Barramundi
Fair
Work the colour changes and the snags on the run-out; larger swimbaits and slow-rolled plastics in the impoundments.
Annan River at Mount Simon Fishing Report
Updated Fri, 25 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Annan River at Mount Simon south of Cooktown: barramundi and jungle perch in a Cape York river, with no current Bureau level series.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~26 °C est.
Air / High
20 °C / 26 °C
Wind
SE 16 km/h
Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Annan River at Mount Simon has the water in the comfortable band where most of its fish feed through the day. Today brings a mixed sky, wind SE around 16 km/h, steady pressure near 1021 hPa and a high of 27 °C. Water sits around 26 °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.
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: 10:25 AM-12:25 PM, 10:25 PM-12:25 AM, 4:55 AM-5:55 AM. Similar at 27 °C with likely rain: fish ahead of the front. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.
Before you go
Queensland has no general fishing licence, but rules and permits apply. Queensland fishing licence: cost, rules and where to buy →
Chasing barramundi here? Check the size and bag limits with Queensland DPI before you keep anything; the Barramundi page has the seasons and the tactics.
Fishing times for Annan River at Mount Simon today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (06:07), sunset (18:15), 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
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 temp20 °C
High / Low26 °C / 19 °C
WindSE 16 km/h, gusts 31 km/h
Pressure1020.7 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain35% cloud, 100%
Sunrise / Sunset06:07 / 18:15
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~26 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Annan River at Mount Simon
The best day on Annan River at Mount Simon 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, steady pressure, neither help nor hindrance.
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
- 06:07 to 18:15
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 23 km/h
- Rain chance
- 100%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Annan River at Mount Simon: 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
Open now Closes 1 Nov 2026. Closed 1 November to 31 January on the east coast, tidal and fresh, except in the stocked dams the Queensland Government lists. No catch and release in the closure. Rule as read from Queensland Department of Primary Industries on 2026-09-23.
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 Annan River at Mount Simon 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 Annan River at Mount Simon today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataThu, 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 26 °C, wind to 23 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 26 °C, wind to 19 km/h.
Tue, Sep 22
4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Barramundi led the card at good. High of 27 °C, wind to 19 km/h.
Before you go
Licence
Queensland has no general recreational fishing licence; permits apply on some waters and the limits and closures do. Details and where to buy →
Regulations
Size and bag limits, closed seasons and marine park zones are set by Queensland DPI and change: confirm the current rules on the agency page linked from the Queensland licence page before you keep anything.
Access
Queensland has no general fishing licence; the barramundi closed season, the size and bag limits and the crocodile advice are on the pages linked below..
About this water
Annan River at Mount Simon is a river in Queensland, Australia, covered from the Queensland reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Annan River at Mount Simon: the full guide
The Annan at Mount Simon
The Annan River runs from the ranges south of Cooktown through granite country and rainforest to the sea near the town, crossed by the Mulligan Highway on the way up from the south. Mount Simon is a gauging site on its middle reaches. The Bureau of Meteorology’s Annan gauges have not reported recent readings to Water Data Online, so this page carries no level chart. Cooktown has its own page.
Species and seasons
Barramundi run up the Annan from the tidal water near Cooktown; jungle perch and sooty grunter live in the clear fresh water among the granite boulders, taken on small lures and flies. The east coast barramundi closed season, 1 November to 31 January, applies to the river; the species card computes it.
Where to fish it
The highway crossing and the tracks along the river give access to the Annan’s fresh water, and the lower river near Cooktown is fished from boats. Estuarine crocodiles live in the lower river: keep back from the water’s edge. The granite pools along the middle river are clear enough to see the jungle perch holding under the boulders, and a small spinner or a fly cast upstream into the white water is how they are caught. Fish the lower river on the run-out tide.
Planning a visit
The Mulligan Highway crosses the Annan south of Cooktown, and Cooktown has supplies, accommodation and the ramp onto the Endeavour. Bring small lures for jungle perch and barramundi gear for the lower river, and plan the trip for the dry season, when the Cape roads are open.
Reading this report here
Without a current level series, the rain row is the one to read: the Annan rises fast in the wet season and the Cape roads flood. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is warm all year; pressure and sky build the score on the Annan.
Licence, access and rules
Queensland has no general fishing licence; the barramundi closed season, the size and bag limits and the crocodile advice are on the pages linked below.
Common questions
What can I catch in the Annan River?
Barramundi in the lower river, and jungle perch and sooty grunter in the fresh water.
Why is there no level chart?
The Bureau’s Annan gauges have not reported recent readings to Water Data Online.
Do I need a licence on the Annan?
No. Queensland has no general recreational fishing licence.
Is fishing good at Annan River at Mount Simon 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
- 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.