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.
North Johnstone River at Goondi Fishing Report
Updated Mon, 9 Nov 2026 from live weather and tide data
The North Johnstone at Goondi above Innisfail: barramundi, jungle perch and sooty grunter in a rainforest river, with no current Bureau level series.
2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~29 °C est.
Air / High
26 °C / 32 °C
Wind
N 4 km/h
Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
North Johnstone River at Goondi is a dawn-and-dusk fishery today, with the middle of the day for moving spots. Today brings clear skies, wind N around 3 km/h, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 32 °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, 4:42 AM-5:42 AM. Similar at 31 °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 North Johnstone River at Goondi today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:34), sunset (18:25), 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 4:42 AM-5:42 AM. New Moon, 0% lit.
Water and weather
Conditions here are modelled from weather, season and the nearest stations.
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 temp26 °C
High / Low32 °C / 23 °C
WindN 4 km/h, gusts 7 km/h
Pressure1013.2 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain13% cloud, 30%
Sunrise / Sunset05:34 / 18:25
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~29 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish North Johnstone River at Goondi
The best day on North Johnstone River at Goondi 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
- 11:14 PM-1:14 AM and 10:50 AM-12:50 PM
- Minor period
- 4:42 AM-5:42 AM
- Sun
- 05:34 to 18:25
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 14 km/h
- Rain chance
- 30%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on North Johnstone River at Goondi: 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 North Johnstone River at Goondi 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 North Johnstone River at Goondi 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 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 31 °C, wind to 13 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 32 °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
No general fishing licence is required in Queensland; the barramundi closed season, the size and bag limits and the crocodile safety advice apply, on the pages linked below..
About this water
North Johnstone River at Goondi is a river in Queensland, Australia, covered from the Queensland reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing North Johnstone River at Goondi: the full guide
The North Johnstone at Goondi
Goondi is the cane-country locality on the North Johnstone River just above Innisfail, where the river comes down from the Atherton Tableland through rainforest gorges and cane flats to join the South Johnstone at the town. It is a high-rainfall catchment that rises quickly. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Goondi has not reported recent readings to Water Data Online, so this page carries no level chart. Innisfail has its own page.
Species and seasons
Barramundi run up the Johnstone from the tidal water below Innisfail, kept between 58 and 120 cm; jungle perch and sooty grunter live in the clear, fast fresh water above, taken on small lures and flies in the runs and pools. Queensland allows only one jungle perch, under 35 cm, and ten grunter from 28 cm in combination. The east coast barramundi closed season, 1 November to 31 January, applies to the river, tidal and fresh, and barramundi may not be targeted then; the species card computes it.
Where to fish it
The crossings and reserves around Goondi and upstream give access to the North Johnstone’s fresh water, and the tidal river below Innisfail is fished from boats. Queensland warns that estuarine crocodiles can be in any waterway in its crocodile habitat, fresh reaches included, so fish from well back and never stand in the water. The rocky runs above Goondi are the jungle perch water, fished with small lures cast into the current, and the slower pools downstream hold barramundi as the river settles after rain.
Planning a visit
Innisfail, on the Bruce Highway, has tackle, supplies and ramps onto the tidal river, and the roads up the North Johnstone lead toward the Tableland. Bring small lures for jungle perch, barramundi gear for the lower river and wet-weather gear: the rain here is heavy for much of the year.
Reading this report here
Without a current level series, the rain row is the one to read: this catchment floods quickly and a flooded Johnstone is dangerous and unfishable. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is warm all year; pressure and sky build the score at Goondi.
Licence, access and rules
No general fishing licence is required in Queensland; the barramundi closed season, the size and bag limits and the crocodile safety advice apply, on the pages linked below.
Common questions
What can I catch in the North Johnstone?
Barramundi in the lower river, and jungle perch and sooty grunter in the fresh water above.
Why is there no level chart?
The Bureau’s Goondi gauge has not reported recent readings to Water Data Online.
Do I need a licence on the Johnstone?
No. Queensland has no general recreational fishing licence, so nothing is needed to fish the North Johnstone.
Is fishing good at North Johnstone River at Goondi 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
- 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.