Best time to fish in Kempsey
Today, Thursday, October 29, 2026 · local time (GMT+11) · New South Wales, Australia Today, Thu, Oct 29 · GMT+11- Major periods
- 1:47–3:47 am and 2:19–4:19 pm
- Minor periods
- 7:17–8:17 am and 10:23–11:23 pm
- Solunar activity
- Medium
- Sun
- 5:56 am–7:10 pm
Today, Thursday, October 29, the best time to fish in Kempsey is 2:20 pm to 4:20 pm, with a major period and some swell, though with rising pressure. It's a fair day (4/10). The best day this week is Sunday, November 1, at 9/10.
We don't have a tide station close enough to Kempsey, so the tide doesn't count in the rating: it comes from the solunar periods, the light and the weather.
Your day in Kempsey at a glance
The strip runs from midnight to midnight, local time. Night in gray, daylight in yellow; below, the solunar periods and the best windows.
Fishing forecast for the next 7 days
| Day | Rating | Best times | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 4fair day | 2:20–4:20 pm1:50–3:50 am | Waning gibbous |
| Fri 30 | 5average day | 3:20–5:20 pm6:40–7:40 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Sat 31 | 7good day | 5:30–6:30 am4:30–6:30 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Sun 1 | 9great day | 5:30–6:30 am6:40–7:20 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Mon 2 | 8good day | 6:40–7:40 pm5:50–6:30 am | Last quarter |
| Tue 3 | 6average day | 6:40–9:10 pm6:40–8:40 am | Waning crescent |
| Wed 4 | 5average day | 7:30–9:30 am5:20–6:20 am | Waning crescent |
Each day's rating comes from the solunar periods, the light and, when we have the forecast, the weather (the tide doesn't count here).
What can you catch in Kempsey?
Sport fishing species with the most records within about 62 mi of Kempsey: Australasian snapper, John Dory, bluefish, striped mullet and mulloway. October is one of the months when these are seen most: Australasian snapper and John Dory.
- Australasian snapper Pagrus auratus · fish · 134 records Photo: Gary Brooks · CC BY 4.0 · GBIF
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- John Dory Zeus faber · fish · 130 records Photo: de:Benutzer:Kleines.Opossum · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix · fish · 57 records Photo: SEFSC Pascagoula Laboratory; Collection of Brandi Noble, NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC. · public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Striped mullet Mugil cephalus · fish · 33 records Photo: Roberto Pillon · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Too few sightings to tell the months
- Mulloway Argyrosomus japonicus · fish · 28 records Photo: Show_ryu · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Yellowtail amberjack Seriola lalandi · fish · 22 records Photo: Nholtzha · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Skipjack tuna Katsuwonus pelamis · fish · 13 records Photo: Wikimedia Commons · public domain
Too few sightings to tell the months
- Atlantic cod Gadus morhua · fish · 6 records Photo: Wikimedia Commons · public domain
Too few sightings to tell the months
These are sightings and catches recorded since 1970 (reports from divers and anglers, scientific surveys and museum collections), not a promise that you will catch them. The months come from sightings only, adjusted for how many there are each month; hatched months have too few to tell.
Source: GBIF.org, which also gathers OBIS data. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY 4.0, from 1,130 datasets (retrieved October 24, 2026). Where the data comes from
Photos: each species' image on Wikidata (Wikimedia Commons) or, if there isn't one, one from GBIF; only licences that allow this use, each with its author and licence.
Piers, ramps and tackle shops nearby
Map: OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles · © OpenStreetMap contributors
- West Kempsey Boat Ramp Facilities: 1 lane · 40–50 trailer spaces · free · in poor condition 0.5 mi
- Riverside Park Boat Ramp Facilities: 2 lanes · 20–30 trailer spaces · restrooms · dock · free 0.7 mi
- Greenhill Boat Ramp Facilities: 1 lane · up to 10 trailer spaces · free · in poor condition 2.2 mi
- Pola Creek Boat Ramp Facilities: 1 lane · up to 10 trailer spaces · free · in poor condition 4.0 mi
- Frederickton Boat Ramp Facilities: 1 lane · up to 10 trailer spaces · lighting · free 4.0 mi
- Smithtown Boat Ramp Facilities: 1 lane · up to 10 trailer spaces · restrooms · fish-cleaning table · lighting · free 8.1 mi
- Compleat Angler & Camping World 0.7 mi
Within 9.3 mi. A spot may be missing or closed. Open the map on OpenStreetMap · Missing one? Add it to OpenStreetMap
Spots: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps. Boat ramp facilities: Transport for NSW (CC BY 4.0).
