THOSE of us who live in Melbourne have an abundance of fishing opportunities. These opportunities are not necessarily to far flung parts of the state, but within easy travelling distance of the city, whether that be by public transport or car.
If we were to draw a circle 100 kilometres around Melbourne, we would have an area of coast spanning from Anglesea in the west to just east of Phillip island, encompassing both bays and the rivers/creeks that flow into them. We would also take in numerous small streams, lakes and rivers where you could chase several freshwater fish including Murray cod, trout, redfin, yellow belly and freshwater blackfish. A myriad of options being available sometimes make it hard to choose what to do and where to go.
The final decision will be based on each angler’s skill level and accessibility to locations. Cost and time will also come into it. The great part about Melbourne is that many fish can be caught right in the heart of Melbourne with two great options being the Yarra river and Albert Park lake for those wanting to chase freshwater species. The Yarra will provide anglers with a great opportunity to chase bream with either bait or lures and some truly large bream live in and around the many structures that make up the port area of the lower Yarra.
Other species that have been caught in the Lower Yarra include snapper, jewfish and recently even encounters with kingfish have occurred. Albert park lake is located 3km south of the CBD and has been stocked with Yellow belly, Trout, estuary perch, silver perch and just this year there were 10,000 Murray cod put in. A freshwater haven that could be walked to or easily accessed by public transport.
FURTHER AFIELD
Outside of Melbourne CBD there are many places to go with some close by and others a couple of hour drive. There are numerous piers in Port Phillip bay including St Kilda, Kerferd road, Mordialloc, Frankston, Mornington, Rye, Rosebud, Sorrento and Portsea to name a few on the eastern side of the bay. Whilst on the west you have Altona, Portarlington, St Leonards and Point Lonsdale. These piers at different times of the year will provide numerous species with the most common being flathead, garfish, pinkie snapper, whiting and salmon.
During the cooler months you could expect to add barracouta, mullet and trevally to the list of likely species. For those piers that have rock and weed nearby you can also expect to catch calamari and the black ink stains on the pier will be a good indicator of whether they are around.
The further south you go the better your chances of encountering calamari. If you are after a big snapper from these spots, then look for conditions that have the wind blowing onto the pier and creating lots of wave action during October and November as your chances of scoring a fish will be good. When moving land based to Westernport bay there are several piers that can be fished including Flinders, Stony point, Hastings, Warneet, Rhyll, San Remo, Newhaven and Cowes.
There will be similar species caught from these piers but a greater chance of catching whiting which the bay is famous for. Some of these piers also provide access to deep water increasing your chances of catching gummy shark. The tide runs much harder here than in Port Phillip and you need to adjust to the conditions, timing your fishing to be an hour either side of the tide change. Both bays offer rivers and creeks that can be fished for bream, mullet and small salmon. With some of these also offering estuary perch and Mulloway.
The most well-known are the Patterson, Werribee and the Marybinong rivers. Boating in Port Phillip Bay the main target species would be Snapper, Whiting, Calamari, Flathead and Garfish. There are several ramps around the bay which can usually be easily accessed, however, when the snapper season is in full swing, can get extremely busy on those calm days when everyone wants to get out. Ramps include Werribee, Altona, Warmies at Williamstown, Brighton, Black rock, Mordialloc, Carrum, Frankston, Mornington, Rye, Sorrento, Queenscliff, Clifton springs, St Leonards to name a few. Boating in Westernport the main target species would be King George whiting, Snapper, Gummy shark, Calamari and Flathead. Other species likely to be encountered include Garfish, snook, salmon and trevally.
The tides in Westernport are quite different to Port Phillip with a large volume of water leaving and entering with each tide change leaving the many shallow banks constantly covered and uncovered. This can put new anglers off fishing here, as the prospect of getting stuck on a mud bank is not very appealing. It is worth getting to learn though as the bay tends to hold bigger fish of each species. The main boat ramps are located at Stony point, Hastings, Warneet, Tooradin, Corinella, Newhaven, Rhyll and Cowes. Outside of the bays, the ocean fishing has improved in recent years with a solid run of southern bluefin tuna available during the summer months and a kingfish fishery that gets better every year.
