What do you actually catch in the Avon at Toodyay?

Redfin perch are the dominant catch and the practical target — they are an introduced naturalised species and dominate the pools. Freshwater cobbler hold in the deeper named pools, with Cobbler Pool 20km west of town named for the local population. European carp are a frequent introduced bycatch on bait. Brown trout from earlier upstream stocking can occasionally show up but are not a reliable target in this lower stretch.

Do I need a freshwater licence?

Yes — a South-West Freshwater Angling licence from DPIRD is required to fish for redfin perch or freshwater cobbler in inland waters south of Greenough, including the Avon at Toodyay, and it is separate from the marine recreational fishing licence. Marron are not covered by it and need their own licence, but the Avon is not on DPIRD's list of marron waters anyway. Read the current DPIRD freshwater guide for bag and size limits.

Is the Avon connected to the Swan?

Yes — the Avon becomes the Swan River at the Wooroloo Brook confluence inside Walyunga National Park, and continues as the Swan through the metro to Fremantle. The upper Avon at Toodyay is freshwater to brackish and pool-based; the lower Swan is estuarine. They are the same system but fish very differently and require different licences for the species you target.

Can I fish during the Avon Descent?

Not practically — the Avon Descent runs in early August each year and the Toodyay and Northam stretches carry hundreds of paddlers, kayakers, motorised support craft and spectators across that weekend. Check the official event dates and fish either side of it. The week after the event is usually a quiet, freshly-flushed window with the river settling back.

Can you camp at Cobbler Pool?

No — the Shire of Toodyay has permanently closed the Cobbler Pool camping area, effective immediately, so overnight camping is no longer permitted at the reserve. The only exception is approved organised events, which need written approval from the Shire CEO and an Event Management Plan. You can still drive in to fish the pool for the day; for an overnight session, base yourself in Toodyay or Northam.

Bite Compass

Bite Forecast

Avon River (Toodyay)

Sat 31 Oct 2026 · Australia/Perth

Forecast updated Sat 31 Oct, 10:00pm AWST

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📍 Avon River (Toodyay)

waning gibbous · 74%

Weather: Sunny Wind: W 278° · 8 km/h Pressure: 1012.4 hPa ↓ falling Sheltered water: wind direction matters less here

★★★☆☆

Medium Fish Activity

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▸ Why this score?

At the day's peak · 5:00 am

Solunar Major window

Time of day Dawn

Wind N 7 km/h

Moon waning gibbous all day

Learn how the score works →

Activity Forecast

Day Timeline

Major Minor Twilight

First light 4:53 am Last light 7:02 pm

Drag or use arrow keys to explore

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

4:00 am → 6:00 am

Good

6:30 pm → 8:00 pm

1h 30m

Good

4:30 pm → 5:00 pm

30m

First light

4:53 am

Last light

7:02 pm

Sunrise

5:18 am

Sunset

6:37 pm

Moonrise

—

Moonset

9:27 am

Hourly Wind

High Bite Hours Highlighted

12am

☀️

13°

←︎

274°

5 km/h

1am

☀️

13°

↖︎

312°

4 km/h

2am

☀️

13°

↑︎

346°

4 km/h

3am

☁️

13°

↖︎

337°

5 km/h

4am

☁️

14°

↑︎

8°

7 km/h

5am

☁️

14°

↑︎

11°

7 km/h

6am

🌧️

14°

↑︎

9°

12 km/h

7am

🌧️

15°

↑︎

11°

11 km/h

8am

🌧️

16°

↑︎

5°

14 km/h

9am

🌧️

17°

↑︎

344°

21 km/h

10am

🌧️

18°

↖︎

332°

19 km/h

11am

🌧️

22°

↖︎

295°

28 km/h

12pm

☀️

23°

←︎

287°

27 km/h

1pm

☀️

23°

←︎

283°

28 km/h

2pm

☀️

23°

←︎

282°

28 km/h

3pm

☀️

22°

←︎

282°

28 km/h

4pm

🌧️

21°

←︎

276°

27 km/h

5pm

☀️

20°

←︎

270°

24 km/h

6pm

☀️

18°

←︎

264°

20 km/h

7pm

☀️

17°

←︎

267°

14 km/h

8pm

☀️

16°

←︎

270°

11 km/h

9pm

☀️

15°

←︎

272°

8 km/h

10pm

☀️

14°

←︎

278°

8 km/h

11pm

☀️

14°

←︎

279°

8 km/h

Wind Map

Wind data (text)

Now: 8 km/h W (278°).

Wind map data: ECMWF HRES (operational), updated every 6 hours. Not for navigation.

Open in the full fishing map →

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

4:00 am → 6:00 am

Good

6:30 pm → 8:00 pm

1h 30m

Good

4:30 pm → 5:00 pm

30m

First light

4:53 am

Last light

7:02 pm

Sunrise

5:18 am

Sunset

6:37 pm

Moonrise

—

Moonset

9:27 am

Species at This Spot

Redfin Perch
Freshwater Cobbler

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