What fish are in Big Brook Dam?

Big Brook Dam holds DPIRD-stocked rainbow and brown trout, naturalised redfin perch, and marron in the short summer open season. The trout are the headline draw — the dam receives one of WA's larger annual trout releases, ranging from fry and yearlings up to trophy broodstock fish over 50cm. Redfin are a declared pest and must not be returned alive to the water.

Do you need a licence to fish Big Brook Dam?

Yes — a South-West Freshwater Angling Licence from DPIRD is required to fish for trout or redfin perch in WA's inland south-west waters, and it is separate from the marine recreational fishing licence. Chasing marron in the short summer open season — noon 8 January to noon 5 February — needs an additional, separate Recreational Marron Licence on top of that. Read the current DPIRD freshwater guide for season dates, bag and size limits before you fish.

Is there trout in Big Brook Dam?

Yes — Big Brook Dam is one of WA's premier trout fisheries and is stocked annually by DPIRD with both rainbow and brown trout, including trophy-sized broodstock fish. Trout fish best at first and last light through the cooler months, and the months just after the winter stocking release are the prime window. Stocking quantities and timing vary year to year, so check current Recfishwest and DPIRD updates before booking a trip.

What are the marron rules at Big Brook Dam?

Big Brook is one of DPIRD's snare-only waters, so snares are the only legal method — drop nets and scoop nets are illegal here, and there is no rod-and-line take. It is not designated trophy water, so the standard limits apply: 80mm minimum carapace length and a daily bag of 8 per licensed fisher, against the 90mm and bag of 5 that apply at Harvey and Waroona dams. The season runs from noon on 8 January to noon on 5 February and needs a separate Recreational Marron Licence — check DPIRD's current marron guide before you go.

Can you swim and kayak at Big Brook Dam?

Yes. Unlike most south-west drinking-water catchments, Big Brook Dam is managed for recreation — swimming off the sandy beach, canoeing and kayaking are all allowed, and a sealed 4km loop track follows the shore. That makes it an easy family trip: fish a point at first light and let everyone swim once the day warms up.

Bite Compass

Bite Forecast

Big Brook Dam (Pemberton)

Fri 18 Sep 2026 · Australia/Perth

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📍 Big Brook Dam (Pemberton)

first quarter · 39%

Weather: Sunny Wind: N 351° · 21 km/h Water: 17.8 °C Pressure: 1011.6 hPa ↓ falling

★★★☆☆

Medium Fish Activity

▸ Why this score?

At the day's peak · 6:00 pm

Solunar Major window

Time of day Dusk

Tide Moving

Wind NW 17 km/h

Moon first quarter all day

Water temp 17.8 °C all day

Learn how the score works →

Activity Forecast

Day timeline

Major Minor Tide Twilight

First light 5:46 am Last light 6:33 pm

High 12:30 am Low 2:50 pm

Drag or use arrow keys to explore

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

5:00 pm → 7:30 pm

2h 30m

Good

5:30 am → 7:00 am

1h 30m

First light

5:46 am

Last light

6:33 pm

Sunrise

6:11 am

Sunset

6:09 pm

Moonrise

10:05 am

Moonset

12:28 am

High tide

12:30 am

Low tide

2:50 pm

Hourly Wind

High Bite Hours Highlighted

12am

☁️

15°

↖︎

323°

10 km/h

1am

☁️

15°

↖︎

330°

10 km/h

2am

☁️

15°

↖︎

337°

9 km/h

3am

☁️

14°

↑︎

351°

10 km/h

4am

☀️

14°

↑︎

359°

12 km/h

5am

☀️

13°

↑︎

7°

13 km/h

6am

☀️

12°

↑︎

13°

15 km/h

7am

☀️

13°

↑︎

11°

15 km/h

8am

☀️

15°

↑︎

20°

13 km/h

9am

☀️

17°

↗︎

23°

12 km/h

10am

☀️

20°

↑︎

18°

12 km/h

11am

☀️

21°

↑︎

11°

14 km/h

12pm

☀️

23°

↑︎

3°

16 km/h

1pm

☁️

24°

↑︎

355°

19 km/h

2pm

☁️

23°

↑︎

353°

21 km/h

3pm

☀️

23°

↑︎

358°

19 km/h

4pm

☀️

22°

↑︎

341°

18 km/h

5pm

🌧️

19°

↖︎

328°

22 km/h

6pm

🌧️

17°

↖︎

329°

17 km/h

7pm

🌧️

15°

↖︎

310°

16 km/h

8pm

☁️

14°

↖︎

334°

15 km/h

9pm

☁️

14°

↑︎

353°

17 km/h

10pm

🌧️

14°

↑︎

351°

21 km/h

11pm

🌧️

13°

↑︎

349°

21 km/h

Water Temp (°C)

↗ warming — up 0.5° over the last 3 days

Tue

15 Sep

17.2°

Wed

16 Sep

17.6°

Thu

17 Sep

17.7°

Fri

18 Sep

17.7°

Sat

19 Sep

17.6°

Sun

20 Sep

17.6°

Mon

21 Sep

17.5°

Tue

22 Sep

17.5°

Wed

23 Sep

17.6°

Thu

24 Sep

17.6°

Wind Map

Wind data (text)

Now: 21 km/h N (351°).

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

Open in the full fishing map (beta) →

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

5:00 pm → 7:30 pm

2h 30m

Good

5:30 am → 7:00 am

1h 30m

First light

5:46 am

Last light

6:33 pm

Sunrise

6:11 am

Sunset

6:09 pm

Moonrise

10:05 am

Moonset

12:28 am

High tide

12:30 am

Low tide

2:50 pm

Nearby spots

Pemberton / Donnelly River 3.8 km

Species at this spot

Weekly Bite Forecast

Big Brook Dam (Pemberton) + nearby Perth spots. Thursday 6pm — top windows, conditions, what's biting.

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