Barramundi
Closed today
Reopens 1 Feb 2027. 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.
Burdekin River at Clare Fishing Report
Updated Mon, 9 Nov 2026 from live weather and tide data
The lower Burdekin at Clare: barramundi in the Clare Weir pool and the delta reaches of the cane country, with the Bureau’s gauge at Clare.
3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Level
1.53 m
Air / High
26 °C / 33 °C
Wind
NE 9 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 120006B, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Burdekin River at Clare is a dawn-and-dusk fishery today, with the middle of the day for moving spots. The gauge reads 1.53 m, easing 0.06 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 10 km/h, steady pressure near 1015 hPa and a high of 33 °C. Water sits around 29 °C for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:09 PM-1:09 AM and 10:45 AM-12:45 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: 11:09 PM-1:09 AM, 10:45 AM-12:45 PM, 4:33 AM-5:33 AM. Similar at 33 °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 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 Burdekin River at Clare today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:26), sunset (18:23), the moon and today's score. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 11:09 PM-1:09 AM and 10:45 AM-12:45 PM; minor 4:33 AM-5:33 AM. New Moon, 0% lit.
Water and weather
Live readings from Bureau of Meteorology station 120006B (Burdekin_R Clare B).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 120006B. Latest reading 2026-11-08 18:00.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp26 °C
High / Low33 °C / 24 °C
WindNE 9 km/h, gusts 18 km/h
Pressure1014.6 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain1% cloud, 14%
Sunrise / Sunset05:26 / 18:23
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~29 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Burdekin River at Clare
Today is the pick of the week on Burdekin River at Clare, at 3 out of 5.
Best day this week: today, 9 Nov — fair at 3/5, steady pressure, neither help nor hindrance.
Today, 9 Nov — Fair
Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
- Solunar majors
- 11:09 PM-1:09 AM and 10:45 AM-12:45 PM
- Minor period
- 4:33 AM-5:33 AM
- Sun
- 05:26 to 18:23
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Overcast, 19 km/h
- Rain chance
- 14%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on Burdekin River at Clare: 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
Closed now Reopens 1 Feb 2027. 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.
When to come: the Burdekin River at Clare 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 Burdekin River at Clare 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 34 °C, wind to 19 km/h.
Sat, Nov 7
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 33 °C, wind to 16 km/h.
Fri, Nov 6
4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Barramundi led the card at excellent. High of 35 °C, wind to 16 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, and Clare Weir is not on the Stocked Impoundment Permit list.
About this water
Burdekin River at Clare is a river in Queensland, Australia, covered from the Queensland reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Burdekin River at Clare: the full guide
The reach
The Burdekin at Clare is the lower river in the cane country south of Townsville, held into a pool by Clare Weir, which Sunwater dates to 1978 and lists at 15,900 megalitres, before the river spreads across its delta toward Ayr, Home Hill and the sea. It is barramundi water of the lower river, and the Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Clare, station 120006B, supplies the level and the 30-day chart on this page.
Species and seasons
Barramundi are the page’s species, in the weir pool, the snags and the deep bends in the warm months. The Queensland east coast closure, 1 November to 31 January, applies here, because Clare is downstream of the exempt Burdekin Falls Dam, and it is computed on the species card. During the closure, barramundi cannot be targeted even for catch and release. Sooty grunter carry a 28 cm minimum.
Where to fish it
Sunwater lists boat ramps, picnic areas and camping facilities at Clare Weir, but states that fishing on or near the weir walls is unsafe and not permitted by law; anglers in the surrounding waters must stay at least 200 metres from the wall, and camping near the weir is not allowed. A boat covers the pool upstream and the river downstream. Treat the river as crocodile habitat.
Reading the report
The weir holds the pool steady in the dry, and wet-season floods run over it, when the lower Burdekin is a different river. Sunwater warns that water can be released at any time, so take care downstream. The modelled water temperature, labelled as an estimate, gives a long barramundi band.
Rules and access
Queensland has no general fishing licence, and Clare Weir is not on the Stocked Impoundment Permit list. The barramundi closure and the size and possession limits are on the pages linked below.
The delta below
Below Clare the Burdekin spreads into its delta around Ayr and Home Hill before reaching the sea, and the tidal reaches toward the mouth are estuary water, with the saltwater rules and the tidal closures that come with it. Launch from public ramps and plan around the tide once you are below the freshwater reaches.
Common questions
Is barramundi closed on the lower Burdekin?
Yes, from 1 November to 31 January under the Queensland east coast rule, computed on the species card.
Can I fish from Clare Weir?
No. Sunwater says fishing on or near the weir walls is not permitted by law; stay at least 200 metres from the wall.
Is fishing good at Burdekin River at Clare 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 early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Nearby waters
Where this page's numbers come from
- Storage and river readings
- Bureau of Meteorology, Water Data Online, station 120006B — Burdekin_R Clare B
- Open-Meteo forecast model
- https://open-meteo.com/
- Moon and solunar windows
- Calculated on this site
- Pages checked
- bom.gov.au/waterdata
- sunwater.com.au/weirs-and-barrages/burdekin-haughton
- dpi.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries/closures/fresh/seasons
- dpi.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries/closures/tidal/seasons
- qld.gov.au/recreation/activities/boating-fishing/rec-fishing/rules/lim
- qld.gov.au/environment/plants-animals/animals/living-with/crocodiles
- 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.