Australian bass
Fair
Dam fish school deep; vertical jig plastics and blades over them. Rivers slow, and closed in NSW from June.
Richmond River at Casino Fishing Report
Updated Sat, 26 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Richmond River at Casino in the Northern Rivers: bass in the fresh water above the tide, with a Bureau gauge at the town.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Level
0.77 m
Air / High
14 °C / 25 °C
Wind
NW 1 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 203004, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Richmond River at Casino has cool water and fish holding a little deeper and slower. The gauge reads 0.77 m, holding steady. Today brings clear skies, wind NW around 2 km/h, steady pressure near 1031 hPa and a high of 25 °C. Water sits around 16 °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.
Bream
Fair
Slow the retrieve right down: blades and lightly weighted plastics along the deeper rock walls and drop-offs, or unweighted bait drifted into the 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. Warmer at 28 °C with a rain chance. 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 Richmond River at Casino today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:33), sunset (17:45), 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 203004 (RICHMOND @ CASINO).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 203004. Latest reading 2026-09-24 22:30.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp14 °C
High / Low25 °C / 11 °C
WindNW 1 km/h, gusts 3 km/h
Pressure1030.7 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain3% cloud, 16%
Sunrise / Sunset05:33 / 17:45
MoonFull Moon, 100%
Water temp (seasonal)~16 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Richmond River at Casino
Today is the pick of the week on Richmond River at Casino, at 3 out of 5. 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: today, 26 Sept — fair at 3/5, steady pressure, neither help nor hindrance.
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
- 05:33 to 17:45
- Moon
- Full Moon, 100% lit
- Sky and wind
- Overcast, 18 km/h
- Rain chance
- 16%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Richmond River at Casino: 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 June to August in NSW rivers
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. Dam fish school deep; vertical jig plastics and blades over them. Rivers slow, and closed in NSW from June.
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. Slow the retrieve right down: blades and lightly weighted plastics along the deeper rock walls and drop-offs, or unweighted bait drifted into the snags.
When to come: the Richmond River at Casino 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 16 °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 Richmond River at Casino 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. Australian bass led the card at fair. High of 23 °C, wind to 16 km/h.
Thu, Sep 24
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Australian bass led the card at fair. High of 24 °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. Australian bass led the card at good. High of 22 °C, wind to 14 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 Casino the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee applies, from A$7 for three days; our New South Wales page has the fees.
About this water
Richmond River at Casino is a river in New South Wales, Australia, covered from the New South Wales reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Richmond River at Casino: the full guide
The Richmond at Casino
Casino is the Northern Rivers town on the upper Richmond River, where the river runs fresh between the town parks and the cattle country above the tidal reaches that lead down to Coraki and Ballina. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Casino supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. The tidal Richmond River and Ballina have their own pages.
Species and seasons
Australian bass are the main sport fish of the Richmond at Casino, under the overhanging trees and the snags, on surface lures and spinnerbaits from spring to autumn. Eastern freshwater cod, found in the Northern Rivers catchments, are protected and cannot be taken anywhere in New South Wales. The New South Wales river closure for bass and estuary perch, 1 May to 31 August, applies; the species card computes it.
Where to fish it
The riverside parks in Casino, including Queen Elizabeth Park, give bank access to the Richmond, and a kayak covers the reaches between the weir and the crossings. The shaded banks are the bass water on summer evenings. The weir pool in the town is the easiest bass water to reach.
Planning a visit
Casino is on the Bruxner and Summerland ways in the Northern Rivers, with supplies, tackle and accommodation, and the riverside parks are in the town. Bring bass lures for the snags, and check the river after rain; the Northern Rivers flood often, and a high river is not safe to fish.
Reading this report here
The Northern Rivers are wet and floods are part of the Richmond’s life; the chart shows the river rising after rain, and a flooded river is not fishable. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is warm for most of the year; pressure and sky build the score at Casino.
Licence, access and rules
At Casino the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee applies, from A$7 for three days; our New South Wales page has the fees. The parks are public, and the bass closure, the eastern freshwater cod protection and the DPIRD rules are in the sources.
Common questions
Can I keep an eastern freshwater cod?
No. Eastern freshwater cod are protected in all waters and must be released.
When is bass closed on the Richmond?
From 1 May to 31 August in rivers.
Do I need a licence at Casino?
Yes: the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee, from A$7 for three days.
Is fishing good at Richmond River at Casino 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 203004 — RICHMOND @ CASINO
- 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.