Portarlington pier and marina rock walls are productive fishing locations in Corio Bay, within Port Phillip Bay.
The pier itself gives access to reasonably deep water with some reefy bottom off the end.
The associated long marina rock wall fishes well, and the marina provides calm water for yakkers to fish when this part of the bay gets choppy.
Both the rock wall and pier are great fishing locations but can be busy during holidays, especially in summer.
The most commonly caught species are salmon, flathead, squid, leatherjackets and snapper.
Also caught are yelloweye mullet, garfish, sand and spotted whiting, blue crabs, bream and silver trevally.
Occasional small kingfish, luderick, john dory and mulloway are caught.
Rays and sharks also show up here, possibly attracted by occasional fish pieces discarded from commercial boats.
The pier is used to load commercial fishing boats, so there can be vehicular and boating traffic at times.
Port Arlington fishing calendar
It is important to target the right fish at the right time of year or you will be waiting a long time between bites.
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.
Bait, lures & tackle
Like most public jetties, Port Arlington gets fished regularly and the fish can be a little “educated”.
Use fine tackle and fresh bait for best results.
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 livebait such as worms and bass yabbies, can make all the difference.
Lure fishing works when the water is clear, especially for salmon, where small chrome slices are a good all-round lure.
Paternoster rigs are popular for bait fishing from piers.
Port Arlington weather
This part of the bay can really chop up in windy weather, and this dirties the water.
Dirty water can be good for snapper fishing, but less so for squid.
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.
Here is a list of recommended tackle for Victorian waters.
Port Arlington tides
VIC fishing regulations
VIC marine parks
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