Victoria fishes two bays, a long southern coast and an inland of big storages and rivers. Port Phillip and Western Port sit either side of the Mornington Peninsula and give Melbourne its snapper run and its whiting; the Gippsland Lakes in the east are bream and flathead water; the Great Ocean Road coast faces the Southern Ocean; and Eildon, Eppalock and Hume hold cod, golden perch and trout. One licence covers all of it, and nobody under 18 or aged 70 and over needs one.
Reports current for Tuesday 10 November
Every one of the 124 Victoria waters we cover has a live read this morning. 25 are scoring 4 out of 5 or better, and none is slow. Water runs 13 °C to 22 °C. Pressure is holding steady on most of them, so the day comes down to water temperature and wind. 2 have a better-than-even chance of rain.
Best right now: Barkers Creek Reservoir 4/5, Buckland River 4/5, Buffalo River at Abbeyard 4/5
Live verdicts from this morning's reports.
Melbourne’s bay, where the spring snapper run, the whiting grounds and the pier fishing of a whole city share one shallow, tidal basin.
Corio Bay and the western shore of Port Phillip: piers, the Bellarine, snapper in spring and whiting when the weather settles.
Where the Gippsland Lakes meet the sea: the entrance, the lakes behind it, the Ninety Mile Beach in front and a fishing town built around all three.
A city that fishes its bay from the piers, its rivers from the banks and the Yarra from the CBD: Melbourne is a Port Phillip fishing report with a skyline.
The gateway to Corner Inlet and Wilsons Promontory: whiting over the seagrass, snapper in the channels and a long jetty into the tide.
Victoria’s deep-water port on the far west coast: tuna season off the shelf, snapper and whiting in the bay, salmon on the beaches.
Port Phillip’s wilder neighbour: tidal channels, mudflats, mangroves and the whiting, snapper and gummy shark fishery of Victoria’s second bay.
The last town before the border: an inlet of two lakes, a bar to the sea and a coast of empty beaches and rock at the far east of Victoria.
The pier, the harbour and the eastern shore of Port Phillip: Mornington’s snapper, squid and garfish an hour from Melbourne.
The Hopkins River, Lady Bay and the breakwater: Warrnambool fishes an estuary, a sheltered bay and the Shipwreck Coast beaches in one town.
A quiet, forested estuary east of Lakes Entrance: bream in the arms, flathead on the sand and an entrance that opens and closes with the seasons.
Lakes Victoria, King and Wellington and the rivers that feed them: the largest navigable inland waterway in Australia, and black bream above everything else.
Victoria’s big lake in the foothills: Murray cod and golden perch in the timber all year, trout in the cold arms, and a level that moves with the irrigation season.
A harbour on the Great Ocean Road: salmon on the beaches, snapper and gummies in the bay, and the Otways behind it.
Between Western Port and Bass Strait: the Cowes and Rhyll piers on the calm side, San Remo and the surf beaches on the wild side, and the channels in between.
The Campaspe storage near Bendigo: golden perch and Murray cod in the timber, redfin in the bays, a cod fishery open all year, and a level that swings with the irrigation year.
A Gippsland river of black bream and estuary perch: the Tambo fishes its tidal reach below Tambo Upper, down through farmland to Lake King.
At the heads of Port Phillip: the harbour, the pier, the Rip and the Bellarine whiting grounds, beside a marine national park.
Western Port’s working port: the jetty and the marina, the channels off French Island and the mangrove shore of the north-west, with a marine national park next door.
The estuary at Nelson: about 60 kilometres of tidal river through the limestone gorge of the Lower Glenelg National Park, with black bream and mulloway.
The Tanjil storage near Willow Grove: Australian bass, stocked brown trout and redfin in a clear, forested lake with a Bureau gauge on its level.
The start of the Great Ocean Road: surf beaches, the Point Danger platforms and the small estuaries, beside the Point Addis Marine National Park.
Ballarat’s lake in the middle of town: a stocked trout fishery for fly, lure and bait, fished from the footpath and small boats.
