Barramundi
Good
Work the colour changes and the snags on the run-out; larger swimbaits and slow-rolled plastics in the impoundments.
Wildman River at Runaway Camp Fishing Report
Updated Sat, 26 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Wildman River on the floodplains east of Darwin: barramundi between the Mary River and the Alligator Rivers, with no current Bureau level series.
4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~26 °C est.
Air / High
33 °C / 33 °C
Wind
ENE 9 km/h
Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Wildman River at Runaway Camp has the water in the comfortable band where most of its fish feed through the day. Today brings cloud cover, wind ENE around 10 km/h, steady pressure near 1015 hPa and a high of 33 °C. Water sits around 26 °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.
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: 11:16 PM-1:16 AM, 11:16 AM-1:16 PM, 5:46 AM-6:46 AM. Similar at 34 °C. 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 Wildman River at Runaway Camp today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (06:28), sunset (18:37), 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
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 temp33 °C
High / Low33 °C / 23 °C
WindENE 9 km/h, gusts 27 km/h
Pressure1015.4 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain91% cloud, 57%
Sunrise / Sunset06:28 / 18:37
MoonFull Moon, 100%
Water temp (seasonal)~26 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Wildman River at Runaway Camp
Today is the pick of the week on Wildman River at Runaway Camp, at 4 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 — good at 4/5, steady pressure, neither help nor hindrance.
Today, 26 Sept — Good
Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
- Solunar majors
- 11:16 PM-1:16 AM and 11:16 AM-1:16 PM
- Minor period
- 5:46 AM-6:46 AM
- Sun
- 06:28 to 18:37
- Moon
- Full Moon, 100% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 18 km/h
- Rain chance
- 57%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Wildman River at Runaway Camp: 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. Work the colour changes and the snags on the run-out; larger swimbaits and slow-rolled plastics in the impoundments.
When to come: the Wildman River at Runaway Camp 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 26 °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 Wildman River at Runaway Camp today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataFri, Sep 25
4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Barramundi led the card at good. High of 36 °C, wind to 19 km/h.
Thu, Sep 24
4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Barramundi led the card at good. High of 35 °C, wind to 19 km/h.
Wed, Sep 23
4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Barramundi led the card at good. High of 35 °C, wind to 21 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; the possession and size limits, closed areas and the permits for Aboriginal land apply, on the NT Government pages linked below.
About this water
Wildman River at Runaway Camp is a river in Northern Territory, Australia, covered from the Northern Territory reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Wildman River at Runaway Camp: the full guide
The Wildman at Runaway Camp
The Wildman River runs across the coastal floodplains east of Darwin, between the Mary River country and the Alligator Rivers at the edge of Kakadu, a river of paperbark, billabongs and tidal channels reaching the sea at Van Diemen Gulf; Runaway Camp is a site on its course reached by the floodplain tracks. The Bureau of Meteorology’s Wildman gauges have not reported recent readings to Water Data Online, so this page carries no level chart. The Mary River at Shady Camp has its own page.
Species and seasons
Barramundi are the fish of the Wildman, in the tidal reaches, the channels and the billabongs, on lures and flies, best in the run-off after the wet and the build-up before it. The Northern Territory has no general closed season for barramundi, but the NT Government publishes closed areas and management zones on some floodplain rivers; check them before fishing.
Where to fish it
The floodplain tracks off the Arnhem Highway reach the Wildman in the dry season, and the river is fished from boats and from the banks where it is safe. Estuarine crocodiles are numerous here: keep well back from the water and never clean fish at the edge.
Planning a visit
The Wildman floodplains are reached from the Arnhem Highway east of Darwin, with lodges and camping in the Mary River country nearby. Bring barramundi lures, fish the run-off and the build-up, and keep well away from the water’s edge: this is some of the densest crocodile country in the Territory.
Reading this report here
Without a current level series, the seasons carry the page: the floodplains flood in the wet and the channels run hard as they drain. Any tide the planner shows for the tidal reaches is a modelled curve and says so. Pressure and sky build the score on the Wildman.
Licence, access and rules
The Northern Territory has no recreational fishing licence; the possession and size limits, closed areas and the permits for Aboriginal land apply, on the NT Government pages linked below. Parts of the floodplain are conservation reserve or pastoral land with their own access rules.
Common questions
Do I need a licence on the Wildman River?
No. The Northern Territory has no recreational fishing licence; the NT limits and closed areas apply.
When can I reach the Wildman?
In the dry season, on the floodplain tracks off the Arnhem Highway.
Are there crocodiles on the Wildman?
Yes, estuarine crocodiles are numerous; keep back from the water.
Is fishing good at Wildman River at Runaway Camp right now?
Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
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.