Barramundi
Fair
Work the colour changes and the snags on the run-out; larger swimbaits and slow-rolled plastics in the impoundments.
Paradise Dam Fishing Report
Updated Fri, 25 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Burnett River dam above Bundaberg: barramundi and bass in a lake the state is rebuilding, exempt from the closure, with a permit and a Bureau gauge.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Level
60.55 m151,199 ML
Air / High
16 °C / 24 °C
Wind
SE 9 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 136024A, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Paradise Dam is fishing in its best temperature window, with the bite spread across the day. The gauge reads 60.55 m, easing 0.12 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind SE around 8 km/h, falling pressure near 1029 hPa and a high of 24 °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 24 °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 Paradise Dam today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:39), sunset (17:49), 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 136024A (Paradise Dam).
Storage level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 136024A. Latest reading 2026-09-24 11:00.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp16 °C
High / Low24 °C / 15 °C
WindSE 9 km/h, gusts 15 km/h
Pressure1029.0 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain2% cloud, 97%
Sunrise / Sunset05:39 / 17:49
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~26 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Paradise Dam
The best day on Paradise Dam 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
- 05:39 to 17:49
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Storms, 23 km/h
- Rain chance
- 97%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Paradise 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 Paradise Dam is inside the Ben Anderson Barrage exemption 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 Paradise 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 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 Paradise Dam 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 26 °C, wind to 19 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 19 km/h.
Tue, Sep 22
5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Barramundi led the card at good. High of 29 °C, wind to 16 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
Paradise Dam is a Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme water; the permit is required from age 18, A$13.60 a week or A$64.58 a year, as read from the Queensland Government, with details on our Queensland licence page.
About this water
Paradise Dam is a lake in Queensland, Australia, covered from the Queensland reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Paradise Dam: the full guide
The lake
Paradise Dam holds the Burnett River between Gayndah and Bundaberg, an impoundment built in 2005 whose wall the state lowered in 2020 for safety and is rebuilding, so the lake is smaller than its original size until the works finish; it has a ramp and a picnic area at the wall and timbered arms up the Burnett. It is barramundi and bass water in the Ben Anderson Barrage system, and the Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at the dam supplies the level and the 30-day chart on this page.
Species and seasons
Barramundi are stocked and fish the timber and the points in the warm months, and Paradise Dam sits inside the Ben Anderson Barrage exemption the Queensland Government lists, so the closure does not apply and the species card shows open all year with the rule linked; Australian bass are stocked and school deep in winter; golden perch and saratoga are present; and red claw are a pot fishery. The Burnett below the dam runs to the barrage and the estuary at Bundaberg, which have their own pages.
Where to fish it
The ramp at the wall launches onto the lower lake, and the timbered arms upstream are the barramundi and bass water from a boat or a kayak; the reduced level has changed the shoreline and the water authority publishes the access that applies during the rebuild. Bank fishing is limited to the picnic area near the wall.
Reading the report
The chart shows a lake held below its old level during the works, and a rise after rain that floods the timber the fish move into; the water temperature estimate, labelled as one, gives the barramundi band from September to May. Pressure counts before a storm; the arms shelter the water from most wind.
Permits, access and rules
Paradise Dam is a Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme water; the permit is required from age 18, A$13.60 a week or A$64.58 a year, as read from the Queensland Government, with details on our Queensland licence page. Access during the rebuild is as the water authority publishes; the Queensland rules are in the sources.
Common questions
Is barramundi open all year at Paradise Dam?
Yes: it is inside the Ben Anderson Barrage exemption the Queensland Government lists, and the species card shows it with the rule.
Can I fish Paradise Dam during the works?
Yes, from the access the water authority publishes; the ramp and the picnic area at the wall are the usual points.
Is fishing good at Paradise 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 the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Nearby waters
Where this page's numbers come from
- Storage and river readings
- Bureau of Meteorology, Water Data Online, station 136024A — Paradise Dam
- 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.