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Fishing Port
Phillip Bay
Free fortnightly fishing report 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 to Port
Phillip Bay is just over three kilometres wide and is know as the “Rip”. The
Rip is one of Australia’s most dangerous port entrances and should only be
navigated in very calm conditions or by the experienced. Don’t have a boat! Mornington Boat
Hire can get you Snapper Fishing! Port Phillip Bay is home to
many of the table fish regularly chased in Victorian waters. Flathead,
Whiting, Bream, Snapper, Gummy Shark, Squid and Garfish are just a few of the
species that fill a creel after a days outing on the Bay. There are many
different hotspots around PFB, the best way to find out where they are biting
is to talk to the locals or visit the local Bait and Tackle shop. As a
general rule people in this area are more than willing to help you in your
quest to catch a brace. Port Phillip Bay Fishing Lessons The southern end and the
entrance of PFB are home to many species. Snapper, Flathead, Garfish, Squid,
Whiting, Snook, Salmon, Sharks and Yellowtail King Fish are targeted
throughout different periods of the year. People fishing the rip do quite
well, Whiting, Snapper, Squid, Barracouta, Leatherjacket and Salmon are
regular catches. The warmer months of November to April are the peak time for
this area as this is the time when the Snapper, Squid, Whiting and Yellowtail
King Fish run. 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 sorts 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, 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 Bellarine
Peninsula is a Hot spot for King George, the waters of St Leonard’s to Prince
George Bank are the 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’s Corio Bay is home to
Whiting, Snapper and Flathead. Land Based anglers are well served by
Cunningham Pier. Cunningham Pier 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 burly 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 Hobson’s 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. This area
creates a fish paradise. The trick is to fish this area when the warm waters
flow. The area is a real hotspot for lure anglers. Bream, Tailor and Mulloway
are regularly caught using both hard-bodied and soft plastic lures. The Melbourne Docklands area is
also 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 sun rise and sun set. 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. Its 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 Portsea 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 produces 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. King George Whiting. Pound
for pound a king George whiting pulls as hard as anything, yet as far as a
sports fish go their size limits them. King George Whiting are arguably one
of Southern Australia’s best eating fish, their delicate flavour and firm
white flesh make most anglers drool at just the thought of landing a couple.
Whiting can be found through out the bay. Places to concentrate your efforts
should 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’re 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 two to four hundred 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 Port Phillip Bay. Snapper, Whiting, Flathead and Gummy shark are just
a few of the species that find a feed of squid irresistible. Australian 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 two hundred 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, Pippies 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
Yellowtail
Kingfish reach over twenty-five kilos 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; summer migrations of Whiting, Squid, Salmon and
Pilchards make this a time of plenty. Large resident Snapper can be caught
all year round if your willing to put in the time and effort required. One
such location known for its winter Snapper is Corio Bay. While not growing to
the same sizes as their South Australian cousins there are enough fish
between three and seven kilograms to keep everybody happy. The occasional
fish in excess of ten kilograms is landed each year by a few lucky anglers.
Snapper are a schooling fish, 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 Shark. 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. Seven Gill, Whaler, Thrasher, Gummy, School and even Moko and Blue
sharks are caught. 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. 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 Port Phillip Bay require a
fishing licence and also a boating licence for those venturing out in boats.
Fishing licences are obtained from most bait and tackle stores and a one-year
licence is reasonable priced at twenty dollars. Boat Licence 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 two
thousand square kilometres and being Australia’s largest tidal lagoon there
is plenty of room for everybody to catch a brace. For any further information please contact: Paul Pingiaro Marketing Director TrackAir Adventures Email: paul@trackairadventures.com |
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