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.
Moorabool River at Batesford Fishing Report
Updated Sat, 26 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The lower Moorabool at Batesford on Geelong’s edge: trout, redfin and blackfish in a basalt valley river, with a Bureau gauge.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Level
0.46 m
Air / High
9 °C / 14 °C
Wind
SSE 12 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 232202, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Moorabool River at Batesford is in its winter rhythm: deep, slow and around the middle of the day. The gauge reads 0.46 m, holding steady. Today brings cloud cover, wind SSE around 11 km/h, falling pressure near 1035 hPa and a high of 14 °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 Moorabool River at Batesford today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (06:06), sunset (18:22), 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 232202 (MOORABOOL @ BATESFOR).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 232202. Latest reading 2026-09-25 10:00.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp9 °C
High / Low14 °C / 9 °C
WindSSE 12 km/h, gusts 23 km/h
Pressure1034.9 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain82% cloud, 100%
Sunrise / Sunset06:06 / 18:22
MoonFull Moon, 100%
Water temp (seasonal)~8 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Moorabool River at Batesford
The best day on Moorabool River at Batesford 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
- 06:06 to 18:22
- Moon
- Full Moon, 100% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 19 km/h
- Rain chance
- 100%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Moorabool River at Batesford: 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 Moorabool River at Batesford 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 Moorabool River at Batesford 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 22 °C, wind to 14 km/h.
Thu, 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 24 °C, wind to 13 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 18 °C, wind to 10 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
The Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence applies at Batesford unless you are exempt; our Victoria page has the fees.
About this water
Moorabool River at Batesford is a river in Victoria, Australia, covered from the Victoria reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Moorabool River at Batesford: the full guide
The Moorabool at Batesford
Batesford is the village on the lower Moorabool River on the north-western edge of Geelong, where the river runs through a basalt valley past the old quarry country toward its junction with the Barwon at Fyansford. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Batesford supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. The Barwon at Inverleigh and Geelong have their own pages.
Species and seasons
Brown trout, redfin and river blackfish are the fish of the lower Moorabool: trout in the cooler months in the runs and pools, 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 and the crossings at Batesford and toward Fyansford give access to the lower Moorabool; much of the valley is private land, so stick to the public frontage. The pools near the Batesford bridge and the reaches down toward Fyansford hold redfin in the slow water and trout at the pool heads in spring; a small bladed spinner covers both. Blackfish come out of the snags after dark in summer.
Planning a visit
Batesford is on the Midland Highway on Geelong’s north-western edge, minutes from the city’s tackle shops. It suits a short evening session for redfin and blackfish, and a spring morning for trout; stay on the public frontage in the valley.
Reading this report here
The chart shows how low the Moorabool can run in summer, when the river is small and warm; winter rain lifts it, and the trout fish best in spring and autumn. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, follows the season; pressure and sky build the score at Batesford.
Licence, access and rules
The Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence applies at Batesford unless you are exempt; our Victoria page has the fees. The VFA limits and the river trout closure are in the sources.
Common questions
When is trout closed on the Moorabool?
From the Tuesday after the King’s Birthday weekend to the Friday before the first Saturday in September.
What can I catch at Batesford?
Brown trout, redfin and river blackfish.
Do I need a licence at Batesford?
Yes, unless exempt: the Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence.
Is fishing good at Moorabool River at Batesford 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 232202 — MOORABOOL @ BATESFOR
- 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.