Dumaresq River at Bonshaw Fishing Report
Updated Sat, 26 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Dumaresq at Bonshaw on the border: cod and yellowbelly below the granite country, with a Bureau gauge on the New South Wales bank.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Level
3.00 m
Air / High
13 °C / 26 °C
Wind
E 4 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 416007, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Dumaresq River at Bonshaw rewards patience today, with cool water and short feeding windows. The gauge reads 3.00 m, up 0.07 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind E around 3 km/h, steady pressure near 1030 hPa and a high of 26 °C. Water sits around 13 °C for the season (estimated). With the full moon, the solunar majors run 11:16 PM-1:16 AM and 11:16 AM-1:16 PM: 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: 11:16 PM-1:16 AM, 11:16 AM-1:16 PM, 5:46 AM-6:46 AM. Similar at 28 °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 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 Dumaresq River at Bonshaw today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:40), sunset (17:52), the moon and today's score. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 11:16 PM-1:16 AM and 11:16 AM-1:16 PM; minor 5:46 AM-6:46 AM. Full Moon, 100% lit.
Water and weather
Live readings from Bureau of Meteorology station 416007 (DUMARESQ @ BONSHAW).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 416007. Latest reading 2026-09-23 22:15.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp13 °C
High / Low26 °C / 10 °C
WindE 4 km/h, gusts 9 km/h
Pressure1030.2 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset05:40 / 17:52
MoonFull Moon, 100%
Water temp (seasonal)~13 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Dumaresq River at Bonshaw
The best day on Dumaresq River at Bonshaw this week looks like Thursday 1 Oct, 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: Thursday, 1 Oct — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.
Today, 26 Sept — Fair
A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
- Solunar majors
- 11:16 PM-1:16 AM and 11:16 AM-1:16 PM
- Minor period
- 5:46 AM-6:46 AM
- Sun
- 05:40 to 17:52
- Moon
- Full Moon, 100% lit
- Sky and wind
- Overcast, 11 km/h
- Rain chance
- 0%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Dumaresq River at Bonshaw: 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 Dumaresq River at Bonshaw 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 Dumaresq River at Bonshaw today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataFri, Sep 25
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Golden perch led the card at fair. High of 26 °C, wind to 13 km/h.
Thu, 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 26 °C, wind to 16 km/h.
Wed, Sep 23
4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Golden perch led the card at good. High of 25 °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 New South Wales bank, from A$7 for three days; the Queensland weir pool needs the Stocked Impoundment Permit.
About this water
Dumaresq River at Bonshaw is a river in New South Wales, Australia, covered from the New South Wales reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Dumaresq River at Bonshaw: the full guide
The Dumaresq at Bonshaw
Bonshaw is the border village where the Dumaresq River runs between New South Wales and Queensland below the granite country of the Severn and Mole rivers, with the Bonshaw weir holding a pool on the Queensland side. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Bonshaw, on the New South Wales bank, supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. The Macintyre at Yetman and Goondiwindi have their own pages.
Species and seasons
Murray cod and golden perch are the fish of the Dumaresq at Bonshaw, the cod in the granite pools and snags, the yellowbelly in the warm months. The New South Wales Murray cod closure, 1 September to 30 November, applies on this bank and is what the species card computes; Queensland’s runs from 1 August to 31 October on the other.
Where to fish it
The crossing and the reserves at Bonshaw give bank access. The Bonshaw weir pool is on the Queensland Government’s stocked impoundment list, so fishing it needs a Stocked Impoundment Permit from age 18.
Planning a visit
Bonshaw has a small store and camping; Texas and Inverell have more. Bring cod gear and bait, and the licence or permit for where you plan to fish.
The river through the year
At Bonshaw the Dumaresq carries releases from Glenlyon Dam, on Pike Creek in Queensland, as well as rain on the granite country of the Severn and Mole rivers, so through the irrigation season its level follows deliveries, and the chart shows them. Cod feed in the granite pools and the snags through summer and autumn; the New South Wales closure from 1 September to 30 November protects them in spring on this bank. Golden perch bite best on rising water in the warm months. The winters on the border are cold.
Reading this report here
The chart shows the Dumaresq rising after storms in the granite country and releases from Glenlyon Dam upstream. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is warm in summer; pressure and sky build the score at Bonshaw.
Licence, access and rules
The NSW Recreational Fishing Fee applies on the New South Wales bank, from A$7 for three days; the Queensland weir pool needs the Stocked Impoundment Permit. Both are in the sources.
Common questions
Do I need a permit at Bonshaw?
For the Queensland weir pool, yes, a Stocked Impoundment Permit; on the New South Wales bank, the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee.
What can I catch at Bonshaw?
Murray cod and golden perch.
When is cod closed at Bonshaw?
From 1 September to 30 November on the New South Wales bank, and 1 August to 31 October on the Queensland side.
Is fishing good at Dumaresq River at Bonshaw 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 416007 — DUMARESQ @ BONSHAW
- 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.