The Murrumbidgee's Murray crayfish season is open again, and it remains one of the most carefully fenced-in fisheries in inland New South Wales. The window is short — 1 June to 31 August 2026 — and the rules around it are anything but casual.
That caution reflects the animal. The Murray crayfish is a slow-growing native that has clawed back from earlier declines, and managers keep the take small. Crays may only be harvested from the Murrumbidgee between the Hume Highway road bridge at Gundagai and Berembed Weir, with Old Man Creek off-limits, plus a closure zone reaching 100 metres above and 50 metres below Berembed Weir.
Bag and size limits leave little room. The daily limit is two crayfish, and the possession limit is also two. Legal size sits in a tight 10-to-12-centimetre band, measured from the rear of the eye socket to the centre rear of the carapace, including the rib at the rear of the carapace — anything bigger or smaller goes straight back. Egg-bearing "berried" females are fully protected and must be returned to the water at once.
There are gear rules to match. A fisher can run no more than five nets, and each float has to carry 'HN' for a hoop net or 'PN' for a pyramid net, plus the owner's name, year of birth and postcode. Crucially, you cannot remove or possess the heads, tails or claws of crayfish while in, on or beside the water — keeping whole crays makes the size and bag rules simple to check.
For those who live for it, opening morning is a ritual. Robbie, of the Robbie Fishing YouTube channel, set up camp on the riverbank the evening before the 1 June start, grabbing a spot as another party left. "The opening day of the cray season is tomorrow," he said, intending to bait-fish that night before dropping nets at dawn. "Tomorrow morning on the 1st of June, we'll throw the cranets in and see if we can catch a crayfish."
He noted the river was running differently this year. "I've crayfished here on opening before and done pretty well, but the water was much higher," he said. "It's very low this year. We haven't had a lot of rain." He stayed confident regardless: "I know the crayfish are here. It's as good a spot as any."
A practical tip for anyone joining in: wear thick gloves, because those claws are sharp. And keep the bigger picture in mind — the brief season, the slot limit and the protection of berried females are all there to keep a delicate native fishery healthy. With the Murrumbidgee low and the gates open, the coming three months will show how the crays are travelling.