The Loddon storage near Maldon: big golden perch, trophy brown trout, redfin and a growing Murray cod fishery, open all year, with a Bureau gauge on the level.
The small south-west river through Heywood: an estuary of about 16 kilometres with black bream, estuary perch and a public ramp at the mouth.
The river of the silt jetties: black bream from the rock barrier at Bairnsdale to the end of the jetties in Lake King, and bass and trout upstream.
The tip of the Mornington Peninsula: the Sorrento and Portsea piers on the bay, the Rip and Point Nepean, and the back beaches on Bass Strait.
Victoria’s largest-capacity storage in the Mitta Mitta valley: wild brown and rainbow trout, Macquarie perch that must all be released, and boat-access camps up the arms.
The Buffalo River storage 20 km south of Myrtleford, below Mount Buffalo: stocked Murray cod, trout and redfin, a ramp near the wall and no camping on the foreshore.
The Broken River storage 36 km south of Benalla where the VFA lifts the cod closure: stocked Murray cod and golden perch, one ramp, and a foreshore that is mostly private lease.
A small, steep King River storage 18 km south of Cheshunt: stocked brown and rainbow trout and redfin in mountain bushland, with a ramp and no camping on the foreshore.
A long, timbered Loddon River storage 40 km south-west of Bendigo: stocked Murray cod and golden perch on the VFA’s two-cod lake list, with a ramp and no foreshore camping.
The Tullaroop Creek storage near Carisbrook and Maryborough: heavily stocked rainbow and brown trout, redfin, and electric or paddle craft only on the water.
A small Goulburn-Murray Water storage on Birch’s Creek, 28 km north-east of Ballarat: stocked brown trout and redfin, fished from the bank with public access at both ends.
A vast off-river irrigation storage 8 km north-east of Rushworth, filled from the Goulburn Weir: golden perch, redfin and cod on the VFA’s two-cod lake list, with a caravan park and ramps.
The Goulburn Weir pool at Nagambie, formed by an 1891 weir: Murray cod and golden perch water on the VFA’s two-cod list, with limited public shore and a busy water-sports lake.
GWMWater’s largest reservoir, on the Glenelg River near Balmoral: heavily stocked Murray cod open all year by VFA rule, golden perch and redfin, with forest campgrounds on the shore.
An off-stream Wimmera reservoir south of Horsham that GWMWater calls famous for its trout: stocked browns and rainbows under the VFA’s 45 cm and 30 cm minimums, with a level fed from Rocklands.
A small off-stream GWMWater reservoir near Stawell and Halls Gap that supplies three towns: stocked rainbow and brown trout, redfin, a 9.6 km shoreline track and a private caravan park.
A deep Grampians reservoir on Fyans Creek beside Halls Gap: stocked Murray cod, golden perch and trout, cod open all year by VFA rule, and no powerboats on the water.
A forested Grampians reservoir on the MacKenzie River that supplies Horsham: stocked brown and rainbow trout, redfin, a five-knot limit and a campground a few kilometres away.
The deepest of Coliban Water’s three storages near Kyneton: stocked brown trout, Murray cod on the VFA’s two-cod lake list, and electric or paddle craft only.
The first storage built on the Coliban River, at Malmsbury: stocked golden perch, Murray cod and brown trout, shore fishing and small electric or paddle craft when open.
The uppermost Coliban Water storage, near Kyneton: stocked trout, golden perch and Murray cod on the VFA’s two-cod lake list, with electric and paddle craft from two recreation areas.
Southern Rural Water’s Macalister storage above Heyfield, which fills and empties most years: stocked Australian bass and trout, two recreation areas and camping at a private caravan park.
The Mornington Peninsula’s largest inland water at Tuerong: stocked rainbow and brown trout and estuary perch, fished from platforms and zones in Parks Victoria’s reserve, with paddle craft on the northern arm.
Southern Rural Water’s irrigation storage near Ballan: stocked rainbow and brown trout, golden perch and Murray cod, with registered powerboats, kayaks and an 8 am to 8 pm recreation area.
