Barramundi
Excellent
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 Morris (Copperlode Dam) Fishing Report
Updated Mon, 9 Nov 2026 from live weather and tide data
Lake Morris behind Copperlode Falls Dam, Cairns’ water supply in the hills: exempt from the barramundi closure and not in the stocked impoundment permit scheme.
3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Level
-0.70 m36,114 ML
Air / High
22 °C / 29 °C
Wind
ESE 4 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 1392, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Lake Morris (Copperlode Dam) is a dawn-and-dusk fishery today, with the middle of the day for moving spots. The gauge reads -0.70 m, easing 0.12 over the week. Today brings a mixed sky, wind ESE around 3 km/h, steady pressure near 1015 hPa and a high of 29 °C. Water sits around 29 °C for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:15 PM-1:15 AM and 10:51 AM-12:51 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: 11:15 PM-1:15 AM, 10:51 AM-12:51 PM, 4:44 AM-5:44 AM. Similar at 28 °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 Lake Morris (Copperlode Dam) today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:36), sunset (18:26), the moon and today's score. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 11:15 PM-1:15 AM and 10:51 AM-12:51 PM; minor 4:44 AM-5:44 AM. New Moon, 0% lit.
Copperlode Dam Level today, and the weather
Live readings from Bureau of Meteorology station 1392 (Water Copperlode Dam).
Storage level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 1392. Latest reading 2026-11-08 10:00.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp22 °C
High / Low29 °C / 22 °C
WindESE 4 km/h, gusts 9 km/h
Pressure1014.9 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain30% cloud, 75%
Sunrise / Sunset05:36 / 18:26
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~29 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Lake Morris (Copperlode Dam)
Today is the pick of the week on Lake Morris (Copperlode Dam), 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
- 11:15 PM-1:15 AM and 10:51 AM-12:51 PM
- Minor period
- 4:44 AM-5:44 AM
- Sun
- 05:36 to 18:26
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 10 km/h
- Rain chance
- 75%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on Lake Morris (Copperlode Dam): 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 Copperlode Falls Dam (Lake Morris) is 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 Morris (Copperlode Dam) 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 Morris (Copperlode Dam) 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 31 °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 31 °C, wind to 10 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 31 °C, wind to 11 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 recreational fishing licence, and because Lake Morris is not on the Stocked Impoundment Permit list, no permit is needed to fish it.
Storage levels
Compare it with every other storage in the state on Queensland dam levels today.
About this water
Lake Morris (Copperlode Dam) is a lake in Queensland, Australia, covered from the Queensland reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Lake Morris (Copperlode Dam): the full guide
The lake
Lake Morris is the lake behind Copperlode Falls Dam, a drinking water storage in the rainforest ranges above Cairns. The Queensland Government uses both names when it lists the water for fishing purposes. Because it is a supply storage, its operator sets rules on access, craft and opening hours, and those rules are the first thing to check before a trip; this site has not been able to confirm them from an official page, so none are stated here. The Bureau of Meteorology’s station at the dam, 1392, supplies the storage level and the 30-day chart on this page.
Species and seasons
The Queensland Government names Copperlode Falls (Lake Morris) among the impoundments where the 1 November to 31 January barramundi closure does not apply, which covers the waterways upstream as well; the species card shows barramundi open all year. Lake Morris is not on the government’s list of stocked impoundments, so this site cannot point to an official stocking record for it. Queensland’s statewide size and possession limits apply to whatever you catch.
Where to fish it
In a steep rainforest lake, fish hold where depth changes quickly and where creeks enter. Rocky edges and the mouths of inflowing creeks after rain are worth working with small hardbodies, soft plastics and baits. Follow the signs on site about where fishing and access are permitted, and treat roads in the ranges with care after heavy rain.
Reading the report
The wet tropics bring very heavy summer rain, and the rain row is often the most important one here: the lake can rise quickly, creeks colour up and road conditions change. The estimated water temperature row stays warm for much of the year. The hills shelter the water from wind, so the pressure trend before storms is the more useful signal.
Rules and access
Queensland has no general recreational fishing licence, and because Lake Morris is not on the Stocked Impoundment Permit list, no permit is needed to fish it. The statewide rules on sizes, bags and gear still apply, and the operator’s rules for the water supply catchment govern access, craft and hours.
Common questions
Do I need a permit at Lake Morris?
No. Lake Morris is not on the Queensland Government’s Stocked Impoundment Permit list, which was last updated on 1 July 2026, so no permit is required; the statewide rules apply.
Is barramundi open all year at Lake Morris?
Yes. Copperlode Falls (Lake Morris) is on the Queensland Government’s list of impoundments exempt from the barramundi closed season.
Is fishing good at Lake Morris (Copperlode Dam) 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 1392 — Water Copperlode Dam
- 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.