Barramundi
Fair
Work the colour changes and the snags on the run-out; larger swimbaits and slow-rolled plastics in the impoundments.
Fitzroy River at Riverslea Fishing Report
Updated Fri, 25 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Fitzroy above Rockhampton at Riverslea: barramundi, golden perch and saratoga in the fresh reaches of the big river, with the Bureau’s gauge at the crossing.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~26 °C est.
Air / High
18 °C / 28 °C
Wind
ESE 9 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 130003C, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Fitzroy River at Riverslea is fishing in its best temperature window, with the bite spread across the day. Today brings clear skies, wind ESE around 10 km/h, falling pressure near 1027 hPa and a high of 28 °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 Fitzroy River at Riverslea today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:47), sunset (17:57), 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 130003C (Fitzroy_R Riverslea).
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 temp18 °C
High / Low28 °C / 17 °C
WindESE 9 km/h, gusts 17 km/h
Pressure1027.4 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain9% cloud, 67%
Sunrise / Sunset05:47 / 17:57
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~26 °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 Sunday 27 Sept, at 5 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: Sunday, 27 Sept — excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.
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
- 05:47 to 17:57
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 21 km/h
- Rain chance
- 67%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
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
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 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 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 Fitzroy River at Riverslea 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 28 °C, wind to 24 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 28 °C, wind to 23 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 29 °C, wind to 23 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 size and bag limits and the barramundi closure apply, on the pages linked below.
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 the Rockhampton barrage, where the Dawson and the Mackenzie have joined and the river runs wide and slow between river gums and cattle country toward the city, with the Riverslea crossing, the reaches of snags and the Rookwood Weir pool now backing up the river. It is barramundi and perch water above the tide, and the Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Riverslea supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. Rockhampton, on the tidal river, has its own page.
Species and seasons
Barramundi fish the snags, the rock bars and the deep bends in the warm months, with the Queensland east coast closure from 1 November to 31 January computed on the species card and no exemption for the river; golden perch are the everyday fish from spring to autumn; saratoga fish the surface along the timber at dawn; sooty grunter, sleepy cod and catfish are present; and red claw are a pot fishery. Crocodiles are in the river.
Where to fish it
The Riverslea crossing and the reaches either side are reached by boat from the crossing or from Rockhampton’s ramps upstream, and the snags, the rock bars and the deep bends are the barramundi and perch water; the Rookwood Weir pool changes the river as it fills. Night fishing along the snags is the summer method.
Reading the report
The chart shows the big river’s wet-season rise, when the Fitzroy floods the plains, and the long dry fall; the weir pool now holds the reach steadier than it was. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, gives a long barramundi band; the open country lets the wind cross the river; pressure counts before a storm.
Rules and access
Queensland has no general fishing licence; the size and bag limits and the barramundi closure apply, on the pages linked below. The crossing and the ramps are public; the weir has its exclusion zone.
Rookwood Weir
The Rookwood Weir, completed in the 2020s below Riverslea, has turned the reach into a long pool that holds the river steadier through the dry than the old sandy river did, and the drowned timber along its edges is new barramundi and perch water still finding its shape; the weir has a fishway for the barramundi and its own exclusion zone.
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 with the rule linked.
Do I need a licence on the Fitzroy?
No. Queensland has no recreational fishing licence; the limits and the closure apply.
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: 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.