Barramundi
Good
Work the colour changes and the snags on the run-out; larger swimbaits and slow-rolled plastics in the impoundments.
Pioneer River at Pinevale Fishing Report
Updated Fri, 25 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Pioneer River at Pinevale west of Mackay: sooty grunter and barramundi in the cane-valley river, with no current Bureau level series.
4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~26 °C est.
Air / High
17 °C / 25 °C
Wind
SE 9 km/h
Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Pioneer River at Pinevale has the water in the comfortable band where most of its fish feed through the day. Today brings a mixed sky, wind SE around 10 km/h, steady pressure near 1026 hPa and a high of 25 °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 26 °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 Pioneer River at Pinevale today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:51), sunset (18:01), 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
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 temp17 °C
High / Low25 °C / 16 °C
WindSE 9 km/h, gusts 21 km/h
Pressure1026.1 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain56% cloud, 94%
Sunrise / Sunset05:51 / 18:01
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~26 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Pioneer River at Pinevale
Today is the pick of the week on Pioneer River at Pinevale, at 4 out of 5. 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: today, 25 Sept — good at 4/5, steady pressure, neither help nor hindrance.
Today, 25 Sept — Good
Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
- Solunar majors
- 10:25 AM-12:25 PM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM
- Minor period
- 4:55 AM-5:55 AM
- Sun
- 05:51 to 18:01
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 23 km/h
- Rain chance
- 94%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Pioneer River at Pinevale: 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 now Closes 1 Nov 2026. 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. Work the colour changes and the snags on the run-out; larger swimbaits and slow-rolled plastics in the impoundments.
When to come: the Pioneer River at Pinevale 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 Pioneer River at Pinevale 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 23 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 26 °C, wind to 21 km/h.
Tue, Sep 22
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 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
Queensland needs no general fishing licence on the Pioneer; the barramundi closed season, the size and bag limits, the rules at the weirs and the crocodile advice are on the pages linked below..
About this water
Pioneer River at Pinevale is a river in Queensland, Australia, covered from the Queensland reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Pioneer River at Pinevale: the full guide
The Pioneer at Pinevale
Pinevale is a gauging site on the Pioneer River in the cane valley west of Mackay, between Mirani and Marian, where the river runs over gravel bars and weir pools down from the Eungella range to the tidal reaches at Mackay. The Bureau of Meteorology’s Pinevale gauges have not reported recent readings to Water Data Online, so this page carries no level chart. Mackay and Eungella Dam have their own pages.
Species and seasons
Sooty grunter are the fish of the Pioneer’s fresh water, in the runs and weir pools on small lures; barramundi move up through the weirs from the tidal river at Mackay. The east coast barramundi closed season, 1 November to 31 January, applies to the river; the species card computes it.
Where to fish it
The weirs at Mirani and Marian and the crossings along the valley give bank access to the Pioneer, and the gravel runs between them are waded in the dry season. Estuarine crocodiles live in the lower river: keep back from the water there. The gravel runs between the weirs hold sooty grunter on small lures, and the deeper water above the Mirani and Marian weirs is where barramundi sit after the wet. The dry season is when the runs are wadeable.
Planning a visit
Pinevale is in the Pioneer valley west of Mackay, reached on the Mackay-Eungella road through Marian and Mirani, which have supplies. Bring small lures for sooty grunter and barramundi gear for the weir pools, and keep back from the lower river, where crocodiles live.
Reading this report here
Without a current level series, the rain row is the one to read: the Pioneer floods after heavy rain on the range. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is warm all year; pressure and sky build the score on the Pioneer.
Licence, access and rules
Queensland needs no general fishing licence on the Pioneer; the barramundi closed season, the size and bag limits, the rules at the weirs and the crocodile advice are on the pages linked below.
Common questions
What can I catch in the Pioneer River?
Sooty grunter in the fresh water and barramundi moving up from the tidal river.
Why is there no level chart?
The Bureau’s Pinevale gauges have not reported recent readings to Water Data Online.
Do I need a licence on the Pioneer?
No. Queensland has no general recreational fishing licence.
Is fishing good at Pioneer River at Pinevale right now?
Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
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
- 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.