Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winsor Memorial Park Winsor Dam, Belchertown | Park / conservation area | 42.29302, -72.34126 | Lookout and parking at the dam; the walk-in for the top of the river starts here. |
| 2 | Quabbin Spillway at Winsor Dam head of the Swift River | Dam / hazard | 42.28746, -72.33808 | OSM names this dam way Quabbin Spillway; it is the Winsor Dam structure that makes the river. Upstream limit of the state special regulation area on the Swift. |
| 3 | Winsor Dam Road bridge service road below the spillway | Bridge crossing | 42.28583, -72.33797 | First crossing below the dam. |
| 4 | Quabbin Visitor Center DCR Quabbin Administration Building | Agency / conservation office | 42.28006, -72.34783 | Watershed office and visitor centre. Quabbin gate and access rules are posted here and they change; read them before walking in. |
| 5 | Route 9 bridge segment boundary, Swift River special area | Regulation section limit | 42.27387, -72.33750 | The state splits its Swift River area at this crossing - Winsor Dam to the Route 9 bridge above it, the Route 9 bridge to Cady Lane below it. Boundary only; read the rules on the MassWildlife page. |
| 6 | Quabbin Reservoir Watershed DCR protected watershed | Park / conservation area | 42.27118, -72.35166 | Protected watershed land along the upper river; access is by the posted gate rules, not by general right. |
| 7 | USGS 01175500 - Swift River at West Ware river stage and discharge | USGS gauge | 42.26787, -72.33258 | The gauge this page reads from, just below the Route 9 bridge. Quabbin releases set the flow here, not rainfall. |
| 8 | Herman Covey Wildlife Management Area MassWildlife, open access | Park / conservation area | 42.25967, -72.33728 | The main block of public land on the middle river, reached off Cold Spring Street. |
| 9 | Swift River Launch slipway off Cold Spring Street | Access / boat ramp | 42.24272, -72.33517 | The only launch tagged on the whole river. The Cold Spring Street and Old Belchertown Road bridges cross 60 m away on the same span line. |
| 10 | Textile Printing Company Upper Dam Bondsville | Dam / hazard | 42.21912, -72.34074 | First of the two Bondsville mill dams. An unnamed dam way sits 800 m below it; it is not shipped, because an unnamed hazard is not a point. |
| 11 | Depot Street bridge MA 181, Bondsville | Bridge crossing | 42.21364, -72.34567 | |
| 12 | Bondsville Lower Dam Bondsville | Dam / hazard | 42.21134, -72.34629 | Lowest dam above the Chicopee confluence. The State Street and River Street bridges cross 60 m below it. |
Gauge: USGS 01175500 — SWIFT RIVER AT WEST WARE, MA. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Landlocked Atlantic Salmon, Rainbow Trout
Regulations: www.mass.gov/freshwater-fishing-regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Winsor Dam and the Y Pool: the top of the river and its most famous water.
Catch-and-release section below the dam: the primary fly-fishing reach.
Route 9 bridge: parking and access at the middle of the river.
Cady Lane: walk-in access to the lower catch-and-release water.
Bondsville: the lower river, warmer and less pressured.
Quabbin Reservoir: the source, with its own separate fishery and rules.
Ware: the bottom end near the Ware River confluence.
Open year-round and fishes in every month, including deep winter.
March through May: the most comfortable conditions and good midge and olive activity.
June through September: cold releases keep it fishing while the region bakes; low clear water, long leaders.
October through February: the classic Swift season, technical sight fishing and few anglers on cold days.