Can you really catch trout in WA?

Yes — the south-west forest streams around Pemberton are the heart of the WA trout fishery. DPIRD stocks rainbow and brown trout into specific waters including the upper Donnelly, Warren tributaries and Lefroy Brook, and a small brook-trout population persists in the colder headwaters. It is the only meaningful freshwater trout fishery in the state.

Do I need a separate licence for trout?

Yes — but it is the general South-West Freshwater Angling Licence, not a trout-specific one, and it covers trout, redfin perch and freshwater cobbler alike in waters south of Greenough. It is separate from the marine recreational rules that cover most of the rest of this site. There is no closed season for trout; the daily bag is 4 trout and cobbler combined, with a 300mm minimum size on trout.

How do I fish the Donnelly River mouth?

The mouth is 11km downstream of Donnelly Boat Landing and most reliably accessed by small boat or kayak from there. The surf beach at the mouth fires for Australian salmon and tailor through autumn on ganged-hook mulies and metals, and mulloway on whole baits after dark. Direct vehicle access to the beach itself is limited and seasonally restricted.

What's the best time of year to fish around Pemberton?

Spring and early summer for trout in the forest streams, autumn for salmon and tailor at the Donnelly mouth, and year-round for black bream in the lower Donnelly and Warren. Mid-winter is cold and wet but holds bream for those who like quiet water; mid-summer needs care around fire restrictions and forest closures.

Bite Compass

Bite Forecast

Pemberton / Donnelly River

Tue 20 Oct 2026 · Australia/Perth

Forecast updated 4:01am AWST

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Today Tomorrow Sat 17 Oct

📍 Pemberton / Donnelly River

first quarter · 65%

Weather: Unavailable Water: 17.6 °C Sheltered water: wind direction matters less here

★★★☆☆

Medium Fish Activity

▸ Why this score?

At the day's peak · 7:00 pm

Solunar Major window

Time of day Dusk

Tide Moving

Moon first quarter all day

Water temp 17.6 °C all day

Learn how the score works →

Activity Forecast

Day timeline

Major Minor Tide Twilight

First light 5:02 am Last light 6:59 pm

High 5:30 am Low 2:00 pm High 10:30 pm

Drag or use arrow keys to explore

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

6:00 pm → 8:30 pm

2h 30m

Good

4:30 am → 6:30 am

First light

5:02 am

Last light

6:59 pm

Sunrise

5:28 am

Sunset

6:33 pm

Moonrise

12:37 pm

Moonset

2:03 am

High tide

5:30 am

Low tide

2:00 pm

High tide

10:30 pm

Water Temp (°C)

→ steady around 17.6°

Sat

17 Oct

17.5°

Sun

18 Oct

17.6°

Mon

19 Oct

17.6°

Tue

20 Oct

17.6°

Wed

21 Oct

17.5°

Thu

22 Oct

—

Fri

23 Oct

—

Sat

24 Oct

—

Sun

25 Oct

—

Mon

26 Oct

—

Wind Map

Wind data (text)

Current wind summary unavailable — see the wind chart above the map.

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

6:00 pm → 8:30 pm

2h 30m

Good

4:30 am → 6:30 am

First light

5:02 am

Last light

6:59 pm

Sunrise

5:28 am

Sunset

6:33 pm

Moonrise

12:37 pm

Moonset

2:03 am

High tide

5:30 am

Low tide

2:00 pm

High tide

10:30 pm

Nearby spots

Big Brook Dam (Pemberton) 3.8 km

Species at this spot

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