Rainbow trout
Excellent
Prime. Shore fishing along the edges with bait, spinners and flies, and the rivers if the season is open.
North Esk River at Ballroom Fishing Report
Updated Mon, 9 Nov 2026 from live weather and tide data
The North Esk east of Launceston: wild browns in the farmland and forest river above the city, with a Bureau gauge at Ballroom.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Level
0.68 m
Air / High
10 °C / 16 °C
Wind
NNW 6 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 76.1, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
North Esk River at Ballroom rewards patience today, with cool water and short feeding windows. The gauge reads 0.68 m, holding steady. Today brings a mixed sky, wind NNW around 6 km/h, steady pressure near 1021 hPa and a high of 16 °C. Water sits around 13 °C for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:17 PM-1:17 AM and 11:46 AM-1:46 PM: the windows to build the day around.
Brown trout
Excellent
Prime. Nymphs and streamers on the rivers, and the lake edges on the overcast days.
Tie on: Blade or vibe, slow hops · Lightly weighted plastic · Whole pilchard or squid on the bottom · Suspending hardbody. Prime windows: 11:17 PM-1:17 AM, 11:46 AM-1:46 PM, 4:46 AM-5:46 AM. Similar at 18 °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 North Esk River at Ballroom today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:47), sunset (20:01), the moon and today's score. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 11:17 PM-1:17 AM and 11:46 AM-1:46 PM; minor 4:46 AM-5:46 AM. New Moon, 0% lit.
Water and weather
Live readings from Bureau of Meteorology station 76.1 (NORTH ESK RIVER AT BALLROOM).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 76.1. Latest reading 2026-11-08 01:00.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp10 °C
High / Low16 °C / 3 °C
WindNNW 6 km/h, gusts 23 km/h
Pressure1020.5 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain30% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset05:47 / 20:01
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~13 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish North Esk River at Ballroom
The best day on North Esk River at Ballroom this week looks like Thursday 12 Nov, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.
Best day this week: Thursday, 12 Nov — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.
Today, 9 Nov — Fair
A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
- Solunar majors
- 11:17 PM-1:17 AM and 11:46 AM-1:46 PM
- Minor period
- 4:46 AM-5:46 AM
- Sun
- 05:47 to 20:01
- Moon
- New Moon, 0% lit
- Sky and wind
- Overcast, 18 km/h
- Rain chance
- 0%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on North Esk River at Ballroom: seasons written for the southern year, and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.
Rainbow trout
Streams from October to June in NSW and from September to June in Victoria; lakes open all year; Tasmania from the first Saturday of 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. Prime. Shore fishing along the edges with bait, spinners and flies, and the rivers if the season is open.
Brown trout
Streams from October to June in NSW and from September to June in Victoria; lakes open all year; Tasmania from the first Saturday of 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. Prime. Nymphs and streamers on the rivers, and the lake edges on the overcast days.
When to come: the North Esk River at Ballroom 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 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 North Esk River at Ballroom today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataSun, Nov 8
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 13 °C, wind to 19 km/h.
Sat, Nov 7
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 13 °C, wind to 14 km/h.
Fri, Nov 6
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 16 °C, wind to 24 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 on the North Esk from age 14; our Tasmania licence page has the fees.
About this water
North Esk River at Ballroom is a river in Tasmania, Australia, covered from the Tasmania reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing North Esk River at Ballroom: the full guide
The North Esk at Ballroom
The North Esk rises under Ben Lomond and runs west through the farmland and forest country of the upper valley to meet the South Esk and the Tamar at Launceston; Ballroom is a gauging site on the river east of the city, in the valley country toward Blessington and Nunamara. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Ballroom supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. Lake Trevallyn and the South Esk at Perth have their own pages.
Species and seasons
Wild brown trout are the fish of the North Esk, in the runs, the riffles and the pools on the fly, lures and bait. The North Esk above the city is not listed separately in the Inland Fishing Code, so it follows the river fisheries rules: open from the first Saturday of August to the Sunday nearest 30 April, computed on the species card, all methods, with a daily bag of five fish over 220 mm. Below the A8 road bridge in Launceston, the kanamaluka / Tamar is open all year.
Where to fish it
The road crossings and reserves along the North Esk valley give access to the river, and anglers walk and wade the reaches between them. Much of the frontage is private farmland, so ask before crossing it. Lower down, the Code carries a Department of Health warning not to eat any fish, eels included, from the North Esk between Corra Linn Gorge and the Tamar because of PFAS; Ballroom is upstream of that reach, but keep it in mind if you fish toward the city.
Planning a visit
The North Esk valley is reached on the roads east of Launceston toward Nunamara and Blessington, and Launceston has tackle, supplies and the IFS licence agents. Bring light trout gear, and ask the landholders before crossing private paddocks to the river.
Reading this report here
The chart shows the North Esk rising after rain on Ben Lomond and falling through summer, when the river runs low and clear and the trout fish at dawn. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is cool for much of the season; pressure and sky build the score at Ballroom.
Licence, access and rules
The Tasmanian inland angling licence is needed on the North Esk from age 14; our Tasmania licence page has the fees. The river fisheries rules, the season and the PFAS eating advice are set out in the Inland Fishing Code in the sources.
Common questions
When is the North Esk open for trout?
The North Esk opens on the first Saturday of August and closes on the Sunday nearest 30 April, under the river fisheries rules.
What is the bag on the North Esk?
Five fish over 220 mm under the general river rules.
Do I need a licence on the North Esk?
Yes, from age 14: the Tasmanian inland angling licence is needed on the North Esk.
Is fishing good at North Esk River at Ballroom 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 76.1 — NORTH ESK RIVER AT BALLROOM
- 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.