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.
King River at Cheshunt Fishing Report
Updated Sat, 26 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
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.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Level
0.70 m
Air / High
16 °C / 22 °C
Wind
SSW 6 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 403227, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
King River at Cheshunt is in its winter rhythm: deep, slow and around the middle of the day. The gauge reads 0.70 m, easing 0.06 over the week. Today brings a mixed sky, wind SSW around 6 km/h, steady pressure near 1025 hPa and a high of 22 °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. Cooler at 18 °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 King River at Cheshunt today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:58), sunset (18:13), 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 403227 (KING @ CHESHUNT).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 403227. Latest reading 2026-09-25 10:00.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp16 °C
High / Low22 °C / 12 °C
WindSSW 6 km/h, gusts 18 km/h
Pressure1025.0 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain50% cloud, 63%
Sunrise / Sunset05:58 / 18:13
MoonFull Moon, 100%
Water temp (seasonal)~8 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish King River at Cheshunt
The best day on King River at Cheshunt 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
- 05:58 to 18:13
- Moon
- Full Moon, 100% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 18 km/h
- Rain chance
- 63%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on King River at Cheshunt: 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 King River at Cheshunt 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 King River at Cheshunt 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 26 °C, wind to 13 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 11 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 21 °C, wind to 11 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 King River unless you are exempt; our Victoria page has the fees.
About this water
King River at Cheshunt is a river in Victoria, Australia, covered from the Victoria reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing King River at Cheshunt: the full guide
The King at Cheshunt
Cheshunt is the King Valley locality where the King River runs clear over gravel below Lake William Hovell, between the vineyards and grazing flats of the upper valley and the Alpine National Park ranges. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Cheshunt supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. Lake William Hovell has its own page.
Species and seasons
Brown and rainbow trout are the fish of the King River at Cheshunt, in the runs and the pools on the fly, lures and bait; the lower river toward Whitfield also holds native fish. 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 public reserves and crossings along the King Valley road give access to the river, and the reaches below the dam are walked and fished on the fly. Respect the private frontage between the reserves. The gravel runs and the tail-outs below the crossings are the trout water, and the flats along the valley road allow long walks with a light fly rod or a small spinning outfit. Evening rises come in the warm months.
Planning a visit
Cheshunt is at the top of the King Valley, reached from Wangaratta through Whitfield, where the valley’s wineries, pubs and accommodation are. Bring trout gear, and plan around the river trout closure in winter; Lake William Hovell above is open all year.
Reading this report here
Releases from Lake William Hovell shape the King River’s flow, which the chart shows, and rain in the ranges lifts it further. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is cool for much of the season; pressure and sky build the score at Cheshunt.
Licence, access and rules
Victoria’s Recreational Fishing Licence applies on the King River unless you are exempt; our Victoria page has the fees. The reserves are public, and the VFA limits and the river trout closure are in the sources.
Common questions
When is the King River 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 Cheshunt?
Brown and rainbow trout.
Do I need a licence at Cheshunt?
Yes, unless exempt: the Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence.
Is fishing good at King River at Cheshunt 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 403227 — KING @ CHESHUNT
- 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.