How we work out the best time
We score every moment of the day, every 10 minutes, with simple rules anglers have used for decades:
- Solunar: 2.5 points in the major periods (moon overhead or underfoot) and 1.5 in the minor ones (moonrise and moonset).
- Light: 2 points at dawn and dusk, from first light to the end of the morning golden hour and from the evening golden hour to the end of twilight.
- Weather: falling pressure adds 1 point and rising pressure takes 1 away; wind takes points away from force 4 (about 12 mph), up to 5 points in a gale; waves of 1.6 ft to 4.9 ft add half a point (they stir up the water) and from 8.2 ft they take points away (up to 4).
- Best windows: the stretches of 40 minutes to 3 hours with the most points, at least an hour apart.
- Day's rating out of 10: the best window (up to 5), the moon (up to 2, near new or full moon), the tide coefficient (up to 2) and whether a solunar period lines up with sunrise or sunset (1). Without a tide, we score out of 8 and scale it to 10. Good weather adds up to 1 point and bad weather pulls it down.
Today: best window 2.8 of 5, moon 1 of 2 and lineup 0 of 1; the weather multiplies the rating by 0.92.
It's a guide, not a guarantee: fish don't read tide tables. Always check the sea conditions and local fishing rules before you go.
Learn more
Fishing rules in Kempsey
Licenses, size limits, bag limits and closed seasons are set by the authorities and change often. We don't copy them here: check the official website before you go.
Questions about fishing in Kempsey
What's the best time to fish in Kempsey today?
2:20 pm to 4:20 pm, with a major period and some swell, though with rising pressure. Also 1:50 am to 3:50 am and 5:30 am to 6:30 am. Today's rating: 4/10 (fair day).
What about tomorrow? When's the best time to fish in Kempsey?
Tomorrow, Friday, October 30: 3:20 pm to 5:20 pm, with a rating of 5/10.
Which day this week is best for fishing in Kempsey?
Sunday, November 1, at 9/10. Its best window is 5:30 am to 6:30 am.
What can you catch in Kempsey?
Sport fishing species with the most records within about 62 mi of Kempsey: Australasian snapper, John Dory, bluefish, striped mullet and mulloway. October is one of the months when these are seen most: Australasian snapper and John Dory. These are sightings and catches recorded in GBIF and OBIS, not a promise that you will catch them.
When are the solunar periods in Kempsey today?
Major: 1:47–3:47 am and 2:19–4:19 pm. Minor: 7:17–8:17 am and 10:23–11:23 pm. Solunar activity today: medium.
Does the tide affect fishing in Kempsey?
We leave it out: there's no tide station close enough to Kempsey to give reliable tide times. Where the tide is noticeable, the hours before and after high and low tide tend to fish best.
How is the rating worked out?
From the solunar periods, the light at dawn and dusk, the moon phase and, when we have the forecast, the pressure, the wind and the waves. Each factor gives a fixed number of points and the rating sums them up out of 10. The tide doesn't count here: without it, we score out of 8 and scale it to 10.
Does it take the weather into account?
Yes. During today's best window: rising pressure (+0.21 inHg in 24 h), light cross-shore wind (8 mph) and some swell (3.8 ft waves) to stir the water. Strong wind and big waves lower the rating; falling pressure raises it a little.
What are the fishing rules in Kempsey?
Recreational fishing rules in Kempsey (licenses, size limits, bag limits and closed seasons) are set by the authorities: NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. They change often: check the official website before you go.
More about Kempsey today
Our own calculation: sun and moon with astronomy-engine and, when available, weather and sea from Open-Meteo (ECMWF, NOAA GFS and Copernicus Marine, CC BY 4.0).