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Port Phillip Bay is one of Australia's largest tidal lagoons covering around two thousand square kilometres and having a maximum depth of over 30 meters. The entrance is the famous "Rip" and at just three kilometres wide quite a dangerous place to be boating in all but very calm weather.
The good news is that Port Phillip Bay is home to many of the popular table fish we like to catch including flathead, whiting, bream, snapper, gummy shark, squid and garfish. These are just some the species that you can fill the fishing basket after a day on the Bay.
There are many different hotspots around the Bay, but the best way of finding where it is happening at any given time is to talk to the locals, or visit the local Bait and Tackle shop. As a general rule local folk are more than willing to help you in your quest to catch a brace.
Bottom of the Bay:
The southern end and the entrance of the Bay is home to many species. Snapper, flathead, garfish, squid, whiting, snook, salmon, sharks and yellowtail king fish are targeted throughout different periods of the year at this location. Meanwhile, the Rip produces whiting, snapper, squid, barracouta, leatherjacket and salmon.
Fortunately it is the warmer months of November to April that are the peak time for this area and when you get snapper, squid, whiting and yellowtail running.
Squid migrate into the bay each year around the month of October to Spawn. The squid that enter the bay to spawn are quite large and commonly reach weights in excess of three kilograms. The best areas to try for these monsters are Queenscliff, Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean. Snapper enter the bay in late October and are one of the most sort after fish the bay has to offer.
Yellowtail King Fish are regularly targeted off the stone wall at Nepean Bay where anglers will regularly anchor six hundred meters out on an out going tide as they chase these big green rockets.
The land based anglers do very well in this area, while specialist land based game fishermen do quite well off the piers of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale. The most commonly caught species of shark are seven-gill sharks.
The region of the Ballarine Peninsula is a hot spot for King George whiting, the waters of St Leonard's to Prince George Bank being the prime locations.
The channels off St Leonard's are also home to snapper yet the local population of small flathead can make fishing difficult. As a rule if the snapper are around the flathead will disappear.
For the land based angler after a strong northerly blow snapper can be caught of the St Leonard's pier. As you move up the bay on the western side the boat ramp of Intended Head gives good access to Prince George Bank. Areas worth looking at along the bank are Grassy Point and the Governor reefs for large King George whiting and The Prince George Light tide scour and its associated drop off are known Snapper hotspots. Land based anglers are well served by the pier at Portarlington that regularly produces catches of whiting, flathead and leatherjacket in the summer months.
Point Richards off Portarlington is a know hot spot for whiting especially during the warmer months. Three kilometres out on the North side of Port Richards channel offers good snapper fishing the best spots are located between beacons numbers three and five. This area is easily accessed from the Port Arlington boat ramp.
Geelong Delights:
If you are visiting the Bay, don't forget Geelong. Corio Bay in particular is home to whiting, snapper and flathead. Land Based anglers are well served by Cunningham Pier which regularly produces trevally, flathead, barracouta and slimly mackerel.
The Geelong Grammar School Lagoon is well known for its regular catches of big flathead, spotted ling, snapper and gummy sharks. Just north of Geelong, Avalon is a regular hotspot for whiting. The best place to fish is between the old channel markers inside the old channel.
Clifton Springs has a boat ramp that gives good access to the excellent fishing on offer at Curlewis Bank where good catches of whiting are the norm. The area of Werribee gives the angler good access bream, whiting and snapper fishing.
For whiting in this area, look for groups of boats as they will indicate the areas that are productive at the present time. In this region you will also encounter snapper in shallow water. The area of Kirk Point is a know hot spot for reds in shallow water. The trick is to anchor up in the hours of darkness throw out some berley and hang on.
Between Point Cook and Williamstown lies a large expanse of broken ground in both shallow and deep water. This area is home to many species with snapper, whiting and flathead making up the majority of the bag.
Whiting anglers in this area favour the waters close to the Altona shoreline. This area is also productive for snapper after a strong on shore blow.
The top of the bay and the region of Hobsons Bay produce beam, mullet, whiting, flathead, snapper and the occasional mulloway. Anglers fishing an area known as the "Hotties" catch all the local species as well as tailor.
The Hotties is a channel of water where the Power station at Newport pumps hot water into the bay. Not surprisingly this condition creates a fish paradise. The trick is to fish this area when the warm waters flow. The area is a real hot spot for lure anglers. bream, tailor and mulloway are regularly caught using both hard-bodied and soft plastic lures.
