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.
Herbert River at Abergowrie Fishing Report
Updated Mon, 9 Nov 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Herbert at Abergowrie above Ingham: barramundi and sooty grunter in the rainforest-edged river, with a Bureau gauge.
3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Level
1.15 m
Air / High
26 °C / 34 °C
Wind
E 3 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 116006B, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Herbert River at Abergowrie is in full summer mode: early starts, shade at midday, and the evening change. The gauge reads 1.15 m, easing 0.07 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind E around 3 km/h, steady pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 34 °C. Water sits around 29 °C for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:14 PM-1:14 AM and 10:50 AM-12:50 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: 11:14 PM-1:14 AM, 10:50 AM-12:50 PM, 4:40 AM-5:40 AM. Similar at 32 °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 Herbert River at Abergowrie today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:33), sunset (18:27), the moon and today's score. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 11:14 PM-1:14 AM and 10:50 AM-12:50 PM; minor 4:40 AM-5:40 AM. New Moon, 0% lit.
Water and weather
Live readings from Bureau of Meteorology station 116006B (Herbert_R Abergowrie).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 116006B. Latest reading 2026-11-08 18:00.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp26 °C
High / Low34 °C / 23 °C
WindE 3 km/h, gusts 8 km/h
Pressure1013.5 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain10% cloud, 86%
Sunrise / Sunset05:33 / 18:27
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~29 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Herbert River at Abergowrie
Today is the pick of the week on Herbert River at Abergowrie, 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
- 11:14 PM-1:14 AM and 10:50 AM-12:50 PM
- Minor period
- 4:40 AM-5:40 AM
- Sun
- 05:33 to 18:27
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 13 km/h
- Rain chance
- 86%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on Herbert River at Abergowrie: 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 Herbert River at Abergowrie 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 Herbert River at Abergowrie today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataSun, Nov 8
2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Barramundi led the card at excellent. High of 37 °C, wind to 11 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 36 °C, wind to 10 km/h.
Fri, Nov 6
2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Barramundi led the card at excellent. High of 37 °C, wind to 10 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
No general fishing licence is needed in Queensland; the barramundi closed season, the limits and the crocodile advice are on the pages linked below..
About this water
Herbert River at Abergowrie is a river in Queensland, Australia, covered from the Queensland reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Herbert River at Abergowrie: the full guide
The Herbert at Abergowrie
Abergowrie is the locality on the Herbert River upstream of Ingham, downstream of the Herbert River Gorge, which begins below Herbert River Falls in Girringun National Park, where the river runs through cane and forest toward the coast. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Abergowrie supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. The Herbert River at Ingham and Lucinda have their own pages.
Species and seasons
Barramundi are taken in the Herbert above Ingham in the warm months, with sooty grunter and jungle perch in the faster water. The east coast barramundi closed season, 1 November to 31 January, applies to the Herbert River at Abergowrie; the species card computes it.
Where to fish it
The crossings and reserves along the road up the Herbert valley give access to the river, and the pools below the rapids are fished from the bank. The Herbert is in Queensland’s crocodile country: stay back from the water’s edge.
Planning a visit
Ingham, downstream, has supplies and tackle. Bring barramundi gear and small lures for sooty grunter, and time barramundi trips outside the closure.
The river through the year
The Herbert rises on the Atherton and Evelyn tablelands, falls through its gorge and runs down past Abergowrie into the cane lands of the Ingham district, reaching the sea through a wide delta near Lucinda. At Abergowrie it is a big, clear river in the dry season, with rapids, long pools and rainforest along the banks, and it becomes a torrent in the wet, when the Herbert floods heavily. Barramundi move up into these fresh reaches, and sooty grunter are fish of the rapids and the pools. The dry season, from about May to November, is when the river is fishable; the Queensland barramundi closed season from 1 November to 31 January applies here, and the species card computes it.
Reading this report here
The chart shows the Herbert rising in the wet season; a flooded river is dangerous. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is warm for most of the year; pressure and sky build the score at Abergowrie.
Licence, access and rules
No general fishing licence is needed in Queensland; the barramundi closed season, the limits and the crocodile advice are on the pages linked below.
Common questions
When is barramundi closed on the Herbert?
From 1 November to 31 January.
What can I catch at Abergowrie?
Barramundi, sooty grunter and jungle perch.
Are there crocodiles in the Herbert?
Yes. Treat the Herbert River at Abergowrie as crocodile water and keep back from the edge.
Is fishing good at Herbert River at Abergowrie 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 116006B — Herbert_R Abergowrie
- Open-Meteo forecast model
- https://open-meteo.com/
- Moon and solunar windows
- Calculated on this site
- Pages checked
- 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.