Darling River at Louth Fishing Report
Updated Fri, 25 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Darling at Louth, below Bourke: Murray cod and yellowbelly in the outback river, with a Bureau gauge at the town.
2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Level
1.34 m
Air / High
25 °C / 33 °C
Wind
NNE 15 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 425004, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Darling River at Louth rewards patience today, with cool water and short feeding windows. The gauge reads 1.34 m, holding steady. Today brings clear skies, wind NNE around 14 km/h, rising pressure near 1026 hPa and a high of 33 °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 33 °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 Darling River at Louth today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (06:05), sunset (18:17), 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 425004 (DARLING@LOUTH).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 425004. Latest reading 2026-09-23 21:45.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp25 °C
High / Low33 °C / 20 °C
WindNNE 15 km/h, gusts 23 km/h
Pressure1025.6 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain1% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset06:05 / 18:17
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~13 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Darling River at Louth
The best day on Darling River at Louth this week looks like Sunday 27 Sept, at 4 out of 5, against 2 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 — Tough
Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
- Solunar majors
- 10:25 AM-12:25 PM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM
- Minor period
- 4:55 AM-5:55 AM
- Sun
- 06:05 to 18:17
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Overcast, 16 km/h
- Rain chance
- 0%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Darling River at Louth: 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 Darling River at Louth 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 Darling River at Louth 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 34 °C, wind to 21 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 33 °C, wind to 14 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 29 °C, wind to 18 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 Darling at Louth, from A$7 for three days; our New South Wales page has the fees.
About this water
Darling River at Louth is a river in New South Wales, Australia, covered from the New South Wales reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Darling River at Louth: the full guide
The Darling at Louth
Louth is the tiny outback settlement on the Darling River downstream of Bourke, a pub, a few houses and the river winding between high clay banks and coolibah on its long run south-west across the plains. It is one of the classic Darling camps. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Louth supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. The Darling River and Tilpa, downstream, have their own pages.
Species and seasons
Murray cod and golden perch are the fish of the Darling at Louth: cod in the snags and deep holes on lures and bait, yellowbelly on shrimp and worms through the warm months. Freshwater catfish are protected in the rivers west of the Divide, and carp are common. The New South Wales Murray cod closure, 1 September to 30 November, applies; the species card computes it.
Where to fish it
The riverbank around Louth and the camping spots along the Darling River Road give access to the snags; the river is fished from the high banks with bait and heavy line. The deep holes on the outside bends are the cod water.
Planning a visit
Louth is on the Darling River Road south of Bourke, much of it unsealed and closed after rain. Carry fuel, food and water, bring cod gear and bait for yellowbelly, and check the road before driving out.
The river through the year
At Louth the Darling carries flows from far upstream in Queensland, and in drought it can stop and shrink to pools.
Reading this report here
The Darling runs from flood to a chain of pools depending on rain in Queensland, and the chart shows which state it is in; a rising river after a long dry often brings the best fishing. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is hot in summer; pressure and sky build the score at Louth.
Licence, access and rules
The NSW Recreational Fishing Fee applies on the Darling at Louth, from A$7 for three days; our New South Wales page has the fees. The DPIRD rules, with the cod closure and the catfish protection, are in the sources.
Common questions
What can I catch in the Darling at Louth?
Murray cod and golden perch; freshwater catfish are protected.
Is the road to Louth sealed?
Much of the Darling River Road is unsealed and closes after rain; check before you go.
Do I need a licence at Louth?
Yes: the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee, from A$7 for three days.
Is fishing good at Darling River at Louth right now?
Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Nearby waters
Where this page's numbers come from
- Storage and river readings
- Bureau of Meteorology, Water Data Online, station 425004 — DARLING@LOUTH
- 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.