Charles River - Needham
Fishing, stocking, and current conditions
Brown trout and rainbow trout water, stocked 2 times in 2026, spread April to May. A USGS gauge reports from this water, so the conditions card on this page is live.
Massachusetts · see it on the national map
The year here
stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details
What swims here
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
Stocking record 2026
Agency feed checked today.
| Date | Species | Size | Fish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7 | Rainbow trout | completed | ||
| May 12 | Brown trout | completed |
When to fish Charles River - Needham
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 9:20-11:20 am and 9:43-11:43 pm | 3:36-4:36 am and 3:53-4:53 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:06 am-12:06 pm and 10:30 pm-12:30 am | 4:46-5:46 am and 4:15-5:15 pm |
Moon: waxing gibbous, 92% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Eastern Time (EDT).
What the record actually says
- Last stocked May 12
Computed this evening, Oct 23 · Massachusetts fishing forecast
Gear for this water
It has been a while since the trucks came. The holdovers have spread out and wised up; downsize and fish natural.
For the trout (rainbow trout stocked 1 time here in 2026, moving water)
| Small jerkbaits | floating minnows in the 2 to 3 inch class for the deeper bends |
| Waders or wet-wading boots | stocked stream fish stack in the obvious pools; getting to the next one is the edge |
| Light spinning rod | 5 to 6.5 ft light or ultralight; short rods cast under branches |
Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.
Nearby stocked waters
The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.
| Water | Distance | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| Jamaica Pond - Boston | 5.2 mi | Oct 1 |
| Brookline Reservoir - Brookline | 5.4 mi | Apr 23 |
| Spot Pond - Stoneham | 6.3 mi | Apr 15 |
| Griswold Pond - Saugus | 7.4 mi | Apr 15 |
| Turners Pond - Milton | 7.7 mi | Apr 30 |
Follow Massachusetts stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule