Beetaloo Reservoir Fishing Report
Updated Wed, 30 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
A 3.2-gigalitre reservoir east of Port Pirie, open for shore fishing from 1 May to 1 November, with golden perch, silver perch and released cod under an SA Water permit.
4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~13 °C est.
Air / High
19 °C / 28 °C
Wind
ESE 4 km/h
Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Beetaloo Reservoir is in its cool-water rhythm: slower presentations and the warmest hours of the day. Today brings cloud cover, wind ESE around 3 km/h, falling pressure near 1016 hPa and a high of 28 °C. Water sits around 13 °C for the season (estimated). With the waning gibbous, the solunar majors run 2:37 AM-4:37 AM and 2:37 PM-4:37 PM: the windows to build the day around.
Murray cod
Slow
Slow it down: heavier spinnerbaits, slow-rolled swimbaits and bait on the bottom next to the deep snags.
Tie on: Blade or vibe, slow hops · Lightly weighted plastic · Whole pilchard or squid on the bottom · Suspending hardbody. Prime windows: 2:37 AM-4:37 AM, 2:37 PM-4:37 PM, 9:07 AM-10:07 AM. Similar at 26 °C with likely rain: fish ahead of the front. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.
Before you go
South Australia has no general fishing licence, but SA Water’s reservoir fishing permit is required here: A$12 for three consecutive days, A$24 for ten days or A$39.75 for a year (concession A$9.55, A$19.10, A$32.00), bought online from SA Water. Anglers 16 and over need one; under-16s may fish without one when with a permit holder, who may accompany up to five. Carry the permit and identification. The Department for Environment and Water opens the reservoir from 1 May to 1 November only and closes it on Total Fire Ban days; shore fishing only, no watercraft of any kind.
South Australia has no general fishing licence, but rules and permits apply. South Australia fishing licence: cost, rules and where to buy →
Chasing murray cod here? Check the size and bag limits with PIRSA before you keep anything; the Murray cod page has the seasons and the tactics.
Fishing times for Beetaloo Reservoir today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:56), sunset (18:18), the moon and today's score. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 2:37 AM-4:37 AM and 2:37 PM-4:37 PM; minor 9:07 AM-10:07 AM. Waning Gibbous, 84% 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 temp19 °C
High / Low28 °C / 18 °C
WindESE 4 km/h, gusts 10 km/h
Pressure1016.4 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain96% cloud, 21%
Sunrise / Sunset05:56 / 18:18
MoonWaning Gibbous, 84%
Water temp (seasonal)~13 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Beetaloo Reservoir
Today is the pick of the week on Beetaloo Reservoir, 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, 30 Sept — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.
Today, 30 Sept — Good
Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
- Solunar majors
- 2:37 AM-4:37 AM and 2:37 PM-4:37 PM
- Minor period
- 9:07 AM-10:07 AM
- Sun
- 05:56 to 18:18
- Moon
- Waning Gibbous, 84% lit
- Sky and wind
- Overcast, 11 km/h
- Rain chance
- 21%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Beetaloo Reservoir: seasons written for the southern year, and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.
Murray cod
Closed 1 September to 30 November in NSW, Victoria and the ACT, and 1 August to 31 October in Queensland; check the exempt lakes
Release only Catch and release only; the season closes 2 Nov 2026. The Department for Environment and Water opens Beetaloo Reservoir from 1 May to 1 November only, and closes it on Total Fire Ban days and for operational work; shore fishing only, with the SA Water reservoir permit. Murray cod may be caught and released all year when reservoir fishing, and never kept. Rule as read from Department for Environment and Water on 2026-09-28.
The giant of the inland rivers and the big lakes (Hume, Mulwala, Eildon). A snag fish that eats big lures, and a species with a closed season across the Murray-Darling. Slow it down: heavier spinnerbaits, slow-rolled swimbaits and bait on the bottom next to the deep snags.
Golden perch
Best: November to April
Open now Closes 2 Nov 2026. The Department for Environment and Water opens Beetaloo Reservoir from 1 May to 1 November only, and closes it on Total Fire Ban days and for operational work; shore fishing only, with the SA Water reservoir permit. Rule as read from Department for Environment and Water on 2026-09-28.
Yellowbelly. The bread-and-butter native of the Murray-Darling lakes and rivers; loves warm water, structure and a lure worked slowly past its nose. Slower. Work the deeper timber and the drop-offs with vibes and bait.
