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.
Nive River at Gowan Brae Fishing Report
Updated Sat, 26 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Nive River at Gowan Brae below Pine Tier: brown trout in the highland river of the Derwent scheme, with a Bureau gauge.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Level
0.61 m
Air / High
3 °C / 5 °C
Wind
SW 17 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 497.1, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Nive River at Gowan Brae has cold water and fish that move for very little; fish the sunniest hours. The gauge reads 0.61 m, holding steady. Today brings a mixed sky, wind SW around 16 km/h, steady pressure near 1033 hPa and a high of 6 °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 7 °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 Nive River at Gowan Brae today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:57), sunset (18:14), 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 497.1 (NIVE RIVER - AT GOWAN BRAE).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 497.1. Latest reading 2026-09-24 17:45.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp3 °C
High / Low5 °C / 0 °C
WindSW 17 km/h, gusts 44 km/h
Pressure1032.6 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain40% cloud, 90%
Sunrise / Sunset05:57 / 18:14
MoonFull Moon, 100%
Water temp (seasonal)~8 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Nive River at Gowan Brae
The best day on Nive River at Gowan Brae 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
- 05:57 to 18:14
- Moon
- Full Moon, 100% lit
- Sky and wind
- Storms, 21 km/h
- Rain chance
- 90%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Nive River at Gowan Brae: 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 Nive River at Gowan Brae 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 Nive River at Gowan Brae 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 15 °C, wind to 24 km/h.
Thu, Sep 24
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at slow. High of 16 °C, wind to 26 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 14 °C, wind to 11 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
A Tasmanian inland angling licence is needed from age 14; our Tasmania licence page has the fees.
About this water
Nive River at Gowan Brae is a river in Tasmania, Australia, covered from the Tasmania reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Nive River at Gowan Brae: the full guide
The Nive at Gowan Brae
The Nive River runs from the Central Plateau through Pine Tier Lagoon and the highland country toward its junction with the Derwent near Wayatinah; Gowan Brae is a gauging site on the river in the highlands. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Gowan Brae supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. Pine Tier Lagoon and Wayatinah Lagoon have their own pages.
Species and seasons
Brown trout are the fish of the Nive, in the runs and pools on the fly, lures and bait. The general river rules apply: open from the first Saturday of August to the Sunday nearest 30 April, computed on the species card, with a bag of five fish over 220 mm.
Where to fish it
The hydro roads and the crossings in the highlands give access to the Nive; it is remote country with few facilities.
Planning a visit
Bronte Park and Tarraleah are the nearest places with accommodation. Carry food and fuel, and warm, waterproof clothing.
The river through the year
The Nive is part of the Derwent hydro system, and dams and diversions upstream, Pine Tier Lagoon among them, regulate much of its flow, so the level at Gowan Brae can change with hydro operations as well as with the rain. The highland climate sets the rest: cold winters, when the season is open but the fish are slow, a spring when the water warms and the trout start to rise, and a summer when the runs and pools fish best on still evenings. The highland country is open, cold and windy, and the weather can change quickly even in summer. Warm clothing is essential at any time of year, and the roads into the highlands are unsealed in places.
Reading this report here
The chart shows the Nive’s flow, much of it set by the hydro releases through the Derwent scheme. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is cold for much of the season; pressure and sky build the score at Gowan Brae.
Licence, access and rules
A Tasmanian inland angling licence is needed from age 14; our Tasmania licence page has the fees. The Inland Fishing Code is in the sources.
Common questions
When is the Nive open for trout?
From the first Saturday of August to the Sunday nearest 30 April.
What can I catch in the Nive?
Brown trout.
Do I need a licence here?
Yes: the Tasmanian inland angling licence, from age 14.
Is fishing good at Nive River at Gowan Brae 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 497.1 — NIVE RIVER - AT GOWAN BRAE
- 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.