Corner Inlet and the South Gippsland region offers some of Victoria’s best fishing, especially for largerpink snapper, king george whiting, flathead, kingfish and gummy sharks.

The area that makes it great is the large Corner Inlet north of Wilsons Promontory, which extends east to McLoughlins Beach township.

McLoughlins can be reached from Yarram on the South Gippsland Highway.

The jetty near the McLoughlins boat ramp is a good spot, and those who make the 3km walk to the sea entrance will find great surf fishing, with the chance of a snapper or large salmon.

The inlet has large flathead, spotted whiting, big garfish, mullet and flounder.

Yabbies can be pumped on the flats and beach worms can be caught.

Fishing is best in summer, with mainly trevally, salmon and tailor in winter.

Robertsons Beach has good landbased fishing on the Tarra River channel at low tide, with big flathead and spotted whiting, and mulloway at night.

Port Albert is a great access point for boaters, and there are jetties that can be fished on the run-in tide for most species.

The upper Albert River has estuary perch.

Its mouth, called Old Port, produces occasional snapper, with flathead and whiting the usual catch.

A reliable spot for big snapper is the Snake Channel inside Snake Island, fishing at night and at dawn.

Big snapper are caught as far in as Old Port in Nov/Dec.

On the western side of Snake Island is Singapore Deep, which drains much of the inlet.

This channel reaches 34m depth and has strong currents.

Fish the Singapore Deep on small tides for big snapper and gummy sharks.

Don’t ignore shallow areas through the inlet, as big flathead, whiting, squid and gar are common.

Port Welshpool has an excellent boat ramp, which is near the best sea access from Corner Inlet, through Singapore Deep, though it is by no means a safe passage, with a runout tide and southerly swell quickly creating bad conditions.

Huge snapper live in the Deep, and a great many species are found just offshore, including kingfish around the islands, and thresher sharks.

The Lewis Channel out of Port Welshpool is well marked, and can be fished by foot at low tide.

Kingfish are a regular catch around the markers.

At Toora, the boat ramp dries at low tide. Fishing around Toora Channel produces most species, including snapper and gummy sharks in summer.

Further to the west is Yanakie, which has a boat ramp useable from half tide up.

The western inlet comprises sandflats and weedbeds drained by channels, with big flathead and whiting in summer.

The channels run into Franklin Channel, which runs into Singapore Deep.

Weather

The boating weather to be expected is much like that around Melbourne.

At Melbourne Airport the mean wind speed is between 20km/h and 24km/h through the year, with April, May and June being calmest and August and September the windiest.

Melbourne winds tend to blow northerly in winter, and southerly in summer.

Winter fronts bring gales, while summer brings strong afternoon sea breezes.

Victoria’s tidal range is small, with most boat ramps useable throughout the tidal range.

Port Welshpool tides
Victorian stocked fishing spots
Port Phillip fishing spots
Western Port fishing spots
Melbourne dam levels
VIC fishing regulations
VIC marine parks

Email corrections, additions, pictures or video here.

Most fishing in Victoria is in Melbourne’s two large, shallow enclosed bays, Port Phillip and Western Port.

Western Port Bay is 45km long and 30km wide, but is mostly just a shallow maze of sandlfats, seagrass and channels.

These run around French Island in the middle and Phillip Island at the entrance.

Much of the north-eastern area is flats at low tide.

The bay is best known for snapper, king george whiting and gummy sharks.

There is an annual run of elephant fish in autumn between Tortoise Head, Corinella and New Haven.

Squid are abundant at times.

Fishing the bay requires working the tides, as on bigger tides the bay drains, leaving channels.

Fishing can be good on the bigger tides, but a trip requires planning to ensure good fishing time at the chosen spot.

The best boat ramps are at Hastings, Corinella and Stony Point.

For big king george whiting try McHaffey’s Reef and Cat Bay in winter.

Snapper are all year, with a big run in spring. Long Reef, Spit Point, Lysaughts, Crawfish, Bagge, Eagle Rock and Yaringa Harbour are favoured grounds.

Any rubble bottom may produce. For flathead, try the channel edges.

Other species include kingfish, mulloway, salmon and snook.

Mulloway are best in Mosquito Channel, around Pelican Island, Elizabeth Island and near the Corinella hole.

