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.
North Esk River at Ballroom Fishing Report
Updated Fri, 25 Sept 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
0.71 m
Air / High
10 °C / 18 °C
Wind
NNE 12 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 has cold water and fish that move for very little; fish the sunniest hours. The gauge reads 0.71 m, holding steady. Today brings cloud cover, wind NNE around 11 km/h, rising pressure near 1022 hPa and a high of 18 °C. Water sits around 8 °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.
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: 10:25 AM-12:25 PM, 10:25 PM-12:25 AM, 4:55 AM-5:55 AM. Cooler at 11 °C with a rain chance. 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 (05:55), sunset (18:09), 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 76.1 (NORTH ESK RIVER AT BALLROOM).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 76.1. Latest reading 2026-09-24 08:00.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp10 °C
High / Low18 °C / 10 °C
WindNNE 12 km/h, gusts 23 km/h
Pressure1021.9 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain94% cloud, 96%
Sunrise / Sunset05:55 / 18:09
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~8 °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 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
- 05:55 to 18:09
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 18 km/h
- Rain chance
- 96%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
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
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 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 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 North Esk River at Ballroom 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. Rainbow trout led the card at slow. High of 19 °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. Rainbow trout led the card at fair. High of 16 °C, wind to 13 km/h.
Tue, Sep 22
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 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
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 general river rules: 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. 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.
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 general river rules and the season are in the Inland Fishing Code in the sources.
Common questions
When is the North Esk open for trout?
From the first Saturday of August to the Sunday nearest 30 April, under the general river 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: the Tasmanian inland angling licence, from age 14.
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
- 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.