Australian bass
Fair
Dam fish school deep; vertical jig plastics and blades over them. Rivers slow, and closed in NSW from May.
Tod Reservoir Fishing Report
Updated Tue, 29 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
SA Water’s 1922 reservoir 27 km north of Port Lincoln: catch-and-release Australian bass, a paid permit, shore and kayak fishing, and a new Wattle Hub car park.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~16 °C est.
Air / High
20 °C / 30 °C
Wind
N 15 km/h
Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Tod Reservoir is in its cool-water rhythm: slower presentations and the warmest hours of the day. Today brings a mixed sky, wind N around 14 km/h, steady pressure near 1020 hPa and a high of 31 °C. Water sits around 16 °C for the season (estimated). With the waning gibbous, the solunar majors run 1:47 AM-3:47 AM and 1:47 PM-3:47 PM: the windows to build the day around.
Tie on: Blade or vibe, slow hops · Lightly weighted plastic · Whole pilchard or squid on the bottom · Suspending hardbody. Prime windows: 1:47 AM-3:47 AM, 1:47 PM-3:47 PM, 8:17 AM-9:17 AM. Cooler at 22 °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. Australian bass are catch and immediate release; kayaks and canoes only, not beyond the northern buoy line. Closed on Total Fire Ban days and Christmas Day.
South Australia has no general fishing licence, but rules and permits apply. South Australia fishing licence: cost, rules and where to buy →
Chasing australian bass here? Check the size and bag limits with PIRSA before you keep anything; the Australian bass page has the seasons and the tactics.
Fishing times for Tod Reservoir today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (06:06), sunset (18:27), the moon and today's score. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 1:47 AM-3:47 AM and 1:47 PM-3:47 PM; minor 8:17 AM-9:17 AM. Waning Gibbous, 91% 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 temp20 °C
High / Low30 °C / 16 °C
WindN 15 km/h, gusts 26 km/h
Pressure1020.0 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain39% cloud, 23%
Sunrise / Sunset06:06 / 18:27
MoonWaning Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~16 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Tod Reservoir
The best day on Tod Reservoir this week looks like Thursday 1 Oct, at 5 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: Thursday, 1 Oct — excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.
Today, 29 Sept — Fair
A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
- Solunar majors
- 1:47 AM-3:47 AM and 1:47 PM-3:47 PM
- Minor period
- 8:17 AM-9:17 AM
- Sun
- 06:06 to 18:27
- Moon
- Waning Gibbous, 91% lit
- Sky and wind
- Overcast, 31 km/h
- Rain chance
- 23%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Tod Reservoir: seasons written for the southern year, and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.
Australian bass
September to April in the rivers; closed 1 May to 31 August in NSW rivers, and dams stay open
The native sportfish of the east-coast rivers and the stocked dams. Surface lures in summer, deep in winter, and a river closed season for spawning. Dam fish school deep; vertical jig plastics and blades over them. Rivers slow, and closed in NSW from May.
When to come: the Tod 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
Australian bass
SlowPeak
Water temperature through the year
Typical surface temperature for this water type in degrees Celsius; today is around 16 °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 Tod Reservoir today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataMon, Sep 28
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Australian bass led the card at fair. High of 21 °C, wind to 19 km/h.
Sun, Sep 27
4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Australian bass led the card at good. High of 16 °C, wind to 26 km/h.
Sat, Sep 26
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Australian bass led the card at fair. High of 15 °C, wind to 26 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
Tod Reservoir is a lake in South Australia, Australia, covered from the South Australia reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Tod Reservoir: the full guide
The reservoir
Tod Reservoir is 27 km north of Port Lincoln on the Eyre Peninsula. It was built between 1918 and 1922 to ease the region’s reliance on water carted by rail, and when the original contractors hit financial trouble, pastoralist Sir Sidney Kidman took over the contract and finished it. It holds 11.3 gigalitres, filled through concrete channels from weirs on the Tod River and Pillaworta Creek. Because of its high salinity, SA Water does not use it to supply drinking water.
The fish
Australian bass are the one species SA Water lists for Tod, and the permit conditions make them catch and immediate release. A bass may be lifted to be unhooked if it is supported flat in a knotless net and handled with wet gloves, then returned the moment the hook is out; circle hooks for bait and barbless hooks shorten the job. Any carp, redfin or other non-native fish has to be taken off the site rather than put back.
Where and how to fish
With a permit you can fish from the shore or from a kayak or canoe. Paddlers unload at the car park and carry the craft down to a beach launch, or park at the new Wattle Hub and walk it to the water’s edge. Do not paddle beyond the northern buoy line, which protects the conservation values at that end. Only kayaks and canoes are allowed, without motors or sails, and a lifejacket must be worn. The Tod page asks anglers to take all lines, hooks and sinkers home.
Works, hours and closures
SA Water is upgrading the reserve. The Wattle Hub now has a car park, toilets and a picnic shelter, while a new shoreline loop trail is being built and is due to be finished by the end of November; until then keep clear of the works and follow the signs. The museum car park and picnic area open daily from sunrise to sunset in standard time, and the lookout on Saturdays and Sundays. The reserve closes on Total Fire Ban days, Christmas Day and for operational work.
Around the reserve
The Sugar Gum Hub has parking, barbecues, a rotunda, a drinking fountain, toilets and a tennis court. The local history museum, open Monday to Friday from 8.30 am to 4 pm, tells the story of water supply in the district, and the 1.4 km Scrub-robin Loop makes a short walk between sessions. Dogs are not permitted apart from assistance animals, and bait has to be brought in, since none may be collected on the reserve.
Reading this page
SA Water says it does not currently monitor Tod’s volume, and there is no Bureau of Meteorology storage gauge on the reservoir, so this page shows no level. The water temperature is an estimate rather than a measurement, and the outlook weighs the weather and the season for bass. Wind across open water matters most to kayak anglers, so check the forecast before launching.
Common questions
What can you catch at Tod Reservoir?
SA Water lists Australian bass, which must be released immediately. Carp and redfin must not go back into the water.
Can I fish Tod Reservoir from a kayak?
Yes, with SA Water’s permit, in a kayak or canoe without a motor or sail, launched from the beach launch, with a lifejacket worn and without paddling past the northern buoy line.
When is Tod Reservoir open?
The museum car park and picnic area open daily from sunrise to sunset in standard time and the lookout on weekends; the reserve closes on Total Fire Ban days, Christmas Day and for operational work.
Is fishing good at Tod Reservoir 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
- 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.