Barramundi
Good
Dawn, dusk and the run-off drains and creek mouths on the falling tide; hardbodies and soft vibes cast tight to snags and rock bars.
Lake Julius Fishing Report
Updated Mon, 9 Nov 2026 from live weather and tide data
Sunwater’s Leichhardt River storage north-east of Mount Isa: barramundi exempt from the Gulf closure, boating allowed, no camping, and a Bureau gauge.
1/5
Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.
Level
222.24 m91,592 ML
Air / High
34 °C / 40 °C
Wind
E 13 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 913015B, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Lake Julius is in full summer mode: early starts, shade at midday, and the evening change. The gauge reads 222.24 m, holding steady. Today brings clear skies, wind E around 13 km/h, rising pressure near 1010 hPa and a high of 39 °C. Water sits around 29 °C for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:40 PM-1:40 AM and 11:16 AM-1:16 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: 11:40 PM-1:40 AM, 11:16 AM-1:16 PM, 5:03 AM-6:03 AM. Similar at 41 °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 Lake Julius today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:55), sunset (18:54), the moon and today's score. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 11:40 PM-1:40 AM and 11:16 AM-1:16 PM; minor 5:03 AM-6:03 AM. New Moon, 0% lit.
Water and weather
Live readings from Bureau of Meteorology station 913015B (LAKE JULIUS).
Storage level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 913015B. Latest reading 2026-11-08 11:00.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp34 °C
High / Low40 °C / 23 °C
WindE 13 km/h, gusts 23 km/h
Pressure1010.0 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain5% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset05:55 / 18:54
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~29 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Lake Julius
The best day on Lake Julius this week looks like Friday 13 Nov, at 3 out of 5, against 1 today.
Best day this week: Friday, 13 Nov — fair at 3/5, rising pressure behind a front, typically the slowest.
Today, 9 Nov — Slow
Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.
- Solunar majors
- 11:40 PM-1:40 AM and 11:16 AM-1:16 PM
- Minor period
- 5:03 AM-6:03 AM
- Sun
- 05:55 to 18:54
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Partly cloudy, 21 km/h
- Rain chance
- 0%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on Lake Julius: 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 all year Lake Julius is a Gulf dam exempt from the closed season 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. Dawn, dusk and the run-off drains and creek mouths on the falling tide; hardbodies and soft vibes cast tight to snags and rock bars.
When to come: the Lake Julius 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 Lake Julius 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 38 °C, wind to 19 km/h.
Sat, Nov 7
2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Barramundi led the card at excellent. High of 38 °C, wind to 16 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 38 °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 fishing licence, and Lake Julius is not on the Stocked Impoundment Permit list read from the Queensland Government on 27 September 2026, so no permit applies.
Storage levels
Compare it with every other storage in the state on Queensland dam levels today.
About this water
Lake Julius is a lake in Queensland, Australia, covered from the Queensland reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Lake Julius: the full guide
The lake
Lake Julius is the storage behind Julius Dam on the Leichhardt River, about 70 km north-east of Mount Isa by Sunwater’s description. Sunwater runs it as a back-up supply for Lake Moondarra and the city’s urban water, and as water for the Cloncurry council and the mines of the North West Minerals Province. At the dam there is a boat ramp, car parking, a lookout, picnic areas, toilets, rubbish bins and barbecues, but Sunwater states plainly that camping is not permitted. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at the dam provides the level and 30-day chart on this page.
Species and seasons
Barramundi are the species card’s fish here. The Queensland Government lists Lake Julius among the Gulf impoundments where the 7 October to 31 January closure does not apply, together with the waterways upstream of it, so the card shows barramundi open all year. Queensland’s barramundi size and possession limits still apply. Other species anglers report from the lake are not on any official list we have read, so this page does not name them.
Where to fish it
Sunwater allows fishing and boating on Lake Julius but asks boats to keep their distance from the dam wall and follow the posted safety signs. Most trips start from the ramp at the dam: the rocky points and timbered edges within reach of it are the obvious first water, and a boat opens up the long reaches beyond. Impoundment barramundi feed hardest at dawn, dusk and after dark in warm water, and a lure worked slowly past structure usually beats a fast retrieve.
Reading the report
The north-west is hot for most of the year, and the water temperature estimate, labelled as one, spends long stretches in the barramundi band. The level chart shows the dry-season draw-down and the wet-season fill; after heavy rain, roads in the region can close, so check road conditions with the local council before the drive. The wind row matters on open water, and falling pressure ahead of a storm is worth watching.
Rules and access
Queensland has no general fishing licence, and Lake Julius is not on the Stocked Impoundment Permit list read from the Queensland Government on 27 September 2026, so no permit applies. The barramundi exemption from the Gulf closure is set by the Queensland Government; Sunwater sets the site rules, including the ban on camping and the distance boats must keep from the wall. Both pages are in the sources.
Common questions
Is barramundi open all year at Lake Julius?
Yes. The Queensland Government lists Lake Julius among the Gulf impoundments where the 7 October to 31 January closure does not apply; Queensland size and possession limits still apply.
Can I camp at Lake Julius?
No. Sunwater states that camping is not permitted at Julius Dam; the site has a boat ramp, picnic areas, toilets and barbecues for day use.
Is fishing good at Lake Julius right now?
Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Tough. Pick your battles. Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.
Nearby waters
Where this page's numbers come from
- Storage and river readings
- Bureau of Meteorology, Water Data Online, station 913015B — LAKE JULIUS
- 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.