Other species that can be targeted offshore include gummy shark, snapper, flathead salmon, as well as mako and blue sharks. These species can be targeted offshore from Phillip island all the way through to Anglesea. If you are not confident or don’t have a boat, there are charters available for you to use. These will allow you to access these great fisheries and can be looked up online. There are also several good surf beaches where anglers can expect two main species during the day Salmon and yellow eye mullet. While at night the prospect of gummy sharks makes a night session an enjoyable adventure.
Surf beaches are usually an hour or two from Melbourne and include Woolamai, Gunnamatta, Portsea, Rye, and Anglesea.
Another option is the rock platforms that can be found along the coast and these offer a wide variety of species to chase with my two favourites being whiting and pinkie snapper. The southern shoreline of Philip island is where I tend to go and I utilise the low tide to get to spots that can’t be reached at high tide. For those wanting some freshwater options Victorian fisheries do a great job of stocking local fisheries to improve the chances of anglers.
FRESHWATER
Within the 100-kilometre zone there are numerous lakes, creeks and rivers that will provide a good shot at catching several species. With no less than 50 places being stocked below are some spots worth trying close to Melbourne: Karkarook Lake, Caulfield Racecourse lake, Casey fields Lake, Ferntree Gully Quarry, Devil bend reservoir, Roxburgh Park lakes, Melton Reservoir, Pyke’s Creek reservoir, Bostock Reservoir All these areas see regular stockings and for those with kids on school holidays, a lot of these places get a stocking right before the holidays to help kids catch a fish. It is wise to make yourself familiar with the Victorian fisheries website as it provides lots of details on stockings to help you plan your trip. They provide what species have been stocked and numbers that went in, allowing you the best chance of catching your target species.
Another great thing that fisheries do, to start the trout season opening is to release stonker trout in time for the opening season into the Goulburn river at several locations. These fish are up to 4 kg in weight and will provide all anglers with a catch they will remember for a while. Last year there were an extra 1000 released into local Melbourne lakes, due to Covid restrictions. It will be interesting to see if that happens again in 2021.
Melbourne is also blessed with some fantastic wild trout river fishing and although the fish are not big, they are still a challenge and the settings which you can find yourself in to catch them are just a pleasure to fish. With some of these places being very close to the suburbs. The best way to find these places is to go on google maps and look for all the little creeks that run through areas around the Dandenong’s and go and explore them. A worm on a hook floated down along the bank edges may surprise you with what you may get. The other joy you may get is a surprise in the form of platypuses that also inhabit these areas. Each time I go to these places I release all fish, as I would like to keep them going for years to come and they are not spots where you will get ten in a day. The other option for freshwater fishing is the numerous bigger rivers that can be accessed such as the Yarra and Goulburn rivers.
The Yarra being on Melbourne’s doorstep provides close access to Murray cod, yellowbelly, river blackfish and trout. With different parts of the river being more productive for each species. The higher up the river you get the better your chances for trout in the cooler waters, whilst slower deeper pools provide good chances for natives.
The Goulburn river has been a favourite for many city anglers as it is not too far from the city but is a great place to chase trout in, with many methods working well including bait, lures and fly. The area also has several small creeks and rivers that can be fished allowing you to move spots quiet easily depending on conditions. The area within 100 kilometres of Melbourne provides numerous options for fishing trips from all day excursions, to a break from the office if you work in the city for lunch. In between these extremes it is quite easy to find a place for an hour or two to forget about the world and your troubles, while casting a line and waiting for that adrenaline rush as a fish takes your bait or crunches your lure. So get your google maps out and start looking around and start planning your next trip.
