Imagery © Esri
Gunningbar Creek is a western NSW creek that runs into the Bogan River, and the reason to fish it is native fish: NSW stocking records show Murray cod and golden perch released into it.
Treat it as one piece of water, fished from the access point on the card. In warm weather, cast a large dark streamer tight to timber and strip it slowly. Read the NSW fishing guide for closed seasons and limits before you go.
An inland creek feeding a bigger river. In our experience native predators like these tend to sit tight to structure: a fallen tree, an undercut bank, the deeper outside of a bend, the slack behind a log.
NSW stocking records list Murray cod and golden perch released into the creek, and the stocking chart shows when. How many stocked fish have survived is not something the records settle, so go in expecting a quiet day.
Atlas of Living Australia records also list Australian smelt, Murray River rainbowfish and unspecked hardyhead. They are small, and they are the natural food a streamer should suggest. The fly box is a guide's read: a few Woolly Buggers and other dark streamers in sizes 2 to 4, in black, olive and brown.
Take any closed season from the current NSW guide first. Within what it allows, in our experience warm-water natives fish best from late spring through summer and into early autumn. Early and late in the day, and on overcast days, are a good bet, when fish come out from cover to feed. After heavy rain, give a creek a day or two to settle before you fish it.
Use an 8 or 9 weight, an intermediate or sinking line and a short, heavy leader. Cast a Woolly Bugger at the bank or into the shadow of a log, let it sink, and strip it back slowly with pauses. Follow it with your eyes to the rod tip; in our experience a cod often takes at the last moment. Strike firmly and keep the fish's head up and out of the timber, because a cod will often dive for the snag.
The access card names the access point. Treat it as a location, not a statement of permission, and respect any fence or sign you meet on the ground.
As on any bush creek, tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back, carry plenty of water and watch your footing on soft, undercut banks. Do not wade a crossing you are unsure of, and keep away from the edge of the bank when it is wet.
No water-specific rule was found. Before you fish, read the current NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development fishing guide, check its closed-waters list, and take any season, bag and size limits and licence requirements from it.
These authority-listed points are separate from the mapped track intersections above. Some were inspected and some are public boat-ramp records; each row says which. A listing does not grant permission across private land, so check closures, signs and gates when you arrive.
Sources: NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
The year on this water
A year at a glance; check current rules
The river's year
Daily flow at Gunningbar Creek at D/s Weir, every year 1986 to 2026
Bureau of Meteorology — Water Data Online series catalogue (Snowy/Monaro stations). Bureau of Meteorology, © Commonwealth of Australia. Licensed from the Commonwealth of Australia under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. retrieved 2026-08-12.
How often it runs this high
14,642 days at Gunningbar Creek at D/s Weir, 1986 to 2026
Bureau of Meteorology — Water Data Online series catalogue (Snowy/Monaro stations). Bureau of Meteorology, © Commonwealth of Australia. Licensed from the Commonwealth of Australia under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. retrieved 2026-08-12.
How well this water has been surveyed
9 capture records, 1 decade of 1 on file
Atlas of Living Australia — freshwater fish occurrence records (open licences, with coordinates). Occurrence records from the Atlas of Living Australia and its contributing datasets, including the Victorian Biodiversity Atlas, NSW BioNet Atlas, Sustainable Rivers Audit, Murray-Darling Basin fish monitoring programs, OZCAM museum collections and iNaturalist Australia. Each record carries its own licence and originating dataset. retrieved 2026-08-13.
Stocking on record
26,022 fish in 3 records, 2021 to 2026
NSW Fish Stocking — ArcGIS site markers and linked histories. retrieved 2026-08-29.
Gunningbar Creek at D/s Weir
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No reading shown: No reading has been captured for this gauge yet, so none is shown.
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No reading shown: No reading has been captured for this gauge yet, so none is shown.
Gunningbar Creek at Fairview Dam
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No reading shown: No reading has been captured for this gauge yet, so none is shown.
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No reading shown: No reading has been captured for this gauge yet, so none is shown.
Readings from the Bureau of Meteorology's Water Data Online, © Commonwealth of Australia, licensed CC BY 4.0. Nothing here is a forecast. Check the gauge before you rely on it.
Live weather for Gunningbar Creek at D/s Weir loads here. If it does not, check the Bureau of Meteorology forecast before you go.
NSW stocking records list Murray cod and golden perch released into the creek, so those are the fish to plan for. The stocking chart shows which seasons they went in. Expect to work for them.
Check the current NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development fishing guide, including its closed-waters list, and take any season, bag and size limits from it before you fish.
Use the access point on the access card as a starting location, then read the signs and fences on the ground. It is a location, not a statement of permission.
An 8 or 9 weight with a sinking or intermediate line and a short, strong leader suits big streamers and timber in our experience.
