Murray River at Barham Fishing Report
Updated Fri, 25 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Murray at Barham and Koondrook: cod and yellowbelly among the red gum forests of the Riverina, with a Bureau gauge at Barham.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Level
3.88 m
Air / High
19 °C / 32 °C
Wind
S 6 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 409005, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Murray River at Barham rewards patience today, with cool water and short feeding windows. The gauge reads 3.88 m, easing 0.51 over the week. Today brings a mixed sky, wind S around 6 km/h, rising pressure near 1024 hPa and a high of 32 °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. Cooler at 26 °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 Murray River at Barham today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (06:09), sunset (18:21), 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 409005 (MURRAY R @ BARHAM).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 409005. Latest reading 2026-09-23 22:00.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp19 °C
High / Low32 °C / 16 °C
WindS 6 km/h, gusts 12 km/h
Pressure1023.6 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain43% cloud, 35%
Sunrise / Sunset06:09 / 18:21
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~13 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Murray River at Barham
The best day on Murray River at Barham this week looks like Saturday 26 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: Saturday, 26 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
- 06:09 to 18:21
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Overcast, 18 km/h
- Rain chance
- 35%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Murray River at Barham: 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 Murray River at Barham 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 Murray River at Barham 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 28 °C, wind to 13 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 23 °C, wind to 11 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 19 °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 Barham the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee, from A$7 for three days, applies on the New South Wales bank, and the Victorian licence on the Koondrook bank; both are on our licence pages.
About this water
Murray River at Barham is a river in New South Wales, Australia, covered from the New South Wales reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Murray River at Barham: the full guide
The Murray at Barham
Barham is the New South Wales town on the Murray facing Koondrook across the river on the Victorian side, joined by the old lift-span bridge, in the red gum forest country of the Riverina between Swan Hill and Echuca. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Barham supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. The Murray at Swan Hill and Echuca have their own pages.
Species and seasons
Murray cod are the reason anglers come to Barham, holding in the red gum snags and the deep outside bends and taken on lures, spinnerbaits and bait; golden perch are the warm-weather fish on shrimp and worms; redfin and carp are common. The New South Wales Murray cod closure, 1 September to 30 November, applies to the river; the species card computes it.
Where to fish it
The riverbank reserves at Barham and Koondrook, the forest tracks through the Koondrook-Perricoota forest and the camping spots along the river give access to the snags, and the ramps put a boat onto the reach. The bends with fallen red gums are where the cod hold.
Planning a visit
Barham and Koondrook, facing each other across the Murray, have caravan parks, pubs, supplies and ramps, and the Koondrook-Perricoota forest has riverside camping. Bring cod gear for the snags and bait for yellowbelly; the river is busy with boats in the summer holidays, and cod are closed in spring.
Reading this report here
Flows on this reach are managed from upstream storages, and the chart shows releases and environmental flows arriving; a rising river after a fresh moves the fish. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is hot in summer and cold in winter; pressure and sky build the score at Barham.
Licence, access and rules
At Barham the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee, from A$7 for three days, applies on the New South Wales bank, and the Victorian licence on the Koondrook bank; both are on our licence pages. The reserves, the forest camps and the ramps are public under the forestry and parks rules; DPIRD’s limits, the cod closure and the VFA rules are in the sources.
Common questions
Which licence do I need on the Murray at Barham?
The NSW Recreational Fishing Fee on the Barham bank and the Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence on the Koondrook bank.
When is Murray cod closed at Barham?
From 1 September to 30 November.
What can I catch at Barham?
Murray cod, golden perch, redfin and carp.
Is fishing good at Murray River at Barham 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 409005 — MURRAY R @ BARHAM
- 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.