Balonne River at Surat Fishing Report
Updated Fri, 25 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Balonne at Surat: cod and yellowbelly in the stocked Surat Weir pool, with a Bureau gauge and the Murray-Darling cod closure.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Level
2.56 m
Air / High
19 °C / 27 °C
Wind
NE 11 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 422220A, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Balonne River at Surat has cool water and fish holding a little deeper and slower. The gauge reads 2.56 m, easing 0.05 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 11 km/h, steady pressure near 1028 hPa and a high of 27 °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. Similar at 27 °C. 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 murray cod here? Check the size and bag limits with Queensland DPI before you keep anything; the Murray cod page has the seasons and the tactics.
Fishing times for Balonne River at Surat today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:50), sunset (18:01), 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 422220A (Balonne_R Surat).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 422220A. Latest reading 2026-09-24 18:00.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp19 °C
High / Low27 °C / 14 °C
WindNE 11 km/h, gusts 18 km/h
Pressure1027.5 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset05:50 / 18:01
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~13 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Balonne River at Surat
Today is the pick of the week on Balonne River at Surat, 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, 25 Sept — fair at 3/5, 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
- 05:50 to 18:01
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Partly cloudy, 16 km/h
- Rain chance
- 0%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Balonne River at Surat: 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 Nov 2026. Closed 1 August to 31 October in Queensland’s Murray-Darling fresh waters, except Connolly, Cooby, Coolmunda, Glenlyon, Leslie and Storm King dams. Rule as read from Queensland Department of Primary Industries 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 Balonne River at Surat 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 Balonne River at Surat 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 16 km/h.
Wed, Sep 23
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Golden perch led the card at fair. High of 29 °C, wind to 19 km/h.
Tue, Sep 22
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Golden perch led the card at fair. High of 33 °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 licence, but Surat Weir needs a Stocked Impoundment Permit, A$13.60 a week or A$64.58 a year from age 18; the cod closure and the limits are in the sources..
About this water
Balonne River at Surat is a river in Queensland, Australia, covered from the Queensland reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Balonne River at Surat: the full guide
The Balonne at Surat
Surat is the Maranoa town on the Balonne River, where the Surat Weir holds a pool through the town between river red gums and coolibah. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Surat supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. The Balonne at St George, downstream, has its own page.
Species and seasons
Golden perch and Murray cod are the fish of the Balonne at Surat. Surat Weir is on the Queensland Government’s stocked impoundment list, with golden perch, Murray cod and silver perch listed as stocked. Queensland closes Murray cod in its Murray-Darling waters from 1 August to 31 October, and Surat Weir is not one of the exempt dams; the species card computes it.
Where to fish it
The weir pool and the riverside reserves in Surat give bank access, and a kayak covers the pool. Fishing the weir pool with a line needs a Stocked Impoundment Permit from age 18.
Planning a visit
Surat is on the Carnarvon Highway south of Roma, with supplies and camping by the river. Buy the permit online before fishing the weir pool.
The river through the year
The Balonne at Surat is weir water: the Surat Weir holds a long pool through the town, steadier than the open river above and below it, and the pool is part of the Queensland Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme. The river rises and colours after rain on the Condamine catchment, and the golden perch in the pool and below the weir feed on those rises in the warm months. Cod hold in the timber of the pool; the Queensland closure from 1 August to 31 October applies. The winter is slower, with cold nights and clear water, and the summer heat makes the mornings and evenings the times to fish. Downstream the Balonne continues through Warroo and Weribone toward St George.
Reading this report here
The chart shows the weir pool and the flows that come down the Balonne after rain. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is hot in summer; pressure and sky build the score at Surat.
Licence, access and rules
Queensland has no general licence, but Surat Weir needs a Stocked Impoundment Permit, A$13.60 a week or A$64.58 a year from age 18; the cod closure and the limits are in the sources.
Common questions
Do I need a permit at Surat?
For Surat Weir, yes: it is a stocked impoundment.
When is Murray cod closed at Surat?
From 1 August to 31 October.
What is stocked in Surat Weir?
Golden perch, Murray cod and silver perch.
Is fishing good at Balonne River at Surat 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 422220A — Balonne_R Surat
- 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.