The 2026 whitebait season opens on Thursday 1 October 2026. The season will run for 6 weeks through to Wednesday 11 November 2026.

A whitebait licence is required to fish for whitebait. Licences are $39.00 and are available from the IFS website, Service Tasmania outlets and selected tackle shops.  This year, anglers aged 80 years and older can purchase a discounted licence for $29.00.

A whitebait licence permits anglers to take a maximum of 2 kilograms of whitebait per day, and a total of 10 kilograms for the season. 

The following waters are open to whitebait fishing this year:

• Duck River (except 50 metres above and below the water gauging weir)
• Great Forester River
• Henty River
• Huon River
• Inglis River
• Mersey River
• Montagu River
• Pieman River
• River Derwent
• River Forth
• Kanamaluka / River Tamar (including Trevallyn Tailrace)
• Rubicon River (except 50 metres above and below the water gauging weir)

All other waters are closed to whitebait fishing at all times.

Please remember the following rules:

• Whitebait nets must have a circumference 120 cm or less.

• A whitebait net must not be used with any structure or device capable of diverting fish into the net or stopping their escape. ‘Structures’ include rocks, logs or branches placed in the river to influence the movement of fish.
• Whitebait nets must be tagged showing your licence number, and you must be within 8 m of your net when fishing.
• Your net can be hand-held, tied to nearby vegetation, or staked using a metal or plastic peg, but not part of a severed tree or bush.

Inland Fisheries Officers will be on patrol statewide throughout the whitebait season. Illegal whitebait fishing threatens the ongoing sustainability of this fishery. Please report any illegal fishing to Manager Compliance on 0438 338 530. Information can be shared anonymously.