Melbourne (Williamstown) tides
Melbourne dam levels
VIC fishing regulations
VIC marine parks
Melbourne weather gets windier in the spring months.
This tends to dirty the clear winter waters, and dirty water and turbulence can be helpful when chasing fish in shallow water.
There is increasing traffic traffic at the boat ramps as the weather warms and the October snapper run starts.
Melbourne winds tend to blow northerly in winter, and southerly in summer, and as spring sun warms the land, sea breezes begin.
Inside Melbourne’s two bays of Port Phillip and Western Port, lee shores provide calmer landbased fishing in spring’s windier weather.
Victoria’s tidal range is small, being near 1m at Portland and under 2m at the NSW border.
Nonetheless, high tides tend to be the best time for landbased anglers and the turn of the tide is best when boat fishing.
Fish to catch around Melbourne in spring …
Garfish – best in winter but still some around in spring.
Barracouta – all year.
Black bream – these are in the lower parts of estuaries in winter, and move upstream in summer.
Bass – in estuaries in winter and spring, and move upstream in summer.
Estuary perch – these are also in the lower parts of estuaries in winter, and move upstream in summer.
Flathead – flathead bite all year, with big fish caught in spring.
Leatherjackets – these bite well in spring.
Mulloway – can fish well during winter in the lower parts of rivers.
Pink snapper – these bite well in spring, usually from October through summer.
Salmon – these are about in spring.
Silver trevally – winter for bigger fish, still some around in spring.
Tailor – all year but best in spring.
Trout, brown and rainbow – usually good in early spring.
Squid – these fish well when the water is clear, which happens less in spring. Try jetties with night lights, but many locations will produce at dawn and dusk.
Yelloweye mullet – best April to October.
Some ideas …
Salmon and yelloweye mullet off the beaches
Snapper around the bays from October
Gummy sharks in Western Port Bay
Salmon in southern section of Port Phillip Bay
Leatherjackets around rocky foreshores
Further afield …
Early spring – bream and estuary perch in the Great Ocean Road lower estuaries
Salmon on surf beaches
Here is a list of recommended tackle for Victorian waters.