The bay produces some huge mulloway, so be prepared with adequate gear.

Good landbased fishing can be had at Stockyard Point, Lang Lang, Grantville Jetty, Tenby Point, Corinella Jetty and Settlement Point.

At the entrance to Western Port, Phillip Island is reached by a bridge and has its own boat ramps, with landbased fishing at Cowes Jetty, San Remo Back Beach, Newhaven Jetty, Red Rock, Rhyll and Cat Bay.

The waters outside Western Port are renowned for sharks in summer, including makos, threshers, blues and whalers.

There are tiger flathead grounds just outside the bay, and striped tuna are abundant in summer.

Seasons

Juvenile salmon bite all year, while bream are best from June to November.

flathead, garfish and spotted whiting are best in the bay in summer, with whiting biting through to April.

Silver trevally and snapper are best from October to May.

Mullet are from April to October.

Kingfish are best in summer.

Squid can be caught all year, but are usually best from June to October.

Mulloway bite well around Melbourne in winter.

Bait, lures & tackle

Pilchards, bluebait, prawns and squid are popular baits.

For pink snapper, fish fillets or small whole fish work well.

For those who make the effort, local bait such as worms and bass yabbies, can make all the difference.

Lure fishing is popular, especially for salmon and kingfish, where chrome slices are a good all-round lure.

Bream and estuary perch are often targeted with small minnow lures and soft plastics.

Paternoster rigs are popular for bait fishing.

The fishing is easier in estuaries when the water dirties from rough weather.

Weather

At Melbourne Airport the mean wind speed is between 20km/h and 24km/h through the year, with April, May and June being calmest and August and September the windiest.

Melbourne winds tend to blow northerly in winter, and southerly in summer.

Easterlies are rare.

Winter fronts bring gales, while summer brings strong afternoon sea breezes.

Victoria’s tidal range is small, with most boat ramps useable throughout the tidal range.

Special features

The unusual and large seven gill shark frequents the bay, and there is an annual run of elephant fish.

Hastings (Mornington Peninsula) tides
Port Phillip fishing spots
Victorian stocked fishing spots
Melbourne dam levels
VIC fishing regulations
VIC marine parks

Email corrections, additions, pictures or video here.

Most fishing in Victoria is in Melbourne’s two large, shallow enclosed bays, Port Phillip and Western Port.

Port Phillip Bay is very different from its Western Port “sister” waterway.

Port Phillip reaches 24m in depth, with half being less than 8m deep, but navigable almost throughout. There is 264km of shoreline.

The Rip through the Heads is only 2km wide and flows hard, creating hazardous seas. It is a kingfish hotspot.

The bay is perhaps best known for snapper, but also has king george whiting, salmon, silver trevally, flathead, mullet, flounder, squid and garfish.

Mulloway are caught by dedicated fishos, mostly in winter.

There are many good boat ramps, the best with regards to useability and parking being at Queenscliff, The Warmies, St Kilda Marine, Werribee River, Altona, Brighton, Mordialloc, Martha Cove, Indented Head and Rye Pier.

Landbased fishing is best after heavy weather when snapper come in shallow while the water is discoloured, even during the day.

At other times night is better.

Landbased snapper fishing can be had at Mornington Pier, Mount Martha Rocks, and St Leonards Pier.

For other species, travelling around the bay, Portsea Pier is a fine fishing spot, with good boat fishing grounds through to Sorrento.

Blairgowrie has wading grounds for flathead and whiting, and the jetty has garfish and squid.

The nearby shipping channel edges have snapper and flathead. Near Rye, Capel Sound is a large area at the end of Sorrento Channel and South Channel that has snapper and gummy sharks, with whiting, garfish and squid in the shallower areas.

Rosebud is shallow, with flounder at night. The jetty has mainly garfish, squid and flathead.

Dromana to Safety Beach is sheltered in a southerly and good for flounder, squid and whiting.

Mount Martha to Mornington has deep water near shore and rocky foreshores where squid are prolific at times, with snapper in shallow after storms.

Nunns Walk rock ledge below Strachans Rd has snapper in summer.

Mornington Pier is one of the best bay jetties, with snapper biting in strong north-easters, with the chance of kingfish.

Frankston Pier is good for snapper in Oct/Nov, and salmon in rough weather. The area from Seaford to Carrum has snapper after a south-westerly blow.

