Mallacoota fishing spots

Victoria's far-east corner, where a large bush-fringed inlet holds some of the state's best black bream and dusky flathead, plus luderick, tailor, trevally, salmon and mulloway around the lower lake. The town end suits shore anglers; the Top Lake and the Genoa and Wallagaraugh arms reward a boat or kayak. Big flathead move from November to April, and bream push up the rivers in winter and spring.

Updated 9 Oct 2026

8 spots here: 5 fished from land and 3 reached only by boat or kayak. Seasons follow our Gippsland coast species list for Victoria. Positions are a guide only, not for navigation.

Under each spot, "Forecast for this spot" opens the app's forecast worked out for that spot: Go, Marginal or No-go for each day of the week ahead, with the best times, wind, waves and tide. Open the forecast.

Spots at a glance

8 spots: Mallacoota
Spot	Type	Fished from	Water	Marine park
1. Main wharf & town ramp (Coulls Point)	Wharf	Land-based and kayak	Bay, estuary or river	–
2. Stingray Point & lakeside platforms	Lake	Land-based	Bay, estuary or river	–
3. Rabbit, Goat & Horse island flats	Flats	Boat and kayak	Bay, estuary or river	–
4. Bottom Lake & Goodwin Sands	Lake	Boat and kayak	Bay, estuary or river	–
5. Harrisons Channel & entrance channels	Channel	Boat and kayak	Bay, estuary or river	–
6. Karbeethong jetty & The Narrows	Lake	Land-based, boat and kayak	Bay, estuary or river	–
7. Genoa River at Gipsy Point	River	Land-based, boat and kayak	Bay, estuary or river	–
8. Bastion Point	Headland	Land-based and boat	Ocean coast	–

1. Main wharf & town ramp (Coulls Point)

Type: Wharf · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based and kayak. Allan Drive foreshore: town ramp, wharf, toilets and fish-cleaning tables, about 50 car spaces.
What's good here: Peak in October: black bream and silver trevally. Also in season: luderick, dusky flathead, yellow-eye mullet and tailor.
Best tide: Run-in to high tide when the entrance is open; tides are weak while it is closed.
Best wind: Fishable in most winds; fresh north-easterlies chop up the lake front.
Note: Weed or cabbage baits around the wharf and ramp jetties for luderick, prawn on the pylons for bream, and soft plastics over the sand flats opposite the ramp for flathead.
Safety: Busy ramp: keep clear of launching boats. Keep children back from the wharf edge.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: Cape Howe Marine National Park, about 14 km east. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -37.55420, 149.75580 · Open in Google Maps (position: Coulls Point, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

2. Stingray Point & lakeside platforms

Type: Lake · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based. Dedicated fishing platforms along the Bottom Lake shore towards Stingray Point and Robertsons Bight, reached on foot from town or Karbeethong.
What's good here: Peak in October: black bream and silver trevally. Also in season: dusky flathead and yellow-eye mullet.
Best tide: Rising tide over the shallows; fish the drop-offs at low tide.
Best wind: Sheltered in westerly and south-westerly winds.
Note: Soak prawn or pipi near the platforms for bream and work soft plastics along the drop-off for dusky flathead; mullet and trevally cruise this shore on the tide.
Safety: Boardwalks and rock edges are slippery after rain.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: Cape Howe Marine National Park, about 14 km east. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -37.54170, 149.75650 · Open in Google Maps (position: Stingray Point, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

3. Rabbit, Goat & Horse island flats

Type: Flats · bay, estuary or river
Access: Boat and kayak. A short run or paddle from the town ramp; the banks shift, so go slowly.
What's good here: Peak in October: black bream. Also in season: dusky flathead, flounder and yellow-eye mullet.
Best tide: Early run-in as the flats cover; fish the edges as it drains.
Best wind: Light winds; the open lake gets choppy in fresh north-easterlies or south-westerlies.
Note: Shallow sand and weed around the three islands: cast small soft plastics or hardbodies for flathead (and whiting), drift the edges for bream, and expect flounder on the sand.
Safety: Shallow, shifting sand: watch your draft on a falling tide. Wind chop builds fast for kayaks.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: Cape Howe Marine National Park, about 13 km east. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -37.54690, 149.76490 · Open in Google Maps (position: Rabbit Island, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

4. Bottom Lake & Goodwin Sands

Type: Lake · bay, estuary or river
Access: Boat and kayak. Launch at the town (Allan Drive) or Karbeethong ramps.
What's good here: Peak in October: black bream, yellowfin bream and silver trevally. Also in season: dusky flathead, tailor and Australian salmon.
Best tide: Moving water; banks and drop-offs fish best on the run-in.
Best wind: Light northerly to westerly winds; strong winds make the open lake rough.
Note: Fish banks and drop-offs from Goodwin Sands to The Narrows for flathead and bream, bait the marked channel from Rabbit Island to the John Bull light, and watch for tailor and salmon in open water.
Safety: Shallow banks and mud: stay in marked channels when unsure.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: Cape Howe Marine National Park, about 12 km east. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -37.53500, 149.77370 · Open in Google Maps (position: Bottom Lake, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

