Loddon River at Appin South Fishing Report
Updated Fri, 25 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The lower Loddon at Appin South near Kerang: cod and yellowbelly on the northern plains, with a Bureau gauge and the cod closure.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Level
0.67 m
Air / High
18 °C / 30 °C
Wind
SSW 7 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 407205, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Loddon River at Appin South rewards patience today, with cool water and short feeding windows. The gauge reads 0.67 m, easing 1.22 over the week. Today brings cloud cover, wind SSW around 6 km/h, rising pressure near 1024 hPa and a high of 30 °C. Water sits around 13 °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.
Murray cod
Slow
Slow it down: heavier spinnerbaits, slow-rolled swimbaits and bait on the bottom next to the deep snags.
Tie on: Blade or vibe, slow hops · Lightly weighted plastic · Whole pilchard or squid on the bottom · Suspending hardbody. Prime windows: 10:25 AM-12:25 PM, 10:25 PM-12:25 AM, 4:55 AM-5:55 AM. Cooler at 24 °C with a rain chance. 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 murray cod here? Check the size and bag limits with VFA before you keep anything; the Murray cod page has the seasons and the tactics.
Fishing times for Loddon River at Appin South today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (06:10), 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 407205 (LODDON @ APPIN STH).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 407205. Latest reading 2026-09-24 10:00.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp18 °C
High / Low30 °C / 15 °C
WindSSW 7 km/h, gusts 10 km/h
Pressure1023.9 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain86% cloud, 20%
Sunrise / Sunset06:10 / 18:22
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~13 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Loddon River at Appin South
The best day on Loddon River at Appin South this week looks like Saturday 26 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: Saturday, 26 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
- 06:10 to 18:22
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 13 km/h
- Rain chance
- 20%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Loddon River at Appin South: seasons written for the southern year, and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.
Murray cod
December to August; closed September to November
Closed now Reopens 1 Dec 2026. 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. Rule as read from Victorian Fisheries Authority on 2026-09-23.
The giant of the inland rivers and the big lakes (Hume, Mulwala, Eildon). A snag fish that eats big lures, and a species with a closed season across the Murray-Darling. Slow it down: heavier spinnerbaits, slow-rolled swimbaits and bait on the bottom next to the deep snags.
Golden perch
Best: November to April
Yellowbelly. The bread-and-butter native of the Murray-Darling lakes and rivers; loves warm water, structure and a lure worked slowly past its nose. Slower. Work the deeper timber and the drop-offs with vibes and bait.
When to come: the Loddon River at Appin South 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
Murray cod
Golden perch
SlowPeak
Water temperature through the year
Typical surface temperature for this water type in degrees Celsius; today is around 13 °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 Loddon River at Appin South 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. Golden perch led the card at fair. High of 28 °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. Golden perch led the card at good. High of 22 °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. Golden perch led the card at good. High of 18 °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 Appin South the Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence applies unless exempt; our Victoria page has the fees.
About this water
Loddon River at Appin South is a river in Victoria, Australia, covered from the Victoria reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Loddon River at Appin South: the full guide
The Loddon at Appin South
Appin South is a crossing on the lower Loddon River south of Kerang, where the river winds between river red gums across the flat irrigation country of northern Victoria toward the Kerang lakes and the Murray. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Appin South supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. The Loddon at Kerang has its own page.
Species and seasons
Murray cod and golden perch are the fish of the lower Loddon, the cod in the snags and the deeper holes, the yellowbelly in the warm months; redfin and carp are common. The Murray cod closed season, 1 September to 30 November, applies; the species card computes it.
Where to fish it
The crossings and reserves along the lower Loddon give bank access; the river is narrow and fished from the bank with bait and small lures.
Planning a visit
Kerang, to the north, has supplies and accommodation. Bring bait for yellowbelly and cod lures, and water for the northern summer.
The river through the year
The lower Loddon is regulated water, fed by releases from Cairn Curran and Laanecoorie reservoirs and passing through the Loddon Weir and the irrigation channels of the northern plains, so its level at Appin South often follows deliveries and environmental water releases rather than the rain. In dry years it can run very low between the snags, and the fish crowd into the deeper holes. Cod feed through summer and autumn, and golden perch are most active in the warm months, especially on rising water. The Kerang lakes, downstream, are a separate world of wetlands and irrigation storages, and the Murray lies beyond them. The summer heat here is intense, so the first and last hours of the day are the times to fish.
Reading this report here
The chart shows the lower Loddon’s regulated flow. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is hot in summer; pressure and sky build the score at Appin South.
Licence, access and rules
At Appin South the Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence applies unless exempt; our Victoria page has the fees. The VFA rules are in the sources.
Common questions
Is cod closed here in spring?
Yes, from 1 September to 30 November.
What can I catch at Appin South?
Murray cod and golden perch.
Do I need a licence here?
Yes, unless exempt: the Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence.
Is fishing good at Loddon River at Appin South 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 407205 — LODDON @ APPIN STH
- 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.