Lachlan River at Hillston Fishing Report
Updated Fri, 25 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The lower Lachlan at Hillston: cod and yellowbelly in the western river town, with no current Bureau level series.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~13 °C est.
Air / High
24 °C / 35 °C
Wind
NE 9 km/h
Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Lachlan River at Hillston has cool water and fish holding a little deeper and slower. Today brings cloud cover, wind NE around 10 km/h, rising pressure near 1023 hPa and a high of 34 °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 34 °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 Lachlan River at Hillston today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (06:03), sunset (18:15), 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
Conditions here are modelled from weather, season and the nearest stations.
No live gauge on this water
Water readings appear when a Bureau of Meteorology station covers it. Until then the seasonal curve below is the estimate.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp24 °C
High / Low35 °C / 19 °C
WindNE 9 km/h, gusts 13 km/h
Pressure1023.3 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain93% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset06:03 / 18:15
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~13 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Lachlan River at Hillston
The best day on Lachlan River at Hillston 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
- 06:03 to 18:15
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Overcast, 18 km/h
- Rain chance
- 0%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Lachlan River at Hillston: 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 Lachlan River at Hillston 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 Lachlan River at Hillston 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 33 °C, wind to 16 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 27 °C, wind to 13 km/h.
Tue, Sep 22
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 21 °C, wind to 16 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
At Hillston the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee applies, from A$7 for three days; our New South Wales licence page has the fees.
About this water
Lachlan River at Hillston is a river in New South Wales, Australia, covered from the New South Wales reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Lachlan River at Hillston: the full guide
The Lachlan at Hillston
Hillston is the river town on the lower Lachlan in western New South Wales, between Lake Cargelligo and Booligal, where the river winds through river red gum and black box on its way toward the Great Cumbung Swamp. The Bureau of Meteorology lists gauges on the Lachlan at Hillston, but none reports recent readings to Water Data Online, so this page carries no level chart. The Lachlan at Condobolin, upstream, has its own page.
Species and seasons
Murray cod and golden perch are the fish of the Lachlan at Hillston, cod in the snags and deep holes on lures and bait, yellowbelly on shrimp and worms in the warm months; carp are common and freshwater catfish are protected west of the Divide. The New South Wales Murray cod closed season, 1 September to 30 November, applies; the species card computes it.
Where to fish it
The riverside reserves and the camping areas near Hillston give bank access to the Lachlan, and the weir pool near the town holds water through dry spells. A kayak covers the reaches between the snags. The weir pool and the snag-lined bends near the town are the cod and yellowbelly water, fished with lures and bait close to the timber.
Planning a visit
Hillston is on the Lachlan Valley Way in western New South Wales, with a caravan park, a pub and supplies beside the river. Bring cod lures and bait for yellowbelly, water for the heat, and fish the cool of the morning in summer; cod are closed in spring.
Reading this report here
Without a current level series, the page leans on the weather rows: rain upstream will colour the Lachlan days later, and summer heat drives the fish to feed early and late. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is hot in summer. Pressure and sky build the score at Hillston, and the planner shows the day.
Licence, access and rules
At Hillston the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee applies, from A$7 for three days; our New South Wales licence page has the fees. The reserves are public, and the DPIRD freshwater rules are in the sources.
Common questions
Why is there no river level on this page?
The Bureau’s Hillston gauges do not report recent readings to Water Data Online, so the page shows no level rather than an old one.
What can I catch at Hillston?
Murray cod and golden perch.
Do I need a licence at Hillston?
Yes: the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee, from A$7 for three days.
Is fishing good at Lachlan River at Hillston 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
- 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.