Fishing in Nymboida National Park

Nymboida National Park sits in the ranges of northern New South Wales, where the tablelands break into deep gorges and the country drains toward the Clarence.

The park's core has been declared wilderness, and the rivers that cut through it — the Nymboida and the Mann — are the reason anglers make the trip. The Nymboida River and the Mann River are the two waters that anchor the fishing here.

Both run through rugged, remote valleys with limited road access, and both hold Clarence River cod — the eastern freshwater cod — an endangered species found naturally in only a handful of tributaries of the Clarence system.

The Nymboida is also known for Australian bass. These aren't easy fish to reach; the terrain is serious, and the wilderness declaration means much of the country between you and the water stays that way.

The most important thing to know before you go: both the Mann River and the Nymboida River, along with their tributaries, are subject to an annual fishing closure from 1 August to 31 October.

The closure exists to protect eastern freshwater cod during breeding season — a time when the fish aggressively defend nests and are acutely vulnerable to lures and bait.

The closed section of the Nymboida runs from its junction with the Mann upstream to Platypus Flat; the Mann closure covers the river and all tributaries upstream of its junction with the Clarence. The closure does not apply to notified trout waters.

NSW DPI fisheries officers patrol these waters during the closure period. Outside that window, the rivers fish through country that has seen little change.

The gorges are deep, the forest is tall, and the cod and bass that hold in these waters are part of a population that still occupies only a fraction of its former range.

Fish carefully, handle them well, and check current regulations with NSW DPI and the park before you go — the rules around an endangered species in a declared wilderness area carry real weight.