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.
Barwon River at Inverleigh Fishing Report
Updated Sat, 26 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
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.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Level
0.32 m
Air / High
13 °C / 13 °C
Wind
E 7 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 233218, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Barwon River at Inverleigh is in its winter rhythm: deep, slow and around the middle of the day. The gauge reads 0.32 m, holding steady. Today brings cloud cover, wind E around 6 km/h, rising pressure near 1026 hPa and a high of 13 °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 14 °C. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.
Before you go
Victoria requires a fishing licence for most fishing, from A$10.00. Victoria fishing licence: cost, rules and where to buy →
Chasing rainbow trout here? Check the size and bag limits with VFA before you keep anything; the Rainbow trout page has the seasons and the tactics.
Fishing times for Barwon River at Inverleigh today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (06:08), sunset (18:23), 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 233218 (BARWON @ INVERLEIGH).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 233218. Latest reading 2026-09-24 10:00.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp13 °C
High / Low13 °C / 8 °C
WindE 7 km/h, gusts 13 km/h
Pressure1025.8 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 80%
Sunrise / Sunset06:08 / 18:23
MoonFull Moon, 100%
Water temp (seasonal)~8 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Barwon River at Inverleigh
The best day on Barwon River at Inverleigh this week looks like Sunday 27 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: Sunday, 27 Sept — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.
Today, 26 Sept — Fair
A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
- Solunar majors
- 11:16 PM-1:16 AM and 11:16 AM-1:16 PM
- Minor period
- 5:46 AM-6:46 AM
- Sun
- 06:08 to 18:23
- Moon
- Full Moon, 100% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 19 km/h
- Rain chance
- 80%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Barwon River at Inverleigh: 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 15 June 2027. 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. Rule as read from Victorian Fisheries Authority 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 15 June 2027. 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. Rule as read from Victorian Fisheries Authority 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 Barwon River at Inverleigh 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 Barwon River at Inverleigh 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 21 °C, wind to 16 km/h.
Thu, Sep 24
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 23 °C, wind to 16 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 18 °C, wind to 13 km/h.
Before you go
Licence
Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence (RFL), from A$10.00, 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 VFA and change: confirm the current rules on the agency page linked from the Victoria licence page before you keep anything.
Access
Victoria’s Recreational Fishing Licence applies on the Barwon unless you are exempt; our Victoria page has the fees.
About this water
Barwon River at Inverleigh is a river in Victoria, Australia, covered from the Victoria reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Barwon River at Inverleigh: the full guide
The Barwon at Inverleigh
Inverleigh is the village on the Barwon River west of Geelong, where the river winds between willows, basalt banks and grazing country above its junction with the Leigh, with a riverside reserve in the town. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Inverleigh supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. Geelong, Barwon Heads at the mouth, and the Moorabool at Batesford have their own pages.
Species and seasons
Brown trout, redfin and river blackfish are the fish of the Barwon at Inverleigh: trout in the runs and the pool heads in the cooler months, redfin in the slower water, blackfish in the snags at dusk. Victoria’s river trout closure runs from the Tuesday after the King’s Birthday weekend to the Friday before the first Saturday in September; the species card computes it.
Where to fish it
The riverside reserve at Inverleigh and the public access points along the Barwon and the Leigh give bank access, and the pools below the town fish on lures and bait. Much of the river frontage elsewhere is private land. The Leigh junction and the pools below it are worth a look in spring, when the trout move into the faster water.
Planning a visit
Inverleigh is a short drive west of Geelong on the Hamilton Highway, and Geelong has tackle, supplies and accommodation. Bring light trout gear for spring and autumn and a bait rod for redfin and blackfish; the town’s riverside reserve is the easiest place to start.
Reading this report here
The chart shows the Barwon rising after winter rain in the Otway foothills and dropping through summer, when the river can run low and warm and the trout go quiet. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is cool in spring and autumn, the trout months; pressure and sky build the score at Inverleigh.
Licence, access and rules
Victoria’s Recreational Fishing Licence applies on the Barwon unless you are exempt; our Victoria page has the fees. The reserve is public, and the VFA limits and the river trout closure are in the sources.
Common questions
When is the Barwon at Inverleigh closed for trout?
From the Tuesday after the King’s Birthday weekend to the Friday before the first Saturday in September, under Victoria’s river trout closure.
What can I catch at Inverleigh?
Brown trout, redfin and river blackfish.
Do I need a licence at Inverleigh?
Yes, unless exempt: the Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence.
Is fishing good at Barwon River at Inverleigh 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 233218 — BARWON @ INVERLEIGH
- 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.