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.
Fitzroy River at Riverslea Fishing Report
Updated Mon, 9 Nov 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Fitzroy at Riverslea: barramundi, golden perch and saratoga in the new Rookwood Weir pool above Rockhampton, with the Bureau’s gauge at Riverslea.
2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Level
12.97 m
Air / High
23 °C / 29 °C
Wind
ENE 16 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 130003B, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Fitzroy River at Riverslea is in full summer mode: early starts, shade at midday, and the evening change. The gauge reads 12.97 m, easing 0.24 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind ENE around 16 km/h, rising pressure near 1016 hPa and a high of 29 °C. Water sits around 29 °C for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 10:34 AM-12:34 PM and 10:58 PM-12:58 AM: 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: 10:34 AM-12:34 PM, 10:58 PM-12:58 AM, 4:15 AM-5:15 AM. Warmer at 33 °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 Fitzroy River at Riverslea today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:10), sunset (18:18), the moon and today's score. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 10:34 AM-12:34 PM and 10:58 PM-12:58 AM; minor 4:15 AM-5:15 AM. New Moon, 0% lit.
Water and weather
Live readings from Bureau of Meteorology station 130003B (Fitzroy_R Riverslea).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 130003B. Latest reading 2026-11-08 18:00.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp23 °C
High / Low29 °C / 21 °C
WindENE 16 km/h, gusts 31 km/h
Pressure1016.3 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain3% cloud, 100%
Sunrise / Sunset05:10 / 18:18
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~29 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Fitzroy River at Riverslea
The best day on Fitzroy River at Riverslea 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
- 10:34 AM-12:34 PM and 10:58 PM-12:58 AM
- Minor period
- 4:15 AM-5:15 AM
- Sun
- 05:10 to 18:18
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 19 km/h
- Rain chance
- 100%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on Fitzroy River at Riverslea: 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 Fitzroy River at Riverslea 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 Fitzroy River at Riverslea 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 33 °C, wind to 14 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 34 °C, wind to 21 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 24 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 Rookwood Weir is not on the Stocked Impoundment Permit list.
About this water
Fitzroy River at Riverslea is a river in Queensland, Australia, covered from the Queensland reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Fitzroy River at Riverslea: the full guide
The reach
The Fitzroy at Riverslea is the fresh river above Rockhampton, below the junction of the Dawson and the Mackenzie, running wide and slow between river gums and cattle country. Rookwood Weir, which Sunwater places about 66 km south-west of Rockhampton, now backs the river up through this reach; the old Riverslea crossing was inundated and replaced by a new bridge. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Riverslea, station 130003B, supplies the level and the 30-day chart on this page.
Species and seasons
Barramundi are the page’s species, on snags, rock bars and deep bends in the warm months. The Queensland east coast closure, 1 November to 31 January, applies here and is computed on the species card; the Fitzroy is not on the list of exempt waters, and barramundi may not be targeted even for release during it. Golden perch and saratoga also live here; saratoga have a 50 cm minimum and a limit of one.
Where to fish it
Boat access is the practical way to fish this long pool, and the drowned timber along its edges is the obvious structure to work for barramundi and golden perch. Keep well away from the weir structure. This is crocodile country: follow the Queensland Government’s Be Crocwise advice and stay back from the water’s edge. Rockhampton, on the tidal river, has its own page.
Reading the report
The chart shows the big river’s wet-season rise, when the Fitzroy floods the plains, and the long dry-season fall; the weir pool now holds the reach steadier than the old sandy river did. The water temperature shown is a modelled estimate that gives a long barramundi band. Wide water and flat country give the wind a long fetch across the pool.
Rules and access
Queensland has no general fishing licence, and Rookwood Weir is not on the Stocked Impoundment Permit list. Size and possession limits and the barramundi closure are on the pages linked below.
Rookwood Weir
The Queensland Government announced the completion of Rookwood Weir in November 2023, describing a fish lock and turtle passage built to support migration in the lower Fitzroy. The drowned timber along the new pool’s edges is fresh structure for barramundi and golden perch, and anglers are still learning where fish settle in it.
Common questions
Is barramundi closed in the Fitzroy above Rockhampton?
Yes, from 1 November to 31 January: the river has no exemption and the species card computes the Queensland closure.
When was Rookwood Weir finished?
The Queensland Government announced completion in November 2023; the weir has a fish lock and turtle passage.
Is fishing good at Fitzroy River at Riverslea 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 130003B — Fitzroy_R Riverslea
- 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/projects/rookwood-weir-project/about-the-project
- statements.qld.gov.au/statements/99208
- dpi.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries/closures/fresh/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.