Australian bass
Excellent
Prime. Cast spinnerbaits, small hardbodies and surface lures tight to structure in the rivers; sound up the schools in the dams.
Manning River at Wingham Fishing Report
Updated Mon, 9 Nov 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Manning at Wingham, near the tidal limit: bass in the fresh water and bream below, with a Bureau gauge at the town.
2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Level
0.72 m
Air / High
12 °C / 21 °C
Wind
WNW 8 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 208400, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Manning River at Wingham has the water in the comfortable band where most of its fish feed through the day. The gauge reads 0.72 m, up 0.21 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 8 km/h, rising pressure near 1020 hPa and a high of 22 °C. Water sits around 21 °C for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:48 PM-1:48 AM and 11:24 AM-1:24 PM: the windows to build the day around.
Bream
Good
Prime bream weather. Cast small vibes, crankbaits and 2 to 3 inch plastics at every piece of structure on the rising tide.
Tie on: Soft plastic on a 1/4 oz jighead · Small hardbody, shallow diver · Squid jig, size 3.0 · Fresh pipi or worm on a small hook. Prime windows: 11:48 PM-1:48 AM, 11:24 AM-1:24 PM, 4:49 AM-5:49 AM. Similar at 24 °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 australian bass here? Check the size and bag limits with DPIRD NSW before you keep anything; the Australian bass page has the seasons and the tactics.
Fishing times for Manning River at Wingham today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:47), sunset (19:22), the moon and today's score. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 11:48 PM-1:48 AM and 11:24 AM-1:24 PM; minor 4:49 AM-5:49 AM. New Moon, 0% lit.
Water and weather
Live readings from Bureau of Meteorology station 208400 (MANNING @ WINGHAM).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 208400. Latest reading 2026-11-07 22:45.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp12 °C
High / Low21 °C / 11 °C
WindWNW 8 km/h, gusts 13 km/h
Pressure1019.8 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset05:47 / 19:22
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~21 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Manning River at Wingham
The best day on Manning River at Wingham this week looks like Thursday 12 Nov, at 5 out of 5, against 2 today.
Best day this week: Thursday, 12 Nov — excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.
Today, 9 Nov — Tough
Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
- Solunar majors
- 11:48 PM-1:48 AM and 11:24 AM-1:24 PM
- Minor period
- 4:49 AM-5:49 AM
- Sun
- 05:47 to 19:22
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Overcast, 19 km/h
- Rain chance
- 0%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on Manning River at Wingham: seasons written for the southern year, and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.
Australian bass
September to April in the rivers; closed 1 May to 31 August in NSW rivers, and dams stay open
Open now Closes 1 May 2027. Closed 1 May to 31 August in all rivers except rivers above impoundments; dams are not closed. Rule as read from DPIRD NSW on 2026-09-23.
The native sportfish of the east-coast rivers and the stocked dams. Surface lures in summer, deep in winter, and a river closed season for spawning. Prime. Cast spinnerbaits, small hardbodies and surface lures tight to structure in the rivers; sound up the schools in the dams.
Bream
Year-round; summer and autumn in the estuaries, winter at the mouths
Yellowfin bream on the east coast, black bream in the southern estuaries. Structure fish: rock walls, jetty piles, oyster racks, snags and pontoons. Prime bream weather. Cast small vibes, crankbaits and 2 to 3 inch plastics at every piece of structure on the rising tide.
When to come: the Manning River at Wingham 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
Australian bass
Bream
SlowPeak
Water temperature through the year
Typical surface temperature for this water type in degrees Celsius; today is around 21 °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 Manning River at Wingham today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataSun, Nov 8
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Australian bass led the card at excellent. High of 20 °C, wind to 27 km/h.
Sat, Nov 7
4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Australian bass led the card at excellent. High of 30 °C, wind to 26 km/h.
Fri, Nov 6
5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Australian bass led the card at excellent. High of 24 °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 Manning at Wingham, from A$7 for three days; our New South Wales licence page has the fees.
About this water
Manning River at Wingham is a river in New South Wales, Australia, covered from the New South Wales reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Manning River at Wingham: the full guide
The Manning at Wingham
Wingham is the Manning Valley town on the Manning River upstream of Taree, near the head of the tide, where the river passes Wingham Brush, the remnant rainforest reserve beside the town. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Wingham supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. The Manning River and Harrington at the mouth have their own pages.
Species and seasons
Australian bass are the fish of the Manning in the fresh water around and above Wingham, under the trees and the snags on surface lures and spinnerbaits from spring to autumn; DPIRD allows two a day in rivers, only one over 35 cm. The tidal water around the town and down toward Taree holds bream, flathead and estuary perch. The New South Wales closure for bass and estuary perch in rivers, 1 May to 31 August, applies, with catch and release still permitted; the species card computes it.
Where to fish it
The Wingham Brush reserve, the riverside park and the boat ramp give access to the Manning at Wingham, and a kayak covers the reaches upstream where the bass hold. The tide reaches close to the town, so a trip can mix fresh and tidal water. The snags upstream of the town hold the bass on summer evenings.
Planning a visit
Wingham is a short drive west of Taree off the Pacific Highway, with supplies, a caravan park and the Wingham Brush reserve beside the river. Bring bass lures for the fresh water upstream and bream gear for the tidal reaches; the Manning Valley’s rivers flood after heavy rain.
Reading this report here
The chart shows the Manning rising after rain in the ranges; a flood makes the river unfishable and a clearing river brings the bass on. The tidal effect near Wingham is small, and the planner’s modelled tide, where shown, is labelled as a model. Pressure and sky build the score at Wingham.
Licence, access and rules
The NSW Recreational Fishing Fee applies on the Manning at Wingham, from A$7 for three days; our New South Wales licence page has the fees. The reserve, the park and the ramp are public, and the DPIRD rules are in the sources.
Common questions
What can I catch at Wingham?
Australian bass in the fresh water, and bream, flathead and estuary perch in the tidal reaches.
When is bass closed on the Manning?
Bass may not be taken from the Manning from 1 May to 31 August, though catch and release is allowed.
Do I need a licence at Wingham?
Yes: the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee, from A$7 for three days, covers the Manning at Wingham.
Is fishing good at Manning River at Wingham 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 208400 — MANNING @ WINGHAM
- Open-Meteo forecast model
- https://open-meteo.com/
- Moon and solunar windows
- Calculated on this site
- Pages checked
- 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.