Murray River at Blanchetown (Lock 1) Fishing Report
Updated Fri, 25 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The River Murray at Lock 1, Blanchetown: the first lock above the lakes, callop, cod and redfin under the limestone cliffs, with a Bureau gauge at the lock.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Level
3.24 m28,455 ML
Air / High
19 °C / 28 °C
Wind
S 13 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge A4260902, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Murray River at Blanchetown (Lock 1) rewards patience today, with cool water and short feeding windows. The gauge reads 3.24 m, holding steady. Today brings a mixed sky, wind S around 13 km/h, rising pressure near 1024 hPa and a high of 28 °C. Water sits around 13 °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.
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: 10:25 AM-12:25 PM, 10:25 PM-12:25 AM, 4:55 AM-5:55 AM. Cooler at 23 °C. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.
Before you go
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 Murray River at Blanchetown (Lock 1) today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:57), sunset (18:09), 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 A4260902 (River Murray at Lock 1 Upstream (AMTD 274.3km)).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station A4260902. Latest reading 2026-09-24 09:30.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp19 °C
High / Low28 °C / 14 °C
WindS 13 km/h, gusts 22 km/h
Pressure1024.4 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain46% cloud, 35%
Sunrise / Sunset05:57 / 18:09
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~13 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Murray River at Blanchetown (Lock 1)
The best day on Murray River at Blanchetown (Lock 1) this week looks like Saturday 26 Sept, at 4 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: Saturday, 26 Sept — good at 4/5, 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
- 05:57 to 18:09
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Overcast, 16 km/h
- Rain chance
- 35%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Murray River at Blanchetown (Lock 1): seasons written for the southern year, and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.
Murray cod
December to August; closed September to November
Closed now Catch and release reopens 1 Jan 2027. No Murray cod may be taken at any time from the River Murray or lakes Albert and Alexandrina. Catch and release is allowed from 1 January to 31 July, except on the Chowilla floodplain; from 1 August to 31 December cod may not be targeted at all, trolling included. Rule as read from PIRSA on 2026-09-25.
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
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 Murray River at Blanchetown (Lock 1) 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 Murray River at Blanchetown (Lock 1) today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataThu, Sep 24
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Golden perch led the card at fair. High of 29 °C, wind to 10 km/h.
Wed, Sep 23
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 11 km/h.
Tue, Sep 22
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Golden perch led the card at fair. High of 19 °C, wind to 13 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
South Australia needs no fishing licence at Blanchetown; PIRSA sets the size, bag and boat limits, the Murray cod rule, release only and never kept, and the closed waters near the locks, linked from this page.
About this water
Murray River at Blanchetown (Lock 1) is a river in South Australia, Australia, covered from the South Australia reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Murray River at Blanchetown (Lock 1): the full guide
Blanchetown and Lock 1
Blanchetown is the river town where the Sturt Highway crosses the River Murray in South Australia, beside Lock 1, the first of the river’s locks and weirs and the one that holds the weir pool up through Morgan, with the limestone cliffs and red gum flats of the lower river around it. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Lock 1 supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. The river at Morgan upstream and Mannum downstream has its own pages.
Species and seasons
Golden perch, callop in South Australia, are the fish most anglers catch at Blanchetown, on shrimp, worms and lures along the snags and the cliff faces; Murray cod hold in the deeper holes and the timber; redfin school in the backwaters; carp are everywhere. PIRSA sets the size and bag limits; Murray cod may never be kept from the river, are catch and release only from 1 January to 31 July, and may not be targeted from 1 August to 31 December, computed on the species card.
Where to fish it
The riverfront reserves and the caravan park at Blanchetown give bank access, and the ramp puts a boat onto the weir pool upstream, where the cliffs and the snags hold fish. PIRSA’s closed waters include the areas close to the locks, so check them before fishing near the structure.
Planning a visit
Blanchetown is on the Sturt Highway about where the Adelaide traffic reaches the river, with a caravan park, a pub and a ramp, and houseboats and shacks along the reach. Bring bait for callop, barbless cod lures for release fishing in the months it is allowed, and a kayak for the backwaters, and plan around the summer heat, when the river bite is early and late.
Reading this report here
The level chart shows the weir pool at Lock 1, which the river operators hold within a narrow band except in high flows; a rising river after a flow from upstream colours the water and moves the callop. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is warm in summer; pressure and sky build the score at Blanchetown.
Licence, access and rules
South Australia needs no fishing licence at Blanchetown; PIRSA sets the size, bag and boat limits, the Murray cod rule, release only and never kept, and the closed waters near the locks, linked from this page. The reserves and the ramp are public.
Common questions
Can I fish right next to Lock 1?
PIRSA lists closed waters near the locks and weirs; check them before fishing close to the structure.
What can I catch at Blanchetown?
Golden perch (callop), redfin and carp to keep; Murray cod for release only, January to July.
Do I need a licence at Blanchetown?
No. South Australia has no general recreational fishing licence; PIRSA’s limits still apply.
Is fishing good at Murray River at Blanchetown (Lock 1) 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 A4260902 — River Murray at Lock 1 Upstream (AMTD 274.3km)
- 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.