The Docklands:
The Melbourne Docklands near the city itself is another area of interest for the bream and lure fisherman. This area is well known as a big bream hotspot and anglers often encounter resident mulloway. The preferred method of fishing in this region is now soft plastics, but it should also be remembered that bait still works quite well.
Anglers fishing between Elwood and Sandringham catch large amounts of snapper from November till Christmas. The prime time in this area is just before sunrise and sunset. Garfish are also common in this area especially when the snapper are running. You don't need a boat in this area to get amongst the fish; the shore based fishing options are quite good and regularly produce good catches of salmon, whiting and snapper.
Large mussel beds are located off Aspendale, Edithvale and Chelsea and are home to snapper of all sizes in the warmer months. It's also common for anglers fishing this area to do battle with large mulloway, yet few are landed.
The waters out wide off Seaford and Frankston produce large amounts of snapper from November till April. Whiting and squid inhabit the shallower waters giving many options to the boat fisherman.
The waters between Frankston and Mount Martha are noted as Port Phillip Bays best snapper grounds. Large numbers of snapper migrate to this area each year from late October till early April; it's believed that the snapper enter the bay to breed. Anglers make the most of this opportunity and many ventures out in search of Victoria's favourite sportfish are made.
Mornington and Mount Martha are popular with anglers. Whiting, Squid, Flathead and Pike are caught all year round. Snapper, Sharks, Garfish and Salmon are abundant in the warmer months. Land based anglers are well catered for in this area with Mornington Pier and many rocky platforms providing consistent catches of Squid, Whiting, Snapper, Salmon, Flathead and Barracouta.
Off Safety Beach there is an extensive system of grass beds and reef that is home to Squid and Whiting. This area is easily located by launching your boat at Safety Beach and motoring out to the local mussel farm. Both inside and outside the Mussel Farm are productive.
The deep water off the cape is home to flathead, snapper and sharks.
The Grass beds and reefs of Sorrento and Blairgowrie are famous for their whiting and squid. Out in the shipping channel snapper and sharks are also caught. The most popular location is known as the Shark Hole and is found just north of Sorrento.
For the land based angler the Sorrento Pier is very productive for squid, whiting and leatherjackets.
The region of Point Nepean is an excellent fishing location producing, squid, whiting, snapper, sharks, kingfish and flathead. Before fishing this region check with the local authorities to find out witch areas are marine parks.
Hail the King:
Pound for pound King George whiting pulls as hard as anything, yet as far as a sports fish go their size limits them. The KG whiting is arguably one of Australia's best tasting fish, with a delicate flavour and firm white flesh.
Whiting can be found through out the bay, however best place fishing spots tend to be over grass beds, patchy reef or any area of broken ground. It is rare for whiting to be found in water depths exceeding ten meters.
Port Phillip Bay whiting rarely exceed eight hundred grams, yet for those anglers fishing the months between December and April a fish in the one kilo range is always a chance.
The Whiting's preference of habitat makes them an ideal target for both land based and boat anglers alike. When a school of whiting is located it's not uncommon for angler to catch their bag limit [20] in less than one hour.
Tackle for whiting should be kept simple. A light spinning rod and reel will suffice in most situations. Line should not be over four kilograms and number four long shank hooks are the choice of most anglers. A running sinker rig is the most popular coupled with a sinker to suite the condition. Best baits for whiting are mussels, squid, pippies and sand worms.
Bream:
Bream are not exactly caught in the bay yet a number of the rivers flowing into Port Phillip Bay hold quite healthy populations. The Werribee, Marybinong, Yarra, Patterson and Balcombe rivers all produce at various times of the year. Normal bream fishing techniques are employed very successfully.
Squid:
Squid are caught throughout the bay over most grass beds and reefs. I deal squid locations are flat reef with good weed cover in about three to four meters of water. The squid in the bay vary in size depending on the location that you are fishing. Anglers in the southern end of the bay catch squid up to and over three kilos. Squid throughout the rest of the bay tend to range around the 200 - 400 gram mark.
