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.
Russell River Fishing Report
Updated Mon, 9 Nov 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Russell south of Cairns: barramundi, jungle perch and sooty grunter in a clear wet-tropics river under the Bellenden Ker Range.
2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Level
1.24 m
Air / High
26 °C / 31 °C
Wind
N 6 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 111101D, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Russell River is in full summer mode: early starts, shade at midday, and the evening change. The gauge reads 1.24 m, easing 0.06 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind N around 6 km/h, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 31 °C. Water sits around 29 °C for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:14 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 29 °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 Russell River 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
Live readings from Bureau of Meteorology station 111101D (Russell_R Bucklands).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 111101D. Latest reading 2026-11-08 18:00.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp26 °C
High / Low31 °C / 23 °C
WindN 6 km/h, gusts 14 km/h
Pressure1013.4 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain19% cloud, 30%
Sunrise / Sunset05:34 / 18:25
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~29 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Russell River
The best day on Russell River 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 Russell River: 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 Russell River 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 Russell River 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 30 °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 30 °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 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
No general licence is sold in Queensland, and the Russell is not a stocked impoundment.
About this water
Russell River is a river in Queensland, Australia, covered from the Queensland reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Russell River: the full guide
The reach
The Russell drains the Bellenden Ker Range south of Cairns and runs through cane and rainforest country past Babinda and Mirriwinni, where the Bruce Highway crosses it, to reach the sea near Russell Heads. Its upper reaches and creeks are clear and rocky; the lower river is tidal and lined with mangroves. The old Mirriwinni station, 111101A, stopped recording in 1929, so the level and 30-day chart on this page come from the Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Bucklands, station 111101D, about half a kilometre away on the same reach.
Species and seasons
Jungle perch are the fish many anglers come for, in the clear upper water and the creeks; Queensland allows one jungle perch or spotted flagtail in possession, no longer than 35 cm. Barramundi hold in snags and deep bends and fall under the east coast closure from 1 November to 31 January, with no targeting during it. Sooty grunter, 28 cm minimum, work the rocky runs, and mangrove jack are fish of the tidal reaches.
Where to fish it
Crossings and public reserves give access to the freshwater reaches; in the lower river a small boat is the practical option. This is crocodile country, so follow Queensland’s Crocwise advice: stand at least five metres back from the water and never on overhanging timber. For jungle perch, small lures or flies worked through riffles and under overhanging foliage in clear water are the classic approach.
Reading the report
Watch the Bucklands gauge together with the rain row: heavy rain on the range can flood the Russell quickly, and it can be clear and fishable again within days. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, stays warm for much of the year, and storms in the build-up show up in the pressure trend.
Rules and access
No general licence is sold in Queensland, and the Russell is not a stocked impoundment. The barramundi closure, the jungle perch limit and the rest of the freshwater size and possession limits are on the Queensland Government pages linked below; where banks are private, ask before you cross.
Babinda and the Mulgrave
Babinda Creek, which runs down past the Babinda Boulders, is one of the Russell’s tributaries, and the Boulders themselves are a swimming and picnic area rather than a fishing spot. The Mulgrave, in the next valley to the north, reaches the sea close to the Russell near Russell Heads, and the two rivers share much the same mix of clear-water perch and tidal barramundi.
Common questions
Is there a live river level for the Russell?
Yes. The old Mirriwinni station, 111101A, has no level readings after 1929, so the page shows the Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Bucklands, station 111101D, about half a kilometre away, with the time of the reading and a 30-day chart.
What is the Russell River known for?
Jungle perch in its clear upper reaches, with barramundi and mangrove jack lower down; Queensland limits jungle perch to one in possession, 35 cm maximum.
When is barramundi closed on the Russell?
Every year from 1 November to 31 January, fresh and tidal reaches alike, with no catch and release during the closure.
Is fishing good at Russell River 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
- Storage and river readings
- Bureau of Meteorology, Water Data Online, station 111101D — Russell_R Bucklands
- 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.