Barwon River at Walgett Fishing Report
Updated Fri, 25 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Barwon at Walgett where the Namoi joins: Murray cod and golden perch in the north-west’s big river, with a Bureau gauge at Dangar Bridge.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Level
1.16 m
Air / High
22 °C / 30 °C
Wind
NNE 8 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 422001, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Barwon River at Walgett is in its cool-water rhythm: slower presentations and the warmest hours of the day. The gauge reads 1.16 m, holding steady. Today brings clear skies, wind NNE around 8 km/h, steady pressure near 1027 hPa and a high of 30 °C. Water sits around 13 °C for the season (estimated). With the full moon, the solunar majors run 10:25 AM-12:25 PM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM: the windows to build the day around.
Murray cod
Slow
Slow it down: heavier spinnerbaits, slow-rolled swimbaits and bait on the bottom next to the deep snags.
Tie on: Blade or vibe, slow hops · Lightly weighted plastic · Whole pilchard or squid on the bottom · Suspending hardbody. Prime windows: 10:25 AM-12:25 PM, 10:25 PM-12:25 AM, 4:55 AM-5:55 AM. Similar at 30 °C. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.
Before you go
New South Wales requires a fishing licence for most fishing, from A$7.00. New South Wales fishing licence: cost, rules and where to buy →
Chasing murray cod here? Check the size and bag limits with DPIRD NSW before you keep anything; the Murray cod page has the seasons and the tactics.
Fishing times for Barwon River at Walgett today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:54), sunset (18:05), the moon and today's score. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 10:25 AM-12:25 PM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM; minor 4:55 AM-5:55 AM. Full Moon, 99% lit.
Water and weather
Live readings from Bureau of Meteorology station 422001 (BARWON @ DANGAR BDGE).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 422001. Latest reading 2026-09-23 22:15.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp22 °C
High / Low30 °C / 18 °C
WindNNE 8 km/h, gusts 14 km/h
Pressure1026.9 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain1% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset05:54 / 18:05
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~13 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Barwon River at Walgett
The best day on Barwon River at Walgett this week looks like Sunday 27 Sept, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today. Every day is scored by the same engine as the report above: pressure trend first, then wind, sky and season. Pick a species and the plan for that day changes with it.
Best day this week: Sunday, 27 Sept — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.
Today, 25 Sept — Fair
A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
- Solunar majors
- 10:25 AM-12:25 PM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM
- Minor period
- 4:55 AM-5:55 AM
- Sun
- 05:54 to 18:05
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Partly cloudy, 21 km/h
- Rain chance
- 0%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Barwon River at Walgett: seasons written for the southern year, and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.
Murray cod
December to August; closed September to November
Closed now Reopens 1 Dec 2026. Closed 1 September to 30 November in all waters except Blowering and Copeton dams. Rule as read from DPIRD NSW on 2026-09-23.
The giant of the inland rivers and the big lakes (Hume, Mulwala, Eildon). A snag fish that eats big lures, and a species with a closed season across the Murray-Darling. Slow it down: heavier spinnerbaits, slow-rolled swimbaits and bait on the bottom next to the deep snags.
Golden perch
Best: November to April
Yellowbelly. The bread-and-butter native of the Murray-Darling lakes and rivers; loves warm water, structure and a lure worked slowly past its nose. Slower. Work the deeper timber and the drop-offs with vibes and bait.
When to come: the Barwon River at Walgett calendar
Activity by species and month for the southern year, and how the water warms and cools. Tap any cell.
Species activity by month
1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted. January is midsummer here.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Murray cod
Golden perch
SlowPeak
Water temperature through the year
Typical surface temperature for this water type in degrees Celsius; today is around 13 °C (estimated, not a reading).
Angler reports
Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. Nothing here is copied from a shop or a charter. The water log below tracks each day automatically.
No angler reports yetBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Barwon River at Walgett today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataThu, Sep 24
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Golden perch led the card at fair. High of 30 °C, wind to 23 km/h.
Wed, Sep 23
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Golden perch led the card at fair. High of 32 °C, wind to 29 km/h.
Tue, Sep 22
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Golden perch led the card at fair. High of 33 °C, wind to 14 km/h.
Before you go
Licence
NSW Recreational Fishing Fee, from A$7.00, the same for residents and visitors. Details and where to buy →
Regulations
Size and bag limits, closed seasons and marine park zones are set by DPIRD NSW and change: confirm the current rules on the agency page linked from the New South Wales licence page before you keep anything.
Access
The NSW Recreational Fishing Fee applies on the Barwon at Walgett, from A$7 for three days; our New South Wales licence page has the fees.
About this water
Barwon River at Walgett is a river in New South Wales, Australia, covered from the New South Wales reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Barwon River at Walgett: the full guide
The Barwon at Walgett
Walgett stands at the junction of the Barwon and the Namoi in north-western New South Wales, a river town on the black-soil plains where the Barwon, the upper Darling, winds between coolibah and river red gum. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Dangar Bridge, the town’s crossing, supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. The Barwon at Mungindi, upstream, and the Darling have their own pages.
Species and seasons
Murray cod are the prize of the Barwon at Walgett, holding in the log jams and the deep holes and taken on lures and bait; golden perch, yellowbelly, are the everyday fish on shrimp and worms; freshwater catfish are protected in the rivers west of the Divide except in named dams, and must go back. Murray cod are closed from 1 September to 30 November in New South Wales waters; the species card computes it.
Where to fish it
The riverbank reserves around Walgett and the crossings upstream and downstream give access to the Barwon’s snags and holes, and the Namoi junction below the town is a spot where the two rivers’ water meets. The banks are steep and slippery when the river has been up.
Planning a visit
Walgett is on the Castlereagh and Kamilaroi highways in north-western New South Wales, with a caravan park, a pub and supplies, and Lightning Ridge a short drive north. Bring cod lures, bait for yellowbelly and plenty of water; the summer heat on the plains is fierce, and the river bite is early and late.
Reading this report here
The chart matters on the Barwon: a rise after rain in Queensland or the New England arrives days later and colours the river, and a falling river after a fresh often fishes best. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is hot in summer, when the cod bite early and late. Pressure and sky build the score at Walgett.
Licence, access and rules
The NSW Recreational Fishing Fee applies on the Barwon at Walgett, from A$7 for three days; our New South Wales licence page has the fees. The riverbank reserves are public, and the DPIRD freshwater rules, with the cod closure and the catfish protection, are in the sources.
Common questions
Is Murray cod closed on the Barwon in spring?
Yes, from 1 September to 30 November in New South Wales.
Can I keep freshwater catfish at Walgett?
No. Freshwater catfish are protected in rivers west of the Great Dividing Range; only certain dams are excepted.
Do I need a licence at Walgett?
Yes: the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee, from A$7 for three days.
Is fishing good at Barwon River at Walgett right now?
Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Nearby waters
Where this page's numbers come from
- Storage and river readings
- Bureau of Meteorology, Water Data Online, station 422001 — BARWON @ DANGAR BDGE
- Open-Meteo forecast model
- https://open-meteo.com/
- Moon and solunar windows
- Calculated on this site
- The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on How our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.