Rainbow trout
Slow
Winter lakes: bait on the bottom in the deeper bays through the middle of the day, or polaroiding the shallows on the bright days in Tasmania.
George River above St Helens Fishing Report
Updated Sat, 26 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The George River above St Helens: trout in the fresh water and bream below, on Tasmania’s north-east coast, with a Bureau gauge at the town intake.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Level
1.65 m
Air / High
13 °C / 14 °C
Wind
SSE 15 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 2205.1, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
George River above St Helens is a cold-water proposition today: bait on the bottom and a long soak. The gauge reads 1.65 m, holding steady. Today brings cloud cover, wind SSE around 14 km/h, rising pressure near 1022 hPa and a high of 14 °C. Water sits around 8 °C for the season (estimated). With the full moon, the solunar majors run 11:16 PM-1:16 AM and 11:16 AM-1:16 PM: the windows to build the day around.
Brown trout
Slow
The lake fishery: bait or slow lures in the deeper bays; the rivers are closed in NSW and Victoria.
Tie on: Bait on the bottom, running sinker · Heavy blade, deep · Slow-rolled swimbait · Live bait, deepest hole. Prime windows: 11:16 PM-1:16 AM, 11:16 AM-1:16 PM, 5:46 AM-6:46 AM. Similar at 13 °C. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.
Before you go
Tasmania requires a fishing licence for most fishing, from A$29.00. Tasmania fishing licence: cost, rules and where to buy →
Chasing rainbow trout here? Check the size and bag limits with IFS Tasmania before you keep anything; the Rainbow trout page has the seasons and the tactics.
Fishing times for George River above St Helens today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:50), sunset (18:07), the moon and today's score. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 11:16 PM-1:16 AM and 11:16 AM-1:16 PM; minor 5:46 AM-6:46 AM. Full Moon, 100% lit.
Water and weather
Live readings from Bureau of Meteorology station 2205.1 (GEORGE RIVER AT ST HELENS WATER SUPPLY).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 2205.1. Latest reading 2026-09-25 08:00.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp13 °C
High / Low14 °C / 6 °C
WindSSE 15 km/h, gusts 29 km/h
Pressure1022.3 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain99% cloud, 88%
Sunrise / Sunset05:50 / 18:07
MoonFull Moon, 100%
Water temp (seasonal)~8 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish George River above St Helens
The best day on George River above St Helens this week looks like Sunday 27 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: Sunday, 27 Sept — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.
Today, 26 Sept — Fair
A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
- Solunar majors
- 11:16 PM-1:16 AM and 11:16 AM-1:16 PM
- Minor period
- 5:46 AM-6:46 AM
- Sun
- 05:50 to 18:07
- Moon
- Full Moon, 100% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 19 km/h
- Rain chance
- 88%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on George River above St Helens: seasons written for the southern year, and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.
Rainbow trout
Open season from October to June in NSW and Victoria; Tasmania from August
Open now Closes 3 May 2027. Most waters open from the first Saturday of August to the Sunday nearest 30 April; designated rainbow trout waters run from the Saturday nearest 1 October to the Sunday nearest 31 May. Rule as read from Inland Fisheries Service Tasmania on 2026-09-23.
The stocked lakes of the Snowy Mountains, the Victorian highlands and the Tasmanian central plateau. Closed seasons apply on the rivers: check the state rules. Winter lakes: bait on the bottom in the deeper bays through the middle of the day, or polaroiding the shallows on the bright days in Tasmania.
Brown trout
Open season from October to June in NSW and Victoria; Tasmania from August
Open now Closes 3 May 2027. Most waters open from the first Saturday of August to the Sunday nearest 30 April; designated rainbow trout waters run from the Saturday nearest 1 October to the Sunday nearest 31 May. Rule as read from Inland Fisheries Service Tasmania on 2026-09-23.
The wild trout of the highland rivers and Tasmania's lakes. Spawns in autumn, hence the closed rivers through winter in NSW and Victoria. The lake fishery: bait or slow lures in the deeper bays; the rivers are closed in NSW and Victoria.
When to come: the George River above St Helens 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
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak
Water temperature through the year
Typical surface temperature for this water type in degrees Celsius; today is around 8 °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 George River above St Helens today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataFri, Sep 25
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at slow. High of 21 °C, wind to 19 km/h.
Thu, Sep 24
4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Rainbow trout led the card at fair. High of 20 °C, wind to 16 km/h.
Wed, Sep 23
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at slow. High of 18 °C, wind to 16 km/h.
Before you go
Licence
Tasmanian Inland Angling Licence, from A$29.00, the same for residents and visitors. Details and where to buy →
Regulations
Size and bag limits, closed seasons and marine park zones are set by IFS Tasmania and change: confirm the current rules on the agency page linked from the Tasmania licence page before you keep anything.
Access
The Tasmanian inland angling licence is needed for trout in the fresh George from age 14; our Tasmania licence page has the fees.
About this water
George River above St Helens is a river in Tasmania, Australia, covered from the Tasmania reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing George River above St Helens: the full guide
The George above St Helens
The George River runs from the north-east highlands down through forest to Georges Bay at St Helens, the fishing town of Tasmania’s north-east coast; the gauge sits at the town’s water supply intake on the fresh river above the bay. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge there supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. St Helens and Georges Bay have their own page.
Species and seasons
Brown trout are the fish of the fresh George River above the tide, in the runs and pools on the fly, lures and bait; black bream fish the lower river and Georges Bay. The fresh river follows the Inland Fishing Code’s general river rules, open from the first Saturday of August to the Sunday nearest 30 April and computed on the species card; the lower reaches designated as indigenous fish waters can be fished for bream without a licence, with any trout returned.
Where to fish it
The roads up the George valley give access to the fresh river above St Helens, and the lower river and the bay are fished from the town, the bridges and boats. The bay is covered on our St Helens page. The pools below the water supply intake and the runs downstream hold the browns in the fresh river.
Planning a visit
St Helens, on the Tasman Highway, is the north-east coast’s fishing town, with tackle, supplies, accommodation and ramps onto Georges Bay. Bring trout gear for the fresh river above the town and bream gear for the lower river and the bay.
Reading this report here
The chart shows the George rising after heavy rain in the north-east highlands; a flooded river pushes the bream down to the bay. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is cool for much of the season; pressure and sky build the score above St Helens.
Licence, access and rules
The Tasmanian inland angling licence is needed for trout in the fresh George from age 14; our Tasmania licence page has the fees. The general river rules, the indigenous fish waters and the sea fishing rules for the bay are in the sources.
Common questions
Do I need a licence to fish the George River?
For trout in the fresh river, yes, the inland licence from age 14; bream fishing in the designated indigenous fish waters of the lower river needs no licence.
What can I catch in the George River?
Brown trout in the fresh water and black bream in the lower river and Georges Bay.
When is the fresh George River open for trout?
From the first Saturday of August to the Sunday nearest 30 April.
Is fishing good at George River above St Helens 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 2205.1 — GEORGE RIVER AT ST HELENS WATER SUPPLY
- 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.