If you fish trout in New South Wales, this is your last week on the rivers. The state's trout streams and rivers close from Tuesday 9 June 2026 and stay shut until the season reopens on Saturday 3 October, lining up with the October long weekend.
It is the same closure that comes around every winter, and the reasoning has not changed: it protects spawning trout. As temperatures fall, wild browns and rainbows push up into the flowing water to breed, and leaving them undisturbed through that period is what keeps the wild fishery ticking over year after year.
Ian Lyall, Director of Aquaculture and Industry Development at the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, put the case plainly. "By temporarily closing trout streams and rivers during the spawning season, we help ensure strong, healthy fish populations," he said.
Crucially, the closure only covers running water. Stillwater fans can keep going right through the cold months. Lake Jindabyne, Eucumbene Dam, Oberon Dam, Thompsons Creek Dam, Talbingo Dam and Malpas Dam all stay open, along with two stretches of river: the Macquarie below the Lewis Ponds Creek junction, and the Turon River and tributaries downstream of the Upper Turon Road crossing.
For many anglers the closure is less an ending than a change of scenery. Winter on the big Snowy storages — Jindabyne and Eucumbene — can be the most rewarding fishing of the year, with heavy browns moving into the margins and bank anglers on bait, lures and flies all in with a chance after dark and at first light.
So squeeze in those last few river sessions before Monday night. The streams will reopen in spring, fresh off another spawning run.