5. Harrisons Channel & entrance channels

Type: Channel · bay, estuary or river
Access: Boat and kayak. Boat or kayak from the town ramp.
What's good here: Peak in October: silver trevally. Also in season: Australian salmon, tailor, dusky flathead and luderick.
Best tide: While the tide is running, best when the entrance is open.
Best wind: Light winds; avoid strong easterlies near the entrance.
Note: The deeper channels towards the mouth hold trevally, salmon and tailor even when the entrance is shut; drift soft plastics or baits and look for luderick around rock and weed.
Safety: Stay well away from the entrance itself: it opens, closes and can break heavily.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: Cape Howe Marine National Park, about 12 km east. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -37.55260, 149.77460 · Open in Google Maps (position: Harrisons Channel, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

6. Karbeethong jetty & The Narrows

Type: Lake · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based, boat and kayak. Jetty and ramp at Karbeethong; bush tracks reach the western shore of The Narrows. Popular kayak launch.
What's good here: Peak in October: black bream, mulloway and silver trevally. Also in season: dusky flathead.
Best tide: Around the tide changes in The Narrows; low light for mulloway.
Best wind: The Narrows is sheltered from most winds.
Note: The Narrows is deep and steep-sided: anchor and fish the bottom for very big flathead and mulloway, or walk the western margins with lures for bream and flathead.
Safety: Deep water right at the edge. Boat traffic in a narrow channel.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: Cape Howe Marine National Park, about 15 km east. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -37.53672, 149.74475 · Open in Google Maps (position: KARBEETHONG JETTY, Vicmap Hydro - Water Structure Line)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

7. Genoa River at Gipsy Point

Type: River · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based, boat and kayak. Ramp and jetty at Gipsy Point; most of the river needs a boat or kayak.
What's good here: Peak in October: black bream. Also in season: estuary perch and dusky flathead.
Best tide: Tide matters less up the rivers; fish low light and the start of the run-in.
Best wind: Sheltered in most winds.
Note: Cast lures or lightly weighted baits at fallen timber and overhanging banks for bream and estuary perch, especially around the Genoa and Wallagaraugh junction above Gipsy Point.
Safety: Snags and weed beds: go slowly. Unmarked shallow reef in the Top Lake on the way up.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: Cape Howe Marine National Park, about 22 km east. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -37.46920, 149.67640 · Open in Google Maps (position: Genoa River, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

8. Bastion Point

Type: Headland · ocean coast (beach or rocks)
Access: Land-based and boat. Car park at the Bastion Point ramp; rocks and beach either side.
What's good here: Peak in October: silver trevally. Also in season: Australian salmon and tailor.
Best tide: Rising tide at dawn or dusk.
Best wind: Westerly and north-westerly winds flatten the sea; south-easterly swell makes the rocks dangerous. Faces ESE.
Note: Spin metal lures or fish pilchard and blue bait for salmon and tailor from the rocks and beach. The breakwater ramp here is the town's launch onto the open sea.
Safety: Wear a lifejacket on rocks and breakwalls, watch the sea for a while before going down, and plan an escape route. Open coast: swell from the south and east can surge over the rocks.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: Cape Howe Marine National Park, about 14 km east. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -37.57360, 149.76530 · Open in Google Maps (position: Bastion Point, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

Boat ramps

Victoria's boat ramp register isn't published under an open licence we could confirm, so we don't list its ramps yet.

What's biting here in October?

In peak season at Mallacoota in October: black bream, silver trevally, yellowfin bream, mulloway and 5 more. Of the 25 species our Gippsland coast list has for this part of the coast, 9 peak in October 2026 and 13 more are in season.

Peak in October: black bream, silver trevally, yellowfin bream, mulloway, snapper, sand flathead, southern bluespotted flathead, southern calamari and leatherjacket.

Also in season: dusky flathead, tailor, Australian salmon, yellow-eye mullet, luderick, estuary perch, flounder, King George whiting, rock flathead, tiger flathead, gummy shark, southern garfish and Australian bass.

Out of season in October: yellowtail kingfish (best Dec–Apr); prawns (best Dec–Mar).

Seen now and then, so not rated: southern bluefin tuna.

Seasons are closure-aware: a species is never listed as in season, for the area or at a spot, while it is closed there; a closure for part of the area says where. Species links go to our South East Queensland species guides, with Queensland's limits: Victoria's own size and bag limits are on the official rules page.

Can you fish here? Rules and safety

Recreational Fishing Licence (RFL) needed for all fishing incl. bait, shellfish, prawns, spearfishing unless exempt. From 1 Jul 2026: 3-day $10.00, 28-day $24.70, 1-yr $40.80 online ($43.30 agent), 3-yr $111.20 ($117.40). Exempt: under 18, 70+, Seniors Card, some pension/DVA cards, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Licence details. Size and bag limits and closed seasons apply: Victoria's limits (checked 9 Oct 2026).

