West River Fishing Guides
A small Blackstone Valley tailwater below West Hill Dam, stocked trout in spring and a mixed warmwater fishery through summer.
Guides on the West River
Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.
No guides listed yet
Guide or outfit this water? Create your profile. Listing is free, the commission is 10% or 7% with a premium profile, and premium profiles list first on this water.
About the West River
The West River is a modest tributary of the Blackstone, running through Uxbridge in south-central Massachusetts, and the reach below West Hill Dam is the part worth an angler’s time. The dam is a flood control structure built by the Army Corps of Engineers, which means it is normally a dry-bed project passing flow through rather than a storage reservoir, and the recreation area around it is open public land with a well-maintained trail system.
The water below the dam is small and easily waded, running over cobble and ledge with alder and maple crowding the banks. It has the character of a New England freestone stream with the flow smoothing that a control structure provides, which keeps it fishable through more of the season than an unregulated brook of the same size would be. Pools are short, pocket water is the norm, and a careful angler covers a lot of ground in a morning.
Trout are the spring draw. The state stocks brown and rainbow trout, and holdovers persist in the deeper shaded water through the year. Wild brook trout occur in the colder tributaries feeding the system. As the river warms through summer the warmwater community takes over: smallmouth and largemouth bass, chain pickerel in the slower flat water, bluegill and yellow perch, with fallfish and white sucker filling out the picture.
This is short-rod water. Overhanging cover rewards a roll cast and punishes a backcast, and the fish see enough pressure in the accessible stretches to justify walking past the first pool. The West Hill Recreation Area provides the most convenient parking and river access. The Blackstone Valley around it is densely settled, so this is convenient water rather than remote water, reachable on an evening after work. That accessibility is its real value, and the trail network makes it easy to cover several pools on foot.
This water needs a real photo
The photo at the top of this page is not West River.
It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.
Add a photo of this water
Landscape, not fish — the water itself. Reviewed by hand before it appears. The first one published here earns the Pioneer badge.
Fished this water? Add a photo
Reviewed by hand before it appears. Pick the water, not the spot — we never publish exact locations.
Access
West Hill Dam Recreation Area, Uxbridge - the main access with parking and trails.
Uxbridge town access points - road crossings on the lower river.
Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park - adjoining access to the larger system.
River Road crossings - informal walk-in access on the middle reach.
Upper West River above the dam - flat water and pond-like habitat.
Confluence with the Blackstone River - the downstream end of the fishable reach.
West Hill Park trail network - walking access along the river corridor.
Seasons
Spring: the best trout fishing of the year following stocking, with good flows.
Summer: warm and low, with trout holding in shaded pockets and bass and pickerel more reliable.
Fall: cooling water brings holdover trout back on the feed and the river fishes well.
Winter: cold and slow, with limited fishing and ice on the flatter water.
From the water
No logged trips yet. Be the first to put this water on your map.
Log this water
Fished it or cleaned it? Log in or create a free account to log a trip with photos and earn the waterway badge.
Questions
What is the current flow on the West River?
As of Sep 17, 4:30 am, the USGS gauge WEST RIVER BELOW WEST HILL DAM, NR UXBRIDGE, MA reads 1 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the West River?
Anglers target Bluegill, Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Chain Pickerel, Fallfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, White Sucker, Yellow Perch on the West River in Massachusetts.
Where can you access the West River?
West Hill Dam Recreation Area, Uxbridge - the main access with parking and trails. Uxbridge town access points - road crossings on the lower river. Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park - adjoining access to the larger system. River Road crossings - informal walk-in access on the middle reach. Upper West River above the dam - flat water and pond-like habitat. Confluence with the Blackstone River - the downstream end of the fishable reach. West Hill Park trail network - walking access along the river corridor.
When is the best time to fish the West River?
Spring: the best trout fishing of the year following stocking, with good flows. Summer: warm and low, with trout holding in shaded pockets and bass and pickerel more reliable. Fall: cooling water brings holdover trout back on the feed and the river fishes well. Winter: cold and slow, with limited fishing and ice on the flatter water.
Where are the fishing regulations for the West River?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Massachusetts agency site: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/freshwater-fishing-regulations