The Murray at Echuca and Moama: cod and golden perch through the red gums of the old river port, New South Wales water from bank to bank, with the Bureau’s gauge at Echuca.
The Murray at Swan Hill: cod and golden perch in a slow Mallee river that is New South Wales water from bank to bank, with the Bureau’s gauge at the town.
The Murray at Mildura: cod and golden perch in the Sunraysia weir pool, New South Wales water from bank to bank.
The Murray at Robinvale and Euston: cod and golden perch on the weir pool between Swan Hill and Mildura, New South Wales water from bank to bank.
The Goulburn below the Eildon Pondage: a cold, regulated trout tailrace where all hook and line fishing stops in the closed season, with the Bureau’s gauge at Eildon.
The Goulburn tailrace in the Alexandra district: trout in the lower runs of the tailwater and the same closed-season ban on all hook and line fishing.
The Goulburn at Seymour: cod and golden perch in the deep pools below the trout tailrace, above the Nagambie weir pool, with the Bureau’s gauge at the town.
The Goulburn through Shepparton: cod and golden perch in the lower river, the Broken River junction and the town’s stocked lakes, with the Bureau’s gauge in the city.
The upper Ovens at Bright: a clear alpine trout stream with a 25 cm minimum above Porepunkah, open from the first Saturday of September, with the Bureau’s gauge at the town.
The Ovens at Myrtleford: trout in the runs and natives in the deeper pools, at the Buffalo River junction, with the Bureau’s gauge at the town.
The Ovens at Wangaratta: cod and golden perch in the lower river where the King joins, on the way to Lake Mulwala, with the Bureau’s gauge at the city.
The Kiewa at Mongans Bridge: a trout stream inside the Kiewa tailrace, where all hook and line fishing stops in the closed season, with the Bureau’s gauge at the bridge.
The Mitta Mitta below Dartmouth: a cold trout tailwater where the village reach falls inside the VFA tailrace, with the Bureau’s gauge downstream at Bowlers Lane.
The Loddon at Bridgewater on the Calder: cod and golden perch in the weir pool and the timbered reaches north of Bendigo.
The upper Loddon at Newstead: natives and trout in the pools above Cairn Curran, between Castlemaine and Maryborough, with the Bureau’s gauge at the town.
The Campaspe at Rochester: cod and golden perch in the lower river between Lake Eppalock and the Murray, with the Bureau’s gauge at the town.
The Broken at Benalla: cod and golden perch in Lake Benalla and the river through the town.
The upper Latrobe at Noojee: a small, cold trout stream in the wet Gippsland forest, with the Bureau’s gauge at the village.
The Macalister above Glenmaggie at Licola: a mountain trout stream on the edge of the Alpine National Park, with the Wellington River camps just north and the Bureau’s gauge at the village.
The upper Tambo at Swifts Creek: a high-country trout stream on the Great Alpine Road between Omeo and Ensay, with the Bureau’s gauge at the town.
The Glenelg at Casterton: river blackfish, redfin and eels in the middle river of the south-west, below Rocklands and above the limestone gorge, with the Bureau’s gauge at the town.
The Wimmera through Horsham: cod and golden perch in the town weir pool, the one Wimmera water where the cod closure still applies, with the Bureau’s gauge at the city.
The Delatite below Mount Buller: a small trout stream in the valley above Lake Eildon, with the Bureau’s gauge at Tonga Bridge.
The Howqua from the high country to Lake Eildon: trout in a clear, rocky river with the free camps of the Howqua Hills, and the Bureau’s gauge at Glen Esk.
The Jamieson above Lake Eildon at the old gold town: trout in a rocky high-country river, with the Bureau’s gauge at Gerrang Bridge.
The Rubicon near Thornton: a small trout stream that the VFA treats as part of the Goulburn tailrace, with a 25 cm minimum and the Bureau’s gauge at Rubicon.