Rules at Mallacoota

Mallacoota is east of Lake Tyers, so every flathead caught in the inlet counts as dusky flathead: 30-55 cm slot, bag 5.
Spearguns are banned in Mallacoota Inlet; bait nets are allowed only in the lower lake (check the gear rules).
Cape Howe Marine National Park, east of Mallacoota towards the NSW border, is no-take.
A Victorian recreational fishing licence is needed unless you are exempt.

Marine parks and no-take zones

Zones are a guide only, not for navigation: check the official maps before you fish.

Safety at Mallacoota

The inlet entrance opens and closes and its bar shifts: do not try to cross it. Go to sea only from Bastion Point, and only in suitable swell.
Bastion Point faces open-ocean swell: check conditions and be ready to abort a launch or retrieve.
Shallow, shifting banks and unmarked reef in the Top Lake: navigate slowly and carry a chart or app.
Remote area with patchy phone coverage up the rivers: tell someone your plans.

Victoria: official links

Read the official forecast and warnings in the Bureau of Meteorology's own words: Vic coastal and local waters forecast map and current warnings.

Boating: Victoria boating safety, crossing coastal bars and lifejacket rules. Lifejackets: Wear on boats <=4.8m, and on boats up to 12m at heightened risk: crossing a bar, Port Phillip Heads, alone, at night, restricted visibility, or under a BOM gale/storm/severe weather warning.

Heading out on the water? Log on and off with Victoria Marine Search and Rescue (MSAR) network and Australian Volunteer Coast Guard (Victorian flotillas). Log on with TripWatch on the Coast Guard website, or with your local flotilla.

Marine parks and closed areas: Marine national parks and marine sanctuaries (VFA list with maps), Parks Victoria (park pages and boundary coordinates) and Australian Marine Parks (South-east network).

Rock fishing lifejacket zones: Lifejacket required at high-risk rock fishing zones incl. Cape Bridgewater, Lorne area, Point Nepean-West Head, Phillip Island sites, Bore Beach-Kilcunda, Point Roadknight. Fines apply. More.

Victoria's official rules: size and bag limits (checked 9 Oct 2026).

Emergency: 000 (112 from mobiles) · VHF channel 16 for distress.

Nearby fishing areas

Eden and Twofold Bay (NSW) (about 51 km north)
Merimbula, Pambula and Tathra (NSW) (about 80 km north)
Bermagui and Wallaga Lake (NSW) (about 127 km north)
Narooma and Wagonga Inlet (NSW) (about 151 km north)

Distances are between the middle of each area. Every area in Victoria · all fishing spot guides.

Sources and checked dates

Spot and ramp positions: Composite Gazetteer of Australia (Geoscience Australia and the state and territory naming authorities), CC BY 4.0, ABS Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3 (2021) (Australian Bureau of Statistics), CC BY 4.0 and Vicmap Hydro - Water Structure Line (State of Victoria (Department of Transport and Planning)), CC BY 4.0; gazetteer and ABS positions through our place index. Guide only, not for navigation.
Spot research checked 9 Oct 2026 and fact-checked 9 Oct 2026; species seasons and rules checked 9 Oct 2026; safety links checked 9 Oct 2026. Text in our own words.
Research sources: vfa.vic.gov.au (Spot knowledge: Bottom Lake, The Narrows, Top Lake, rivers, platforms and species (VFA)); visitmallacoota.com.au (Local overview: Goodwin Sands, Bastion Point as the ocean ramp); vfa.vic.gov.au (Lake Tyers and east: all flathead treated as dusky (slot and bag)); vfa.vic.gov.au (Speargun and bait-net rules for Mallacoota); vfa.vic.gov.au (Cape Howe Marine National Park map); boating.vic.gov.au (Allan Drive ramp details); boating.vic.gov.au (Bastion Point ramp details); vfa.vic.gov.au (Rock fishing safety and the 11 zones where lifejackets are compulsory); vfa.vic.gov.au (No fishing of any kind in marine national parks and sanctuaries; list and maps); ga.gov.au (Spot coordinates: the site place index (Composite Gazetteer of Australia and ABS localities, CC BY 4.0)); discover.data.vic.gov.au (Jetty, pier and breakwater coordinates (Vicmap Hydro water structure lines, CC BY 4.0; midpoint of the named feature)); safetransport.vic.gov.au (Ramp coordinates, lanes, tide access and facilities from the Safe Transport Victoria boat ramp register (boating.vic.gov.au), CC BY 4.0); discover.data.vic.gov.au (Marine national park and sanctuary boundaries used for the zone checks (PARKRES, CC BY 4.0)).
Every source and licence: Sources and disclaimers.