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.
Pioneer River at Pinevale Fishing Report
Updated Mon, 9 Nov 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.
3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Water temp
~29 °C est.
Air / High
23 °C / 31 °C
Wind
SE 4 km/h
Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Pioneer River at Pinevale runs hot and bright: the fish feed early, late and deep. Today brings a mixed sky, wind SE around 3 km/h, steady pressure near 1016 hPa and a high of 31 °C. Water sits around 29 °C for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:03 PM-1:03 AM and 10:39 AM-12:39 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: 11:03 PM-1:03 AM, 10:39 AM-12:39 PM, 4:23 AM-5:23 AM. Similar at 32 °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 (05:17), sunset (18:19), the moon and today's score. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 11:03 PM-1:03 AM and 10:39 AM-12:39 PM; minor 4:23 AM-5:23 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 temp23 °C
High / Low31 °C / 21 °C
WindSE 4 km/h, gusts 13 km/h
Pressure1015.6 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain46% cloud, 98%
Sunrise / Sunset05:17 / 18:19
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~29 °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 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
- 11:03 PM-1:03 AM and 10:39 AM-12:39 PM
- Minor period
- 4:23 AM-5:23 AM
- Sun
- 05:17 to 18:19
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 13 km/h
- Rain chance
- 98%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
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
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 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 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 Pioneer River at Pinevale 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 33 °C, wind to 18 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 34 °C, wind to 14 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 36 °C, wind to 13 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, and its weirs are not stocked impoundments; the barramundi closed season, the size and possession limits, the weir closures and the Crocwise 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, from 28 cm in a combined bag of ten grunter; barramundi move up from the tidal river at Mackay and are kept between 58 and 120 cm. The east coast barramundi closed season, 1 November to 31 January, applies to the river, and barramundi may not be targeted during it; the species card computes it.
Where to fish it
Queensland closes the Pioneer to all fishing from 100 m upstream to 200 m downstream of Marian Weir, Mirani Weir and Dumbleton Weir, so fish the pools and runs between those zones. The crossings along the valley give bank access, and estuarine crocodiles can be in any waterway in this region, so fish from dry ground well back from the edge rather than wading. The gravel runs between the weirs hold sooty grunter on small lures, and the deeper pools away from the closed zones hold barramundi after the wet.
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 pools, and keep to the open water outside the weir closures.
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, and its weirs are not stocked impoundments; the barramundi closed season, the size and possession limits, the weir closures and the Crocwise 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.
Can I fish at the Mirani or Marian weirs?
Not close to them: Queensland closes the Pioneer from 100 m upstream to 200 m downstream of Marian, Mirani and Dumbleton weirs.
Do I need a licence on the Pioneer?
No. Queensland has no general recreational fishing licence, so nothing is needed to fish the Pioneer.
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: Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
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
- dpi.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries/closures/fresh/waters
- dpi.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries/closures/tidal/seasons
- qld.gov.au/recreation/activities/boating-fishing/rec-fishing/rules/lim
- qld.gov.au/recreation/activities/boating-fishing/rec-fishing/dams/stoc
- qld.gov.au/environment/plants-animals/animals/living-with/crocodiles/b
- bom.gov.au/waterdata
- 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.