Murray River at Lock 4, Bookpurnong Fishing Report
Updated Fri, 25 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The River Murray at Lock 4, Bookpurnong, near Loxton: callop and cod among the Riverland’s red gum flats, with a Bureau gauge at the lock.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Level
13.36 m21,670 ML
Air / High
18 °C / 31 °C
Wind
SSE 7 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge A4260514, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Murray River at Lock 4, Bookpurnong has cool water and fish holding a little deeper and slower. The gauge reads 13.36 m, holding steady. Today brings a mixed sky, wind SSE around 8 km/h, rising pressure near 1024 hPa and a high of 31 °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 26 °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 Lock 4, Bookpurnong today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:53), sunset (18:06), 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 A4260514 (River Murray at Lock 4 Upstream (AMTD 516.2km)).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station A4260514. Latest reading 2026-09-24 08:30.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp18 °C
High / Low31 °C / 14 °C
WindSSE 7 km/h, gusts 14 km/h
Pressure1023.7 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain31% cloud, 2%
Sunrise / Sunset05:53 / 18:06
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~13 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Murray River at Lock 4, Bookpurnong
The best day on Murray River at Lock 4, Bookpurnong 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
- 05:53 to 18:06
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 14 km/h
- Rain chance
- 2%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Murray River at Lock 4, Bookpurnong: 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 Lock 4, Bookpurnong 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 Lock 4, Bookpurnong 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 13 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 26 °C, wind to 14 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 20 °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
There is no fishing licence in South Australia; 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 Lock 4, Bookpurnong is a river in South Australia, Australia, covered from the South Australia reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Murray River at Lock 4, Bookpurnong: the full guide
Lock 4 and Bookpurnong
Lock 4 holds the River Murray at Bookpurnong, between Loxton and Berri in the South Australian Riverland, a reach of red gum flats, floodplain lagoons and the Katarapko country across the river. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge upstream of the lock supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. Berri, upstream, has its own page.
Species and seasons
Golden perch, callop in South Australia, are the main catch at Bookpurnong, on shrimp, worms and lures along the snags; Murray cod hold in the timber and the deeper holes; redfin school in the backwaters; carp are abundant. 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 reserves near Lock 4 and the river access from Loxton give bank fishing, and a boat from the Loxton or Berri ramps covers the weir pool and the backwaters. PIRSA’s closed waters include the areas near the locks; check them before fishing close to Lock 4. The snags along the main channel and the inlets of the backwaters hold the callop and the cod, and a slow drift with bait along the red gums is the local method.
Planning a visit
Lock 4 is between Loxton and Berri in the Riverland, both of which have supplies, accommodation and ramps. The Katarapko section of the Murray River National Park across the river has camping. Bring bait for callop, barbless cod lures for release fishing in the months it is allowed, and a kayak for the backwaters.
Reading this report here
The chart shows the Lock 4 weir pool, held steady except in flows; environmental water released onto the Bookpurnong and Katarapko floodplains changes the backwaters. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is warm in summer; pressure and sky build the score at Bookpurnong.
Licence, access and rules
There is no fishing licence in South Australia; 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 river reserves are public, and Katarapko is national park with its own rules.
Common questions
Where is Lock 4?
At Bookpurnong on the River Murray, between Loxton and Berri.
What can I catch at Bookpurnong?
Golden perch (callop), redfin and carp to keep; Murray cod for release only, January to July.
Do I need a licence here?
No. South Australia has no general recreational fishing licence.
Is fishing good at Murray River at Lock 4, Bookpurnong 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 A4260514 — River Murray at Lock 4 Upstream (AMTD 516.2km)
- 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.