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.
Wayatinah Lagoon Fishing Report
Updated Sat, 26 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Derwent lagoon at the hydro village of Wayatinah: brown trout under the general lake rules the Code names it for, with a Bureau gauge.
2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Level
230.59 m4,608 ML
Air / High
8 °C / 10 °C
Wind
SW 13 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 190.1, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Wayatinah Lagoon has cold water and fish that move for very little; fish the sunniest hours. The gauge reads 230.59 m, holding steady. Today brings clear skies, wind SW around 13 km/h, rising pressure near 1032 hPa and a high of 9 °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 11 °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 Wayatinah Lagoon today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:56), 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 190.1 (WAYATINAH LAGOON - AT INTAKE).
Storage level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 190.1. Latest reading 2026-09-25 00:00.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp8 °C
High / Low10 °C / 3 °C
WindSW 13 km/h, gusts 40 km/h
Pressure1031.8 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain3% cloud, 100%
Sunrise / Sunset05:56 / 18:14
MoonFull Moon, 100%
Water temp (seasonal)~8 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Wayatinah Lagoon
The best day on Wayatinah Lagoon this week looks like Tuesday 29 Sept, at 4 out of 5, against 2 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: Tuesday, 29 Sept — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.
Today, 26 Sept — Tough
Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
- Solunar majors
- 11:16 PM-1:16 AM and 11:16 AM-1:16 PM
- Minor period
- 5:46 AM-6:46 AM
- Sun
- 05:56 to 18:14
- Moon
- Full Moon, 100% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 19 km/h
- Rain chance
- 100%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Wayatinah Lagoon: 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 Wayatinah Lagoon 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 Wayatinah Lagoon 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 19 °C, wind to 18 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 20 °C, wind to 11 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 17 °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
Anglers at Wayatinah need the Tasmanian inland angling licence from age 14; our Tasmania licence page has the fees.
About this water
Wayatinah Lagoon is a lake in Tasmania, Australia, covered from the Tasmania reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Wayatinah Lagoon: the full guide
Wayatinah Lagoon
Wayatinah Lagoon is the hydro storage on the Derwent River beside the village of Wayatinah in the Central Highlands, near the Nive junction and above Lake Catagunya, a lagoon with a camping ground and a ramp at the village. The Inland Fishing Code names it as one of its examples of a lake under the general lake rules, and the Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at the intake supplies the level and the 30-day chart on this page.
Species and seasons
Brown trout are the fish of Wayatinah Lagoon, along the edges, the drop-offs and the inflows, taken on lures, the fly and bait under the general lake rules. The lagoon follows the general lake season, 1 August 2026 to 2 May 2027 this year, the first Saturday of August to the Sunday nearest 30 April, computed on the species card, with the general bag of 12 fish over 300 mm.
Where to fish it
The village foreshore, the camping ground and the ramp at Wayatinah are the access, and the bank near the village and the inflow reaches are where most anglers fish. A small boat covers the lagoon and the drop-offs toward the intake.
Planning a visit
Wayatinah village has a lakeside caravan park and a ramp, and the Lyell Highway towns of Ouse and Hamilton have supplies. The lagoon suits a family trip, with the general lake rules easy to follow, and the other Derwent lakes within a short drive.
Reading this report here
Wayatinah’s level follows the hydro operation on the Derwent, which the chart shows; the valley shelters the lagoon from the worst of the plateau wind. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is cool to cold through the season. Pressure and sky build the score at Wayatinah Lagoon.
Licence, access and rules
Anglers at Wayatinah need the Tasmanian inland angling licence from age 14; our Tasmania licence page has the fees. The camping ground and the ramp are open under Hydro Tasmania’s rules, and the Inland Fishing Code is in the sources.
Common questions
What rules apply at Wayatinah Lagoon?
The general lake rules of the Inland Fishing Code, which names Wayatinah Lagoon as an example: all methods, 12 fish over 300 mm, and the general season.
Is there camping at Wayatinah?
Yes, there is a camping ground and a ramp at the village.
Do I need a licence at Wayatinah Lagoon?
Yes: the Tasmanian inland angling licence, from age 14.
Is fishing good at Wayatinah Lagoon right now?
Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Nearby waters
Where this page's numbers come from
- Storage and river readings
- Bureau of Meteorology, Water Data Online, station 190.1 — WAYATINAH LAGOON - AT INTAKE
- 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.