down to Route 9 is fly fishing only and catch and release, open all year, and MassWildlife lists the Swift as a best bet for trophy brook, brown and rainbow trout. Below Route 9, the rules loosen and the river is stocked every spring and fall.

When to fish

• All year: the fly-fishing section below Winsor Dam never closes.
• Spring and fall: MassWildlife stocks the river in Belchertown, Ware and Palmer.
• July through December: the stretch from Route 9 to Cady Lane switches to catch and release with artificial lures only. In the first half of the year you can keep trout and use bait there.

Where to fish

• Winsor Dam to Route 9: fly fishing only, catch and release. DCR bars everyone from a posted zone around the power station at the dam.
• Route 9 to Cady Lane: the seasonal catch-and-release section.
• Below Cady Lane to the Ware River: stocked water under the state's major-river trout rules.

How to fish it

In the catch-and-release water, MassWildlife asks anglers to set the hook quickly so fish don't swallow it, land them fast with a net, wet your hands before handling them, and hold a tired fish upright in the current until it swims off.

Getting there

The river runs south from Winsor Dam in Belchertown and crosses Route 9. DCR allows night fishing without a permit on the stretch from the dam to Route 9. You need a Massachusetts freshwater fishing license, and small lead sinkers and lead jigs are banned in fresh water.