Rainbow trout
Slow
Winter lakes: bait on the bottom in the deeper bays through the middle of the day, or polaroiding the shallows on the bright days in Tasmania.
Bombala River at Bombala Fishing Report
Updated Fri, 25 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Bombala River at Bombala on the southern Monaro: trout and platypus in the town’s river, with a Bureau gauge at Bombala.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Level
0.48 m
Air / High
14 °C / 24 °C
Wind
NNW 10 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 222019, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Bombala River at Bombala has cold water and fish that move for very little; fish the sunniest hours. The gauge reads 0.48 m, holding steady. Today brings cloud cover, wind NNW around 10 km/h, rising pressure near 1025 hPa and a high of 24 °C. Water sits around 8 °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.
Brown trout
Slow
The lake fishery: bait or slow lures in the deeper bays; the rivers are closed in NSW and Victoria.
Tie on: Bait on the bottom, running sinker · Heavy blade, deep · Slow-rolled swimbait · Live bait, deepest hole. Prime windows: 10:25 AM-12:25 PM, 10:25 PM-12:25 AM, 4:55 AM-5:55 AM. Similar at 23 °C with likely rain: fish ahead of the front. 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 rainbow trout here? Check the size and bag limits with DPIRD NSW before you keep anything; the Rainbow trout page has the seasons and the tactics.
Fishing times for Bombala River at Bombala today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:48), sunset (18:01), 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 222019 (BOMBALA @ BOMBALA).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 222019. Latest reading 2026-09-23 22:15.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp14 °C
High / Low24 °C / 10 °C
WindNNW 10 km/h, gusts 13 km/h
Pressure1024.8 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain82% cloud, 75%
Sunrise / Sunset05:48 / 18:01
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~8 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Bombala River at Bombala
The best day on Bombala River at Bombala this week looks like Monday 28 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: Monday, 28 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
- 05:48 to 18:01
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 19 km/h
- Rain chance
- 75%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Bombala River at Bombala: seasons written for the southern year, and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.
Rainbow trout
Open season from October to June in NSW and Victoria; Tasmania from August
Closed now Reopens 3 Oct 2026. General trout streams close from the Tuesday after the June long weekend to the last Friday before the October long weekend. Lakes and dams have no closed season. Rule as read from DPIRD NSW on 2026-09-23.
The stocked lakes of the Snowy Mountains, the Victorian highlands and the Tasmanian central plateau. Closed seasons apply on the rivers: check the state rules. Winter lakes: bait on the bottom in the deeper bays through the middle of the day, or polaroiding the shallows on the bright days in Tasmania.
Brown trout
Open season from October to June in NSW and Victoria; Tasmania from August
Closed now Reopens 3 Oct 2026. General trout streams close from the Tuesday after the June long weekend to the last Friday before the October long weekend. Lakes and dams have no closed season. Rule as read from DPIRD NSW on 2026-09-23.
The wild trout of the highland rivers and Tasmania's lakes. Spawns in autumn, hence the closed rivers through winter in NSW and Victoria. The lake fishery: bait or slow lures in the deeper bays; the rivers are closed in NSW and Victoria.
When to come: the Bombala River at Bombala 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
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak
Water temperature through the year
Typical surface temperature for this water type in degrees Celsius; today is around 8 °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 Bombala River at Bombala 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. Rainbow trout led the card at slow. High of 24 °C, wind to 16 km/h.
Wed, Sep 23
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at slow. High of 18 °C, wind to 19 km/h.
Tue, Sep 22
4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Rainbow trout led the card at fair. High of 13 °C, wind to 21 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 Bombala River, from A$7 for three days; our New South Wales licence page has the fees.
About this water
Bombala River at Bombala is a river in New South Wales, Australia, covered from the New South Wales reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Bombala River at Bombala: the full guide
The Bombala at Bombala
Bombala is the southern Monaro town on the Bombala River, near the Victorian border between Cooma and the far south coast, where the river winds through open grazing country and the town reserve known for its platypus. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Bombala supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. The Snowy River at Dalgety has its own page.
Species and seasons
Brown and rainbow trout are the fish of the Bombala River, in the runs and the pools, taken on the fly, lures and bait. The river is a trout stream under the New South Wales general trout stream season, closed from the Tuesday after the June long weekend to the last Friday before the October long weekend; the species card computes it.
Where to fish it
The town reserve and the platypus reserve at Bombala give access to the river, and the reaches out of town are reached from the road crossings. It is a small river fished with light gear, and the platypus in the town pools are a reason to fish quietly. The pools in and below the town and the runs out along the valley are the trout water, fished with small nymphs, dry flies and light spinners in spring and autumn.
Planning a visit
Bombala is on the Monaro Highway south of Cooma, a small town with a pub, a caravan park and the platypus reserve by the river. Bring light trout gear, warm clothing for the southern Monaro and patience at the platypus pools, which are best at dawn and dusk.
Reading this report here
The southern Monaro is cold, and the water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is cold for much of the year; the chart shows the river rising after rain and falling through summer, when it can run low. Pressure and sky build the score at Bombala.
Licence, access and rules
The NSW Recreational Fishing Fee applies on the Bombala River, from A$7 for three days; our New South Wales licence page has the fees. The town reserves are public, and the trout stream rules are in the sources.
Common questions
When can I fish the Bombala River for trout?
Outside the New South Wales trout stream closure, from the Tuesday after the June long weekend to the last Friday before the October long weekend.
What can I catch in the Bombala River?
Brown and rainbow trout.
Do I need a licence at Bombala?
Yes: the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee, from A$7 for three days.
Is fishing good at Bombala River at Bombala 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 222019 — BOMBALA @ BOMBALA
- 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.