Barramundi
Excellent
Dawn, dusk and the run-off drains and creek mouths on the falling tide; hardbodies and soft vibes cast tight to snags and rock bars.
Adelaide River at the Railway Bridge Fishing Report
Updated Mon, 9 Nov 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Adelaide River at the township on the Stuart Highway: barramundi in the upper river south of Darwin, with a Bureau gauge at the railway bridge.
2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Level
1.52 m
Air / High
31 °C / 36 °C
Wind
W 3 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge G8170002, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Adelaide River at the Railway Bridge runs hot and bright: the fish feed early, late and deep. The gauge reads 1.52 m, easing 0.11 over the week. Today brings a mixed sky, wind W around 3 km/h, rising pressure near 1010 hPa and a high of 36 °C. Water sits around 29 °C for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:45 PM-1:45 AM and 11:21 AM-1:21 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.
Tie on: Soft plastic, 3 to 5 inch paddle tail · Pilchard on ganged hooks · Metal slug, 20 to 40 g · Surface walker at first light. Prime windows: 11:45 PM-1:45 AM, 11:21 AM-1:21 PM, 5:20 AM-6:20 AM. Similar at 36 °C with a rain chance. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.
Before you go
Northern Territory has no general fishing licence, but rules and permits apply. Northern Territory fishing licence: cost, rules and where to buy →
Chasing barramundi here? Check the size and bag limits with NT Fisheries before you keep anything; the Barramundi page has the seasons and the tactics.
Fishing times for Adelaide River at the Railway Bridge today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (06:09), sunset (18:49), the moon and today's score. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 11:45 PM-1:45 AM and 11:21 AM-1:21 PM; minor 5:20 AM-6:20 AM. New Moon, 0% lit.
Water and weather
Live readings from Bureau of Meteorology station G8170002 (Adelaide River - Railway Bridge).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station G8170002. Latest reading 2026-11-08 06:40.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp31 °C
High / Low36 °C / 25 °C
WindW 3 km/h, gusts 9 km/h
Pressure1009.9 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain26% cloud, 69%
Sunrise / Sunset06:09 / 18:49
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~29 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Adelaide River at the Railway Bridge
The best day on Adelaide River at the Railway Bridge this week looks like Tuesday 10 Nov, at 3 out of 5, against 2 today.
Best day this week: Tuesday, 10 Nov — fair at 3/5, rising pressure behind a front, typically the slowest.
Today, 9 Nov — Tough
Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
- Solunar majors
- 11:45 PM-1:45 AM and 11:21 AM-1:21 PM
- Minor period
- 5:20 AM-6:20 AM
- Sun
- 06:09 to 18:49
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Storms, 19 km/h
- Rain chance
- 69%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on Adelaide River at the Railway Bridge: seasons written for the southern year, and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.
Barramundi
Run-off (March to May) and build-up (October to November) in the north; check the closed season on the Queensland east coast
The north's fish. Tidal rivers, run-off creeks, rock bars and the stocked impoundments. Warm water, moving water and a barometer on the way down. Dawn, dusk and the run-off drains and creek mouths on the falling tide; hardbodies and soft vibes cast tight to snags and rock bars.
When to come: the Adelaide River at the Railway Bridge 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
Barramundi
SlowPeak
Water temperature through the year
Typical surface temperature for this water type in degrees Celsius; today is around 29 °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 Adelaide River at the Railway Bridge today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataSun, Nov 8
3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Barramundi led the card at excellent. High of 36 °C, wind to 10 km/h.
Sat, Nov 7
2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Barramundi led the card at excellent. High of 37 °C, wind to 18 km/h.
Fri, Nov 6
3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Barramundi led the card at excellent. High of 36 °C, wind to 18 km/h.
Before you go
Licence
Northern Territory has no general recreational fishing licence; the limits and closures do. Details and where to buy →
Regulations
Size and bag limits, closed seasons and marine park zones are set by NT Fisheries and change: confirm the current rules on the agency page linked from the Northern Territory licence page before you keep anything.
Access
The Northern Territory has no recreational fishing licence, as the NT Government states; the possession and size limits and closed areas apply, on the pages linked below..
About this water
Adelaide River at the Railway Bridge is a river in Northern Territory, Australia, covered from the Northern Territory reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Adelaide River at the Railway Bridge: the full guide
The Adelaide River at the township
Adelaide River is the small township on the Stuart Highway south of Darwin, where the railway bridge crosses the river; here the Adelaide River is fresh, running between paperbarks and pandanus before it winds north across the floodplains to the sea. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at the railway bridge supplies the level of the Adelaide River at the Railway Bridge and the 30-day chart on this page. The Adelaide River at the Arnhem Highway has its own page.
Species and seasons
Barramundi are the fish of the upper Adelaide, in the pools and snags on lures, best in the run-off after the wet and the build-up before it; sooty grunter and catfish are also caught. The Northern Territory has no general closed season for barramundi; NT-wide, the possession limit is five barramundi and the minimum length is 55 cm.
Where to fish it
The reserves near the railway bridge and the township give bank access to the river. Estuarine crocodiles live in the Adelaide River system: stay well back from the water.
Planning a visit
Adelaide River township is on the Stuart Highway between Darwin and Katherine, within easy reach of Darwin for a day trip. Bring barramundi lures and a landing net, and treat the river as crocodile water.
The river through the year
At the township the Adelaide River is above the tide, and its level follows the wet: rising through the monsoon, roughly November to April, falling in the run-off and settling through the dry into pools and runs. The barramundi move with the water, and the run-off is the best time here. In the dry the river is low and clear, and the fish hold in the deeper pools and snags.
Reading this report here
The chart shows the Adelaide River rising in the wet and falling through the dry. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is warm all year; pressure and sky build the score at the township.
Licence, access and rules
The Northern Territory has no recreational fishing licence, as the NT Government states; the possession and size limits and closed areas apply, on the pages linked below.
Common questions
What can I catch at Adelaide River township?
Barramundi, with sooty grunter and catfish.
Are there crocodiles here?
Estuarine crocodiles live in the Adelaide River system; keep back from the water.
Do I need a licence here?
No. Nobody needs a recreational fishing licence to fish the Adelaide River at the Railway Bridge, or anywhere else in the Territory.
Is fishing good at Adelaide River at the Railway Bridge 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 G8170002 — Adelaide River - Railway Bridge
- 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.