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.
Thomson River at Wandocka Fishing Report
Updated Fri, 25 Sept 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Thomson at Wandocka below the high country: brown trout in a Gippsland valley river, with a Bureau gauge.
2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Level
1.13 m
Air / High
14 °C / 23 °C
Wind
S 3 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 225212, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Thomson River at Wandocka is a cold-water proposition today: bait on the bottom and a long soak. The gauge reads 1.13 m, holding steady. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 3 km/h, rising pressure near 1025 hPa and a high of 23 °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 15 °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 Thomson River at Wandocka today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:58), sunset (18:11), 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 225212 (THOMSON @ WANDOCKA).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 225212. Latest reading 2026-09-24 10:00.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp14 °C
High / Low23 °C / 12 °C
WindS 3 km/h, gusts 8 km/h
Pressure1024.9 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain11% cloud, 69%
Sunrise / Sunset05:58 / 18:11
MoonFull Moon, 99%
Water temp (seasonal)~8 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Thomson River at Wandocka
The best day on Thomson River at Wandocka this week looks like Sunday 27 Sept, at 4 out of 5, against 2 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 — Tough
Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
- Solunar majors
- 10:25 AM-12:25 PM and 10:25 PM-12:25 AM
- Minor period
- 4:55 AM-5:55 AM
- Sun
- 05:58 to 18:11
- Moon
- Full Moon, 99% lit
- Sky and wind
- Storms, 10 km/h
- Rain chance
- 69%
Scores are a planning aid built from forecast data, not a promise.
Species guide
The species that matter on Thomson River at Wandocka: 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 Thomson River at Wandocka 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 Thomson River at Wandocka 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 6 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 20 °C, wind to 18 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 15 °C, wind to 18 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 here unless exempt; our Victoria page has the fees.
About this water
Thomson River at Wandocka is a river in Victoria, Australia, covered from the Victoria reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Thomson River at Wandocka: the full guide
The Thomson at Wandocka
Wandocka is a gauging site on the Thomson River in Gippsland, on the reach between the high country and the plains around Heyfield and Cowwarr, where the river runs over gravel between willows and farmland. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Wandocka supplies the river level and the 30-day chart on this page. The Thomson at Walhalla and Lake Glenmaggie have their own pages.
Species and seasons
Brown trout are the fish of this reach of the Thomson, in the runs and pools on the fly, lures and bait, with river blackfish in the snags. 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 crossings and reserves around Heyfield and Cowwarr give access to the river; much of the frontage is farmland, so stay on public land.
Planning a visit
Heyfield has supplies and a pub, and Traralgon and Sale are nearby. Bring light trout gear.
The river through the year
Below Thomson Dam, one of Melbourne’s main water supplies, the Thomson is regulated water, and releases, including environmental flows timed to help the river’s native fish, the Australian grayling among them, set much of its level. The trout here are most active in the cooler months and in spring, and the river trout closure takes them out of the winter. The blackfish feed in the snags at dusk. Below Wandocka the Thomson runs toward Cowwarr Weir and the Gippsland plains. The river is clear and cool below the dam through the summer, and a light rod suits it.
Reading this report here
The chart shows the Thomson’s flow, which depends on releases from the Thomson Reservoir and Cowwarr Weir and on rain. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is cool in spring and autumn; pressure and sky build the score at Wandocka.
Licence, access and rules
The Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence applies here unless exempt; our Victoria page has the fees. The VFA rules are in the sources.
Common questions
When is the Thomson 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 here?
Brown trout and river blackfish.
Do I need a licence here?
Yes, unless exempt: the Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence.
Is fishing good at Thomson River at Wandocka right now?
Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Nearby waters
Where this page's numbers come from
- Storage and river readings
- Bureau of Meteorology, Water Data Online, station 225212 — THOMSON @ WANDOCKA
- 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.