When to come: the Beetaloo Reservoir 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
Murray cod
Golden perch
SlowPeak
Water temperature through the year
Typical surface temperature for this water type in degrees Celsius; today is around 13 °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 Beetaloo Reservoir today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataTue, Sep 29
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Golden perch led the card at fair. High of 32 °C, wind to 26 km/h.
Mon, Sep 28
4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Golden perch led the card at good. High of 29 °C, wind to 18 km/h.
Sun, Sep 27
4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Golden perch led the card at good. High of 24 °C, wind to 19 km/h.
Before you go
Licence
South Australia has no general recreational fishing licence; the limits and closures do. Details and where to buy →
Regulations
Size and bag limits, closed seasons and marine park zones are set by PIRSA and change: confirm the current rules on the agency page linked from the South Australia licence page before you keep anything.
Access
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About this water
Beetaloo Reservoir is a lake in South Australia, Australia, covered from the South Australia reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Beetaloo Reservoir: the full guide
The reservoir
Beetaloo Reservoir sits just east of Port Pirie in the southern Flinders Ranges. SA Water records that it was built in the mid-1880s and holds 3.2 gigalitres. The precinct is now managed by the Department for Environment and Water for picnics, barbecues, birdwatching and fishing. At the lookout, ‘Wobma’, a 2019 artwork by Nukunu artist Jessica Turner, shows two serpents wrapped around the reservoir.
Season and hours
Beetaloo is a seasonal water. The Department for Environment and Water opens it 24 hours a day from 1 May to 1 November and keeps it closed for the rest of the year, as well as on Total Fire Ban days and for operational work, when the gates are shut. It may also close for bad weather, fire danger or land management, and algae management can close part of the precinct. From 2 November the gates stay shut until the following May, so plan trips inside the open window.
Fish and limits
The department and SA Water both list golden perch, silver perch and Murray cod at Beetaloo. Either perch must measure 33 cm to be kept, with a personal limit of two a day counted midnight to midnight, and Murray cod must be released straight away; PIRSA confirms cod may be caught and released all year in reservoirs. Carp, redfin and other non-native fish must be removed rather than returned, and SA Water’s permit conditions ask that no fish is cleaned at the reservoir.
Shore fishing only
Beetaloo allows no watercraft: canoes, kayaks, row boats, sailing boats, dinghies and anything motorised are all excluded because there are no safe launch sites. Fishing is from the bank, and you may wade below the knee only to retrieve or release a fish; swimming is not permitted. Without a boat, a longer rod helps reach past the shallow margins. Lures and flies are preferred under the permit, and bait must be brought from home.
Permit and conduct
SA Water’s reservoir fishing permit covers Beetaloo: A$12 for three consecutive days, A$24 for ten days or A$39.75 for a year, with concessions of A$9.55, A$19.10 and A$32.00. Anglers 16 and over need one, and a permit holder may take up to five children under 16 fishing. Carry the permit and identification. The department’s access conditions also rule out dogs other than assistance dogs, drones, camping and smoking, and ask visitors to stay on the trails.
Reading this page
Beetaloo has no live level gauge on the Bureau of Meteorology’s Water Data Online, whose Beetaloo Reservoir station is a rain gauge with no record since 2011, so no level chart appears here. The water temperature is an estimate. When blue-green algae levels rise, the department advises washing your hands after touching the water and cleaning any fish thoroughly, at home, before eating it.
Common questions
When is Beetaloo Reservoir open for fishing?
From 1 May to 1 November, 24 hours a day, according to the Department for Environment and Water. It is closed for the rest of the year and on Total Fire Ban days.
Can I use a kayak at Beetaloo Reservoir?
No. Canoes, kayaks and every other kind of boat are excluded, so all fishing is from the shore.
Do I need a permit to fish Beetaloo?
Yes. SA Water’s reservoir fishing permit is required for anglers aged 16 and over, starting at A$12 for three days.
Is fishing good at Beetaloo Reservoir 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
- Pages checked
- environment.sa.gov.au/topics/park-management/beetaloo
- environment.sa.gov.au/topics/park-management/beetaloo/conditions-of-ac
- sawater.com.au/reservoir-reserves/activities/fishing
- sawater.com.au/forms/buy-a-fishing-permit
- sawater.com.au/reservoir-reserves/access-and-permits/conditions-of-acc
- sawater.com.au/news/beetaloo-beauty-celebrates-local-connection-to-cul
- pir.sa.gov.au/fishing-and-aquaculture/recreational-fishing/rules/reser
- pir.sa.gov.au/fishing-and-aquaculture/recreational-fishing/rules/speci
- 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.