The Buckland above Porepunkah: a clear trout stream off the Barry Mountains, stocked by the VFA with brown trout, with the Bureau’s gauge up the valley at 12 Mile.
The Steavenson at Marysville: a small trout stream below the falls, inside the Goulburn tailrace catchment, with the Bureau’s gauge at the falls.
The upper Yarra at Warburton: trout in the runs and pools of a forest river in the Yarra Ranges, with the Bureau’s gauge at the town.
The Thomson near Walhalla: trout in the rocky river below the dam, in the goldfields country of the Baw Baw ranges, with the Bureau’s gauge just downstream at Coopers Creek.
The Tarwin at Meeniyan in South Gippsland: bass and bream country in a slow dairy-land river toward Anderson Inlet, with the Bureau’s gauge at the town.
The Moyne River port on the south-west coast: bream in the river, salmon on the beaches, and snapper and whiting outside for the boats.
The Great Ocean Road resort on Louttit Bay: the pier’s squid and salmon, the Erskine River mouth and the bay’s reefs for snapper.
The Surf Coast town on the Anglesea River: bream in the river, salmon on the beach and Point Roadknight, with Point Addis Marine National Park next door.
The Barwon River mouth: bream and flathead in the river, salmon on Thirteenth Beach, and the Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary closed to all fishing.
The Bellarine’s surf town across the river from Barwon Heads: salmon and whiting on the beach, bream in the river, with marine protected areas at both ends.
The Mornington Peninsula’s bay town: Rye pier’s squid and whiting, the shallow bay flats and the ocean back beach.
The Western Port entrance village on the Mornington Peninsula: Flinders pier’s squid and whiting, the reefs offshore, and the Mushroom Reef sanctuary closed to fishing.
The Phillip Island bridge town on Western Port’s eastern entrance: the San Remo jetty, the fast channel and the ocean beaches, with whiting, salmon and squid.
Anderson Inlet and the surf beach: whiting and flathead on the inlet flats, salmon on the surf beach, and a no-fishing marine national park on the rocks to the west.
The five surf beaches and the Anderson Inlet back door: salmon and gummies on the beaches, whiting in the inlet, and the pipis of the sand.
A historic port among the Nooramunga islands: jetties and tidal channels for whiting, flathead and gummies, with the ocean beach beyond.
The Gippsland Lakes village between Lake Victoria and the Ninety Mile: bream and flathead in the lake, salmon on the beach, with jetties onto the lake and into the national park.
The Snowy River mouth: bream and estuary perch in the Snowy and the Brodribb, salmon on the beach, with Cape Conran and its rocks down the coast.
Sydenham Inlet and the Bemm: the bream village of East Gippsland, with the inlet flats, the river snags and the entrance that opens to the sea.
Horsham’s recreation lake in the Wimmera: Murray cod open all year as Wimmera basin water, with golden perch and redfin, two boat ramps and a Bureau gauge.
The Corop lake in northern Victoria, no longer an irrigation storage: Murray cod and golden perch on the VFA’s specified-lakes list, with the cod closure applying and a Bureau gauge.
The Werribee River storage at Melton, also called Exford Weir: Murray cod and golden perch stocked by the VFA, open all year south of the Divide, with a Bureau gauge.
The Coliban Water reservoir at Harcourt near Castlemaine: stocked Murray cod, golden perch and trout, kayaks allowed, the spring cod closure and a Bureau gauge.
The Barwon at Inverleigh west of Geelong: brown trout, redfin and blackfish in the plains river, with a Bureau gauge and the Victorian trout stream closure.
The lower Moorabool at Batesford on Geelong’s edge: trout, redfin and blackfish in a basalt valley river, with a Bureau gauge.
The Campaspe at Redesdale above Lake Eppalock: Murray cod and golden perch in a granite river, with a Bureau gauge and the cod closure.
The lower Loddon at Kerang: Murray cod and golden perch among the lakes and red gums of the northern plains, with a Bureau gauge.
The King River at Cheshunt below Lake William Hovell: trout in a clear mountain valley river, with a Bureau gauge and the river trout closure.
