Stillwater River - Sterling
Fishing, stocking, and current conditions
Rainbow trout, brook trout, and brown trout water, stocked 4 times in 2026, spread April to May, heaviest in April. A USGS gauge reports from this water, so the conditions card on this page is live, water temperature included.
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
Brook trout
Stocking record 2026
Agency feed checked today.
| Date | Species | Size | Fish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3 | Rainbow trout | completed | ||
| Apr 30 | Rainbow trout | completed | ||
| Apr 30 | Brown trout | completed | ||
| May 13 | Brook trout | completed |
When to fish Stillwater River - Sterling
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 9:23-11:23 am and 9:46-11:46 pm | 3:39-4:39 am and 3:56-4:56 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:09 am-12:09 pm and 10:33 pm-12:33 am | 4:49-5:49 am and 4:18-5:18 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 13
- Water 48 °F
- Flow near normal for the season
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 2 times here in 2026, moving water)
| Drifted bait | single salmon egg or half a crawler under light split shot, rolled along the bottom |
| 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 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| West Waushacum Pond - Sterling | 2.5 mi | Apr 14 |
| Wachusett Reservoir - Boylston | 2.9 mi | Apr 3 |
| Wachusett Reservoir - West Boylston | 2.9 mi | Apr 3 |
| Mossy Pond - Clinton | 5.3 mi | May 1 |
| Lancaster Millpond - Clinton | 7.0 mi | Apr 9 |
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