Patterson River has bream and mullet, with mulloway in spring and summer.

Mordialloc jetty has squid, whiting, flathead and garfish.

Rickets Point has a reef extending to Black Rock, with snapper in spring and summer in the deeper water, along with most other species.

Half Moon Bay has a jetty and a good reef for boat fishos. Big snapper are taken from the pier in Oct/Nov.

Sandringham Harbour has a jetty and breakwall, with snapper in rough weather. Green Point has rock groynes that can fish well. Middle Brighton Pier produces snapper and loads of squid. From Brighton to St Kilda are grounds up to 15m deep with cunjevoi beds that hold snapper, with garfish and whiting.

Elwood Drain is a great rough-bottom shallow area with snapper at night.

St Kilda rock wall has snapper in spring and summer, and the pier produces some trevally, garfish and squid.

Kerford Rd jetty is a better spot, while Lagoon Pier has occasional snapper and mulloway.

The Yarra River has mulloway around bridge pylons at night.

Newport Power Station has warm water outlets that attract fish.

Breakwater Pier can be fished from a car. Altona Bay has shallow water with whiting, and snapper in Oct/Nov.

Altona Pier produces mainly flathead.

Point Cook jetty has good whiting fishing nearby for boaters.

Werribee River can be fished on the east side for big bream, as well as whiting and mullet.

Point Wilson fishes well in the region of the long pier.

Limeburners Bay is a sheltered spot for snapper in winter and spring, both landbased and by boat.

Rippleside Pier in Corio Bay has garfish, flathead and whiting, as does Griffins Gully Jetty.

The south bank of outer harbour near Moolap has spotted whiting in summer. On the Bellarine Peninsula, Grassy Point is a great whiting spot.

Clifton Springs Jetty has been extended for fishing and Portarlington has a relatively new marina that is proving to be an excellent fishing spot for many species.

At Indented Head, the St Leonards Pier and rockwall are good for fishing, while offshore the Governor Reefs have whiting and squid.

Swan Bay entrance has big flathead in summer for boaters, with squid over the weedbeds.

Most of Swan Bay is marine park.

Bell Reef has a fishable lowtide platform under the lighthouse on Shortland Bluff.

Queenscliff Pier produces mainly smaller fish.

The Rip off Port Phillip Heads, accessed from Queenscliff ramp, has kingfish in summer when the tide ebbs, usually about three hours after high or low tide. Jigging is popular.

Whiting are caught near the White Lady marker off the northern tip of Swan Island.

The drop-off east of the marker has snapper.

Point Lonsdale Pier can fish well at times, especially for big garfish, salmon and whiting, with snapper in spring. Artificial reefs are in the bay, see the maps.

Seasons

Juvenile salmon bite all year, while bream are best from June to November.

Flathead, garfish and spotted whiting are best in the bay in summer, with whiting biting through to April.

Silver trevally and snapper are best from October to May.

Mullet are from April to October.

Kingfish are best in summer.

Squid can be caught all year, but are usually best from June to October.

Mulloway bite well around Melbourne in winter.

Bait, lures & tackle

Pilchards, bluebait, prawns and squid are popular baits.

For pink snapper, fish fillets or small whole fish work well.

For those who make the effort, local bait such as worms and bass yabbies, can make all the difference.

Lure fishing is popular, especially for salmon and kingfish, where chrome slices are a good all-round lure.

Bream and estuary perch are often targeted with small minnow lures and soft plastics.

Paternoster rigs are popular for bait fishing.

The fishing is easier in estuaries when the water dirties from rough weather.

Weather

At Melbourne Airport the mean wind speed is between 20km/h and 24km/h through the year, with April, May and June being calmest and August and September the windiest.

Melbourne winds tend to blow northerly in winter, and southerly in summer.

Easterlies are rare.

Winter fronts bring gales, while summer brings strong afternoon sea breezes.

Victoria’s tidal range is small, with most boat ramps useable throughout the tidal range.

Special features

The unusual and large seven gill shark frequents the bay.

Melbourne (Williamstown) tides
Victorian stocked fishing spots
Port Phillip fishing spots
Western Port fishing spots
Melbourne dam levels
VIC fishing regulations
VIC marine parks

Email us any corrections, additions, pictures or video here.