I'm originally from Victoria, and I remember many mornings spent taken out very early to go fishing with my d
ad, and then later on some great days out with friends as well.Here are some of the best fishing spots around Victoria in saltwater, and next time I'll add to it with a list of freshwater locations.
I've included some of the fish you might expect to catch, and what you might need to catch them.
Lonsdale Bight
Much of the bight is a marine park, but fishing is allowed from Point Lonsdale pier and the beach from Dog Rocks car park east to Queenscliff. You can expect to catch salmon on the beach. If you're fishing from the pier you can add whiting, squid and snapper. Best chances for catching snapper are at night, or on days when the water is soiled. Boat anglers will find above average King George whiting in sand holes, snapper over reefs and a few squid over the weed beds.
Corio Bay
This is very productive water best known for its snapper, but it also offers King George whiting in good numbers, gummy sharks, flathead, salmon and garfish. Boat ramps at Avalon, St Helens and Limeburners Bay. Shore-based anglers can fish from rock walls at St Helens and Limeburners Point, jetties at Rippleside and Cunningham Pier (it has restrictions).
Lorne
A very well known holiday destination, the most popular fishing spot is the pier. Strong southwest winds can churn the seas and salmon sometimes go ballistic. Other species caught include barracouta, silver trevally, whiting and squid. For rock fishing, Jump Rock as you enter Lorne is popular for salmon, pinkies and trevally. There are many rock ledges along the Great Ocean Road past Lorne including Artillery Rocks. The Cumberland River has a small self-sustaining population of brown trout and the Erskine River holds estuary perch downstream and a few trout in the upper reaches.
Lakes Entrance
This is one of my favourite childhood fishing memories, it has excellent facilities
with boat ramps on both sides of the Highway Bridge and is an ideal family destination. The town jetties in the Cunninghame Arm produce luderick, trevally and bream. Expect to hook mainly salmon and tailor at the rock wall and jetty on Bullock Island. Beneath the main highway bridge spanning the North Arm is popular for silver trevally, bream and whiting. Other species include yelloweye mullet and garfish. The beach is excellent for salmon and mullet, with the occasional gummy shark caught at night.Portland
Plenty to offer surf, rock or offshore anglers. Catches include snapper, salmon, King George whiting, yellowtail kingfish and even mulloway. Offshore shark fishing has makos, threshers and blues. The harbour has excellent boat launching and fish cleaning benches. Popular offshore areas include Lawrence Rocks, Black Nose Point and the North Shore. For land-based anglers, the Lee Breakwater on the eastern arm of the harbour has produced big snapper recently. Beach fishing is popular at Shelly and Bridgewater beaches.
Bemm River
Primarily an East Gippsland bream fishery, but you will also catch estuary perch, luderick, dusky flathead, silver trevally, salmon and tailor. Most anglers fish the lake area in boats. The lake is shallow, with an average depth of 2m. Bream and estuary perch can be found mooching among the snags. With the deepest water in the system, it is the place to go for tailor, salmon and trevally. The beaches can fish well for salmon, tailor and gummy shark.
Werribee
Go offshore for whiting, flathead and snapper over the many reefs. Bream fishermen love the Werribee River. Stay in the marked channel and don’t try to head for deeper water until you have passed the large pile mark.
Newport
A new ramp at the end of North Rd launches into the “Warmies”, the hot water outlet channel for the power station. This area is productive for mullet, bream, silver trevally, pinkies, salmon and tailor. The outlet mouth and Yarra River junction produce pinkies, salmon, tailor, bream, flathead and sometimes mulloway.
Carrum
Boat launching facilities in Patterson River are the best in the bay. Inshore grounds will produce whiting, pinkies, squid, flathead and salmon. Many anglers head out to deeper water, 16-20m, for big snapper and gummy shark. Patterson River is well known for its bream, mullet and salmon. Mulloway is sometimes caught here from late January onwards.
Sorrento
Offshore waters offer diverse fishing options. The pier can produce garfish, whiting and squid. Boat anglers work the deeper water for snapper but the best whiting fishing is generally within 1km of shore. You can also expect to catch salmon, garfish, flathead, squid. A dual boat ramp is situated to the west of the pier.
St Leonards
The pier and rock wall are popular and produce good snapper. Boating anglers do best fishing from close to shore out to the edge of Coles Channel for King George whiting and calamari squid. In January, most snapper and gummy shark are caught offshore in 16-20m of water.
Hastings
Having lived in Hastings for several years, I managed to get in quite a bit of fishing here. It's a popular launching point for anglers wanting to work the Middle Spit, and the shallow banks and deeper channels of the western arm of the bay. The Middle Spit is a whiting hot spot, but from Hastings you can also fish the channel edges for big gummy sharks or chase snapper in the deeper water.
Bass Strait
Has a multitude of species. Expect to catch tiger and sand flathead over the sand areas in water from 15-40m. The inshore reefs hold snapper, yellowtail kingfish and King George whiting with the odd big gummy or thresher shark. Australian salmon will be found close to shore while good schools of pick handle barracouta can be found in the strait. Arrow squid start their annual migration through this water in January and for those who crave more excitement you can always fish for bronze whaler, mako and blue sharks.
Barwon River Estuary
Usually experiences a good run of school mulloway in January. The river also fishes well for silver trevally, Australian salmon, bream and even luderick. Worth a go, particularly upstream of the Sheepwash.
Mallacoota Inlet
One of Victoria’s largest estuaries. Anglers can catch black and yellowfin bream, dusky flathead, luderick, mullet, trevally, sand whiting, estuary perch, garfish, Australian salmon, tailor and mulloway. Prawning is also popular.
So grab your fishing rod, tackle, a couple of your favourite fishing lures, some bait, maybe a comfortable chair, and head on out this weekend to see what you can catch!