The upper Buffalo River at Abbeyard under Mount Buffalo: trout in a clear alpine valley, with a Bureau gauge and the river trout closure.
The Big River in the forest above Lake Eildon: trout in a clear mountain river, with a Bureau gauge near Jokers Creek.
The Acheron at Taggerty below the Cathedral Range: trout in a Goulburn tailrace tributary, closed to all hook and line in the trout closure, with a Bureau gauge.
The Cann River at the Cann River township in East Gippsland: Australian bass and estuary perch in a forest river, with no current Bureau level series.
The Genoa River at Gipsy Point, the quiet arm of Mallacoota Inlet: bream, flathead, estuary perch and mulloway, with no current Bureau level series.
The Wimmera at Dimboola: Murray cod, golden perch and redfin in the red gum river of the Wimmera, with a Bureau gauge and the cod closure.
The Murray at Cobram in the trout cod protection reach: Murray cod and golden perch, with all fishing closed from September to November, and a Bureau gauge.
The lower Snowy at Orbost: Australian bass and estuary perch on the river flats above the estuary, with a Bureau gauge at the town.
The Goulburn at Murchison between Nagambie and Shepparton: Murray cod and golden perch in the red gum river, with a Bureau gauge and the cod closure.
The Broken River at Casey’s Weir below Benalla: Murray cod and golden perch in a snag-filled weir pool with a fishway, with a Bureau gauge and the cod closure.
The Campaspe at Barnadown below Lake Eppalock: golden perch, redfin and Murray cod in a regulated red gum river, with a Bureau gauge and the cod closure.
The lower Ovens at Peechelba near the Murray: Murray cod and protected trout cod in a Heritage River reach, with a Bureau gauge.
The upper Ovens at Harrietville under Mount Hotham: brown and rainbow trout in a clear, fast mountain river, with a Bureau gauge and the river trout closure.
The Barwon at Winchelsea between the Otways and Geelong: brown trout, redfin, eels and river blackfish in a river of long pools, with a Bureau gauge.
The Hopkins at Framlingham above Warrnambool: stocked brown trout and redfin in a quiet western gorge river, with a Bureau gauge.
The Yarra at Warrandyte on Melbourne’s edge: redfin, Murray cod and the odd brown trout in a rocky bush gorge, with a Bureau gauge and the Yarra cod closure.
The Broken River at Gowangardie near Shepparton: cod and yellowbelly in the lower Broken, with a Bureau gauge and the cod closure.
The lower Loddon at Appin South near Kerang: cod and yellowbelly on the northern plains, with a Bureau gauge and the cod closure.
The Barwon at Pollocksford on Geelong’s western edge: trout, redfin and blackfish between Inverleigh and the city, with a Bureau gauge.
The Thomson at Wandocka below the high country: brown trout in a Gippsland valley river, with a Bureau gauge.
The Wonnangatta at Crooked River in the Victorian Alps: wild trout in remote high country, with a Bureau gauge.
The Snowy at McKillops Bridge in the Snowy River National Park: bass in a wild gorge river, with a Bureau gauge at the bridge.
Melbourne Water’s off-stream reservoir in Christmas Hills: lure-only shore fishing in designated areas for yellowbelly, redfin and carp, a Victorian licence and a Bureau gauge.
Species activity across the covered waters, written for the southern year. Peak of the year: March.
1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.
Seasonal surface curve for the dominant water type here, in degrees Celsius (estimated, not a reading).
