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 Winchelsea Fishing Report
Updated Fri, 25 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Barwon at Winchelsea on the way to the Otways: brown trout, redfin and blackfish in a willowed river, with a Bureau gauge.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Level
0.60 m
Air / High
13 °C / 21 °C
Wind
SE 6 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 233201, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Barwon River at Winchelsea has cold water and fish that move for very little; fish the sunniest hours. The gauge reads 0.60 m, easing 0.05 over the week. Today brings cloud cover, wind SE around 6 km/h, rising pressure near 1026 hPa and a high of 21 °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 12 °C with likely rain: fish ahead of the front. 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 Winchelsea today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (06:09), sunset (18:22), 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 233201 (BARWON WINCHELSEA).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 233201. Latest reading 2026-09-24 10:00.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp13 °C
High / Low21 °C / 13 °C
WindSE 6 km/h, gusts 13 km/h
Pressure1026.0 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 74%
Sunrise / Sunset06:09 / 18:22
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~8 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Barwon River at Winchelsea
The best day on Barwon River at Winchelsea 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, 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
- 06:09 to 18:22
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 14 km/h
- Rain chance
- 74%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Barwon River at Winchelsea: 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 Winchelsea 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 Winchelsea 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 22 °C, wind to 18 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 17 °C, wind to 11 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 13 °C, wind to 14 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
At Winchelsea the Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence applies unless you are exempt; our Victoria page has the fees.
About this water
Barwon River at Winchelsea is a river in Victoria, Australia, covered from the Victoria reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Barwon River at Winchelsea: the full guide
The Barwon at Winchelsea
Winchelsea is the town on the Barwon River west of Geelong on the Princes Highway, where the river runs between willows and basalt banks under the historic stone bridge on its way from the Otways toward Inverleigh. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Winchelsea supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. The Barwon at Inverleigh and at Pollocksford have their own pages.
Species and seasons
Brown trout, redfin and river blackfish are the fish of the Barwon at Winchelsea: trout in the runs in the cooler months, redfin in the slow water, blackfish in the snags at dusk. Victoria’s river trout closure, the Tuesday after the King’s Birthday weekend to the Friday before the first Saturday in September, applies; the species card computes it.
Where to fish it
The reserves by the Winchelsea bridge and along the river in the town give bank access, and the pools below the town fish on lures and bait. Stay on public frontage outside the town.
Planning a visit
Winchelsea has cafes and a pub, and Geelong has tackle and supplies. Bring light gear for trout and redfin and a bait rod for blackfish.
The river through the year
The Barwon at Winchelsea runs highest in winter and spring, when rain comes off the Otways, and low in late summer, when the pools warm and the trout go deep. The trout fishing is best in autumn and spring, and the river trout closure takes them out of winter. Redfin are active through the warm months in the slower water, and blackfish feed in the snags after dark.
Reading this report here
The chart shows the Barwon rising after winter rain in the Otways and running low in summer. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is cool in spring and autumn; pressure and sky build the score at Winchelsea.
Licence, access and rules
At Winchelsea the Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence applies unless you are exempt; our Victoria page has the fees. The VFA limits and the trout closure are in the sources.
Common questions
When is the Barwon closed for trout?
From the Tuesday after the King’s Birthday weekend to the Friday before the first Saturday in September.
What can I catch at Winchelsea?
Brown trout, redfin and river blackfish.
Do I need a licence here?
Yes, unless exempt: the Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence.
Is fishing good at Barwon River at Winchelsea 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 233201 — BARWON WINCHELSEA
- 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.