The most popular method of catching squid in Port Phillip Bay is by the use of Prawn or Yo-Zuri squid jigs. These jigs cast and retrieved in a slow jerking and sinking method are quite productive. Bait Jigs are also used by anglers especially those fishing the southern end of the bay, this style of offering is very effective on larger Squid. Once a school of squid is located it can be quite easy to catch your limit of 10. Squid are not just fantastic to eat they are also one of the best baits for fishing the Bay. Snapper, whiting, flathead and gummy shark are just a few of the species that find a feed of squid irresistible.
Aussie Salmon:
Salmon are one of the Bay's true sports fish, their power and stamina provide great sport on light tackle. They are a schooling fish that move around the bay freely. Salmon tend to stay relatively close to shore and prefer a bottom with patchy reef. This being said they are liable to turn up at any time.
Salmon range in size from 200 grams to over four kilos. The smaller salmon in the bay are locally referred to as Bay Trout. A school of Salmon are usually located quite easily as diving birds indicate the presence of bait that the salmon have herded up.
Garfish:
Garfish are found throughout Port Phillip Bay during the warmer months. They can be caught in close over the same sorts of seabeds as whiting or out deep in the channels while fishing for Snapper. The key to getting a few garfish around your boat is a good Burley. Tuna Oil, bread, fish scraps and pellets make the perfect burley. When attracted their schools can be quite large. With the aid of a float, a number 12 or 13 hook baited with silver fish, maggots, pipies or fish pieces they are great fun to catch for the whole family. Garfish are not only good to eat they also make fantastic Snapper bait.
Yellowtail Kingfish:
These fish reach over 25kg and are the only real game fish the bay as to offer other than sharks. The place to chase kingfish is in the Rip and along the Lonsdale wall.
Many locals fish for them using a technique of slowly trawling with strong handlines baited with squid. If the conditions are favourable trawling with medium sport fishing outfits is also productive. Lures such as Konaheads, rubber squid and minnow styles are all productive. Kingfish are also encountered when fishing for salmon as the occasionally mix into the salmon school.
Snapper:
Snapper are caught in Port Phillip Bay all year round. Yet the majority of the larger fish are caught between October and April. It's during this period each year that large numbers of ocean-going snapper enter Port Phillip Bay. This migration is believed to be due to the fishes' urge to breed.
Snapper are in Port Phillip Bay when food is plentiful such as summer, however they can be caught all year round if your willing to put in the time and effort required.
One such best location for winter snapper is Corio Bay. Whilst not growing to the same sizes as their South Australian cousins these snapper are pretty healthy and run to as big as seven kilos. The occasional fish in excess of ten kilograms is landed each year by a few lucky anglers.
Snapper are a schooling fish, so once located large catches can be common but remember size and bag limits.
While large snapper are normally caught in deep waters smaller juvenile fish known locally as Pinkies are quite often caught over the same shallow broken grounds that Whiting haunt.
Pinkies are ferocious feeders and move about in large schools. They provide great entertainment on light spinning outfits. While Pinkies are caught all year round the peak time to chase them is the months of December till April.
Snapper are fished for with lines ranging from four to ten kilograms depending on the type of bottom your fishing over.
Best baits for snapper are squid, silver whiting, cuttlefish, octopus, pilchards, barracouta and salmon.
Sharks:
The most regularly caught edible shark in Port Philip Bay is the gummy. They are generally a bi-catch of snapper fishing. Sharks are most common in the bay during the warmer months as the follow the migrations of fish into the warm water of the bay.
Not many anglers in Port Phillip Bay primarily chase sharks, yet those that do have exceptional results. Many sharks over one hundred kilograms are encountered. Of the larger species seven-gill and whaler sharks are the most common.
The best baits are oily bloody fish flesh baits like tuna, trevally, salmon and pilchards.
Summary:
Port Phillip Bay is serviced by many quality boat ramps, yet car parking can be a problem and launching fees are charged at most ramps. Those wishing to fish the Bay will also require a Victorian fishing license, plus boating license if they are venturing out on the water.
Fishing licenses are obtained from most bait and tackle stores and a one year license is reasonable priced at $20. Boat License test are written multiple answer exams conducted at Vic Roads offices.
Port Phillip Bay is a fantastic fishing destination. Due to the shape of the Bay there is always a location where the wind is blowing offshore. With Port Phillip Bay covering over 2000 square kilometres and being Australia's largest tidal lagoon there is plenty of room for everybody to catch a brace.
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