Read from the agency page named on each row, on the date shown, and calculated for 2026 from the rule as written: a date written as a day of the week is computed, not copied. Species with no published closure are not listed, which is not the same as open.
| Fishery | 2026 | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tailrace rivers: all hook-and-line fishing closed | Closed 2026-06-09 to 2026-09-04 | During the trout and salmon closed season these tailrace waters are closed to all hook-and-line fishing, whatever the species: no fish may be taken or possessed and no hook and line carried in, on or within 20 m of the water. The Goulburn below Eildon Pondage to Trawool Bridge and its tributaries, the Kiewa below Rocky Valley Dam to Keegans Bridge and its tributaries, and the Mitta Mitta below Dartmouth Pondage to Peters Bridge. | Victorian Fisheries Authority, trout and salmon regulations, read 2026-09-27 |
| Trout and salmon in rivers and streams | Closed 2026-06-09 to 2026-09-04 | Rivers and streams close from the Tuesday after the King’s Birthday weekend to the Friday before the first Saturday in September. Lakes and reservoirs stay open all year. | Victorian Fisheries Authority, trout and salmon regulations, read 2026-09-23 |
| Trout in lakes and reservoirs | Open all year | No closed season in lakes and reservoirs; the winter closure applies to rivers and streams. | Victorian Fisheries Authority, trout and salmon regulations, read 2026-09-23 |
| Murray cod | Closed 2026-09-01 to 2026-11-30 | Closed 1 September to 30 November inclusive, except in Lake Eildon, Eildon Pondage, Lake Eppalock, Cairn Curran, Lake Nillahcootie and the other waters the VFA lists. | Victorian Fisheries Authority, Murray cod, read 2026-09-23 |
| River blackfish, south of the Great Dividing Range | Closed 2026-09-01 to 2026-12-31 | River blackfish and two-spined blackfish cannot be taken or possessed in, on or next to Victorian waters south of the Great Dividing Range from 1 September to 31 December inclusive. | Victorian Fisheries Authority, river blackfish (including two-spine blackfish), read 2026-09-29 |
Melbourne’s bays are the centre of Victorian fishing and they behave differently: Port Phillip is big, shallow and pier-lined, with a spring snapper run and whiting and squid over the weed; Western Port is channels and mudflats with a hard tide, whiting and snapper in season. East of them the coast runs to Lakes Entrance, Mallacoota and the Gippsland Lakes, the bream and flathead water; west it runs through Geelong, Apollo Bay, Warrnambool and Portland, salmon beaches, harbour walls and exposed rock. Inland, the storages fish for Murray cod and golden perch in the timber and trout in the cold arms.
Victoria sells one Recreational Fishing Licence for every method in every public water, from A$10 for three days, and exempts a wide group: everyone under 18, everyone 70 and over, and a list of cards. The Victorian Fisheries Authority publishes the limits and the seasons. Murray cod close from 1 September to 30 November, except in Lake Eildon, Eildon Pondage, Eppalock, Cairn Curran, Nillahcootie, the waters south of the Divide other than the Yarra, and the Wimmera and Millicent basins; the cod slot is 55 to 75 cm. The VFA’s snapper page lists no closed season, and trout and marine parks have their own pages. Each water page links the rule that applies.
On the bays the wind decides which shore fishes, because a northerly and a south-westerly swap the lee sides; on the Southern Ocean coast the swell decides whether the beaches and the rocks are fishable at all; on the lakes the level from Water Data Online decides where the fish are. The daily report scores the pressure trend, the wind and the sky; the tide panel on the coastal pages is a modelled curve for the coordinates, labelled as a model, with the Bureau of Meteorology linked for the official prediction.
Yes, unless you are exempt: under 18, 70 and over, or holding one of the cards the VFA lists. From A$10 for three days; see our Victoria licence page.
Spring through summer is the run on the bay. The VFA’s snapper page, read on 27 September 2026, lists no closed season and sets a 28 cm minimum and a bag of ten, of which no more than three may be 40 cm or longer; our Port Phillip page rates the month and today’s conditions.
More than 120: Port Phillip, Western Port and the bay towns, the Gippsland Lakes, Lake Tyers and Mallacoota, the Great Ocean Road and the western ports, the Murray, the Goulburn and the other rivers by reach, and the storages from Eildon, Eppalock and Hume to Dartmouth and the Wimmera lakes.
The facts on this page were checked against these pages, from the agencies, park services and operators that manage the water on 27 September 2026; anything we could not verify was taken out.