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.
South Esk River at the Upper Esk Road bridge Fishing Report
Updated Fri, 25 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The upper South Esk at the Upper Esk Road bridge: brown trout above Avoca, on the general season, with a Bureau gauge.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Level
0.62 m
Air / High
9 °C / 18 °C
Wind
WNW 7 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 3364.1, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
South Esk River at the Upper Esk Road bridge has cold water and fish that move for very little; fish the sunniest hours. The gauge reads 0.62 m, holding steady. Today brings cloud cover, wind WNW around 6 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 South Esk River at the Upper Esk Road bridge today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:54), sunset (18:08), 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 3364.1 (SOUTH ESK RIVER AT UPPER ESK ROAD BRIDGE).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 3364.1. Latest reading 2026-09-24 05:45.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp9 °C
High / Low18 °C / 9 °C
WindWNW 7 km/h, gusts 18 km/h
Pressure1022.1 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain93% cloud, 82%
Sunrise / Sunset05:54 / 18:08
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~8 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish South Esk River at the Upper Esk Road bridge
The best day on South Esk River at the Upper Esk Road bridge 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
- 05:54 to 18:08
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 19 km/h
- Rain chance
- 82%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on South Esk River at the Upper Esk Road bridge: 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 South Esk River at the Upper Esk Road bridge 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 South Esk River at the Upper Esk Road bridge 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 18 °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 14 °C, wind to 14 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 16 °C, wind to 8 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 applies from age 14; our Tasmania licence page has the fees.
About this water
South Esk River at the Upper Esk Road bridge is a river in Tasmania, Australia, covered from the Tasmania reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing South Esk River at the Upper Esk Road bridge: the full guide
The upper South Esk
The South Esk rises in the north-eastern highlands near Mathinna and runs south through forest and farmland toward Fingal and Avoca; the Upper Esk Road bridge is a crossing on this upper river, well above Avoca. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at the bridge supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. The South Esk at Llewellyn and Perth, downstream, have their own pages.
Species and seasons
Brown trout are the fish of the upper South Esk, in the runs and pools on the fly, lures and bait. Above the Storys Creek Road bridge at Avoca the Inland Fishing Code keeps the South Esk on the general season, the first Saturday of August to the Sunday nearest 30 April, computed on the species card; the extended season applies only below Avoca.
Where to fish it
The road crossings and reserves in the upper valley give access to the river; much of the land is forestry or private.
Planning a visit
Fingal and St Marys have supplies, and Mathinna is a small forestry village. Bring light trout gear.
The river through the year
The upper South Esk drains the north-eastern highlands, and it runs full and cold through the winter and spring and falls back in summer. The trout season opens in August with the river high; the trout feed near the edges then, and from October they rise in the runs as the water warms. Summer is the best dry-fly time, with lower, clearer water. Below Fingal the river runs through drier country toward Avoca. The forest around the upper river is quiet, and the early mornings in summer are the best of the day for dry flies on the runs.
Reading this report here
The chart shows the upper South Esk rising after rain in the highlands. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is cool for much of the season; pressure and sky build the score at the Upper Esk Road bridge.
Licence, access and rules
The Tasmanian inland angling licence applies from age 14; our Tasmania licence page has the fees. The Inland Fishing Code, with the South Esk sections, is in the sources.
Common questions
Does the extended season apply to the upper South Esk?
No. Above the Storys Creek Road bridge at Avoca the river is on the general season.
What can I catch here?
Brown trout.
Do I need a licence here?
Yes: the Tasmanian inland angling licence, from age 14.
Is fishing good at South Esk River at the Upper Esk Road bridge 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 3364.1 — SOUTH ESK RIVER AT UPPER ESK ROAD BRIDGE
- 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.