Rainbow trout
Excellent
Prime. Shore fishing along the edges with bait, spinners and flies, and the rivers if the season is open.
Wonnangatta River at Crooked River Fishing Report
Updated Tue, 10 Nov 2026 from live weather and tide data
The Wonnangatta at Crooked River in the Victorian Alps: wild trout in remote high country, with a Bureau gauge.
3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Level
1.39 m
Air / High
8 °C / 26 °C
Wind
WNW 2 km/h
Sources: Bureau of Meteorology gauge 224206, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.
Today's Fishing Report
Wonnangatta River at Crooked River has cool water and fish holding a little deeper and slower. The gauge reads 1.39 m, holding steady. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 2 km/h, steady pressure near 1019 hPa and a high of 26 °C. Water sits around 13 °C for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 12:07 AM-2:07 AM and 12:35 PM-2:35 PM: the windows to build the day around.
Brown trout
Excellent
Prime. Nymphs and streamers on the rivers, and the lake edges on the overcast days.
River blackfish
Closed today
Reopens 1 Jan 2027. River blackfish and two-spined blackfish cannot be taken or possessed in, on or next to Victorian waters south of the Great Dividing Range from 1 September to 31 December inclusive.
Tie on: Blade or vibe, slow hops · Lightly weighted plastic · Whole pilchard or squid on the bottom · Suspending hardbody. Prime windows: 12:07 AM-2:07 AM, 12:35 PM-2:35 PM, 5:31 AM-6:31 AM. Similar at 26 °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 Wonnangatta River at Crooked River today
Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today from sunrise (05:56), sunset (19:54), the moon and today's score. Tap a bar to see why.
Bite planner
Solunar majors 12:07 AM-2:07 AM and 12:35 PM-2:35 PM; minor 5:31 AM-6:31 AM. New Moon, 1% lit.
Water and weather
Live readings from Bureau of Meteorology station 224206 (WONNANGATTA @CROOKED).
River level, last 30 days
Bureau of Meteorology Water Data Online, station 224206. Latest reading 2026-11-07 10:00.
Right now
Latest readings
Air temp8 °C
High / Low26 °C / 7 °C
WindWNW 2 km/h, gusts 10 km/h
Pressure1019.4 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 37%
Sunrise / Sunset05:56 / 19:54
MoonNew Moon, 1%
Water temp (seasonal)~13 °C est.
7-day fishing forecast: which day to fish Wonnangatta River at Crooked River
Today is the pick of the week on Wonnangatta River at Crooked River, at 3 out of 5.
Best day this week: today, 10 Nov — fair at 3/5, steady pressure, neither help nor hindrance.
Today, 10 Nov — Fair
A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
- Solunar majors
- 12:07 AM-2:07 AM and 12:35 PM-2:35 PM
- Minor period
- 5:31 AM-6:31 AM
- Sun
- 05:56 to 19:54
- Moon
- New Moon, 1% lit
- Sky and wind
- Showers, 10 km/h
- Rain chance
- 37%
Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out.
Species guide
The species that matter on Wonnangatta River at Crooked River: seasons written for the southern year, and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.
Rainbow trout
Streams from October to June in NSW and from September to June in Victoria; lakes open all year; Tasmania from the first Saturday of 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. Prime. Shore fishing along the edges with bait, spinners and flies, and the rivers if the season is open.
Brown trout
Streams from October to June in NSW and from September to June in Victoria; lakes open all year; Tasmania from the first Saturday of 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. Prime. Nymphs and streamers on the rivers, and the lake edges on the overcast days.
River blackfish
Victoria: closed 1 September to 31 December south of the Great Dividing Range; an evening and night fish the rest of the year
Closed now Reopens 1 Jan 2027. River blackfish and two-spined blackfish cannot be taken or possessed in, on or next to Victorian waters south of the Great Dividing Range from 1 September to 31 December inclusive. Rule as read from Victorian Fisheries Authority on 2026-09-29.
A slimy, mottled native of cool, snag-filled streams on both sides of the Divide in Victoria, feeding mainly at night, late evening and early morning. The VFA sets a 30 cm minimum and a combined bag of 2 blackfish, and closes them from 1 September to 31 December south of the Great Dividing Range.
When to come: the Wonnangatta River at Crooked River 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
River blackfish
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 Wonnangatta River at Crooked River today.
Water log, last days
Auto-logged from live dataMon, Nov 9
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 19 °C, wind to 13 km/h.
Sun, Nov 8
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 14 °C, wind to 13 km/h.
Sat, Nov 7
3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 13 °C, wind to 19 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 on the Wonnangatta River at Crooked River unless you are exempt; our Victoria page has the fees.
About this water
Wonnangatta River at Crooked River is a river in Victoria, Australia, covered from the Victoria reports and listed in all Australia waters.
Fishing Wonnangatta River at Crooked River: the full guide
The Wonnangatta at Crooked River
The Wonnangatta River runs through the remote high country of the Alpine National Park in eastern Victoria, a river of forested gorges and cleared flats that the VFA says is reached by conventional vehicle only in its lower reaches and elsewhere by four-wheel drive; the gauge sits near its junction with the Crooked River. The Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge there supplies the level of the Wonnangatta River at Crooked River and the 30-day chart on this page. The Mitchell River has its own page.
Species and seasons
Wild brown trout and river blackfish are the fish of the Wonnangatta: the VFA records abundant small brown trout averaging about 200 g and abundant blackfish, some to 2 kg, and the river has not been stocked with trout since 1978. On the Wonnangatta River at Crooked River, 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 four-wheel-drive tracks into the Wonnangatta and Crooked River valleys and the campsites along them give access, and the river is walked and waded from camp.
Planning a visit
This is remote country: Parks Victoria closes the high-country roads and tracks for winter each year, mobile coverage is poor to absent, and a trip needs a capable vehicle, supplies and a plan. Dargo is the nearest village with fuel.
The river through the year
The Wonnangatta is unregulated high-country water: snowmelt and spring rain keep it high and cold into late spring, and the tracks close in winter. The trout season opens in September, but the tracks into the valley stay closed until the seasonal reopening, which Parks Victoria set for 29 October in 2026, so the best fishing is from late spring into autumn, when the river is lower and clearer and the trout rise to the hatches in the runs. A trip here is planned around four-wheel-drive access, weather and supplies.
Reading this report here
The chart shows snowmelt and rain lifting the river; a high river makes the crossings dangerous. The water temperature estimate, labelled as one, is cold early in the season and cool from late spring; pressure and sky build the score on the Wonnangatta.
Licence, access and rules
The Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence applies on the Wonnangatta River at Crooked River unless you are exempt; our Victoria page has the fees. Parks Victoria’s track closures and the VFA rules are in the sources.
Common questions
How do I get to the Wonnangatta?
On four-wheel-drive tracks with seasonal closures; check Parks Victoria before going.
What can I catch there?
Wild brown trout and river blackfish, both abundant in the VFA’s notes on the Wonnangatta River at Crooked River.
Do I need a licence there?
Yes: unless you are exempt, fishing the Wonnangatta River at Crooked River takes the Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence.
Is fishing good at Wonnangatta River at Crooked River 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 224206 — WONNANGATTA @CROOKED
- Open-Meteo forecast model
- https://open-meteo.com/
- Moon and solunar windows
- Calculated on this site
- Pages checked
- 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.