Imagery: Esri

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Waters

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Fly fishing New England

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Severn River

River

222 km

Main stem

Reaches

Species recorded

Access places

Ways in

A New England cod river cut by Pindari Dam, with Murray cod recorded from 2008 to 2024 and cod and golden perch stocked by NSW.

The Severn is a Murray cod river on the New England tablelands, and its upper reaches are the draw: clear water that suits a cod fly. FlyLife counts the upper river among the better clear-water cod fishing on fly, and the survey records back the cod.

Pindari Dam cuts the river in two. Above it the Severn runs about 130 kilometres from the tablelands, picking up a tributary called Beardy Waters along the way. Below the wall it runs on as a bigger river to the Macintyre. For a first trip, fish the upper river in summer.

Fish in this water

Each fish is rated by its strongest evidence. A rating says how sure we are a fish is here, not how many there are, whether it is worth fishing for or whether you may keep it.

Confirmed

Recorded on this water in the last 15 years, or named for it by a fishery agency, its fishing rules or a fishing publication.

Likely

Older records here, recent stocking, a local guide or fly shop, a guide listing, or recent records on connected water nearby.

Silver Perch

Recorded here · 2008

No live gauge

No gauge readings are available for this water.

Season

Access & parking

Driving directions

Reaches

7 stretches

Above Kneipps Creek

12.3 km

0 km to 12.3 km from the source

Partly non-perennial

Kneipps Creek to Paling Yard Creek

11.2 km

12.3 km to 23.5 km from the source

Paling Yard Creek to Beardy Waters

30.3 km

23.5 km to 53.8 km from the source

Beardy Waters to Pindari Dam

75.8 km

53.8 km to 130 km from the source

Pindari Dam to Wells Crossing Road

15.2 km

144 km to 159 km from the source

Wells Crossing Road to Frazers Creek

15.3 km

159 km to 174 km from the source

Below Frazers Creek

47.8 km

174 km to 222 km from the source

The fish

Murray cod have been recorded along the Severn from 2008 to 2024, in surveys above and below the dam, and NSW stocked cod in 2019/20. Golden perch have been recorded too and were stocked in 2020/21 and 2023/24. Freshwater catfish and silver perch appear in the survey records, and a redfin was recorded below the dam in 2005.

Western carp gudgeon and Australian smelt are the small fish on the records, which is the size a perch fly should copy.

Observation history

Stocking history

Occurrence records do not establish present abundance or angling suitability. Counts are records, not fish. Environmental DNA indicates a detection in water, not a captured fish.

These records fall inside the mapped waterbody or within 250 m of a mapped waterway. Records with stated positional uncertainty above 1 km were excluded; some included locations have unstated uncertainty.

Golden Perch

Macquaria ambigua

2008–2011 · 7 records · Severn River

Boat electrofishing (2) · Unstated or other method (5)

Data: Sustainable Rivers Audit (CC-BY-Int)

Atlas of Living Australia ↗

Murray Cod

Maccullochella peelii

2008–2024 · 19 records · Severn River

Backpack electrofishing (7) · Boat electrofishing (3) · Mesh or seine netting (2) · Netting (1) · Unstated or other method (6)

Data: iNaturalist Australia (CC-BY 4.0 (Int)); Sustainable Rivers Audit (CC-BY-Int); Australian Museum provider for OZCAM (CC-BY 3.0 (Au)); South Australian Museum Adelaide provider for OZCAM (CC-BY)

Atlas of Living Australia ↗

Freshwater Catfish

Tandanus tandanus

2008–2016 · 8 records · Severn River

Netting (5) · Unstated or other method (3)

Data: Sustainable Rivers Audit (CC-BY-Int); South Australian Museum Adelaide provider for OZCAM (CC-BY)

Atlas of Living Australia ↗

Silver Perch

Bidyanus bidyanus

2008 · 2 records · Severn River

Unstated or other method (2)

Data: Sustainable Rivers Audit (CC-BY-Int)

Atlas of Living Australia ↗

Australian Smelt

Retropinna semoni

2008–2016 · 5 records · Severn River

Mesh or seine netting (2) · Unstated or other method (3)

Data: Sustainable Rivers Audit (CC-BY-Int); Australian Museum provider for OZCAM (CC-BY 3.0 (Au))

Atlas of Living Australia ↗

Western Carp Gudgeon

Hypseleotris klunzingeri

1990–2016 · 8 records · Severn River

Mesh or seine netting (6) · Netting (1) · Unstated or other method (1)

Data: Australian Museum provider for OZCAM (CC-BY 3.0 (Au)); Queensland Museum provider for OZCAM (CC-BY); South Australian Museum Adelaide provider for OZCAM (CC-BY)

Atlas of Living Australia ↗

Eastern Gambusia

Gambusia holbrooki

2008–2011 · 6 records · Severn River

Boat electrofishing (2) · Trapping (2) · Unstated or other method (2)

Data: Sustainable Rivers Audit (CC-BY-Int)

Atlas of Living Australia ↗

Goldfish

Carassius auratus

2008–2011 · 2 records · Severn River

Boat electrofishing (1) · Unstated or other method (1)

Data: Sustainable Rivers Audit (CC-BY-Int)

Atlas of Living Australia ↗

Mountain Galaxias

Galaxias olidus

2001 · 3 records · Severn River

Backpack electrofishing (2) · Unstated or other method (1)

Data: University of Canberra - Wildlife Genetics Database (CC-BY 4.0 (Int)); Museums Victoria provider for OZCAM (CC0); South Australian Museum Adelaide provider for OZCAM (CC-BY)

Atlas of Living Australia ↗

When to go

We hold no season for the Severn, so read the season, bag and size limits in the current NSW freshwater guide before you go. Check it for a closed season on Murray cod before you plan a spring trip. Flow gauges at Strathbogie, Ducca Marrin, Fladbury and Ashford show whether the river is up.