Melbourne and northern Port Phillip fishing spots

Port Phillip's northern and eastern shore puts good fishing on Melbourne's doorstep, from Werribee to Frankston. Spring brings snapper up the bay past Altona, St Kilda, Mordialloc and Frankston, while the piers give King George whiting, flathead, calamari, salmon, garfish and pinky snapper all year. The Werribee and Patterson rivers and The Warmies at Newport add bream, mulloway and tailor.

Updated 9 Oct 2026

9 spots here, all fished from land. Seasons follow our Port Phillip and Western Port 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

9 spots: Melbourne and northern Port Phillip
Spot	Type	Fished from	Water	Marine park
1. Altona Pier	Jetty	Land-based	Bay, estuary or river	–
2. Gem Pier & Ferguson Street Pier, Williamstown	Jetty	Land-based	Bay, estuary or river	Jawbone Marine Sanctuary; no-take zone nearby
3. The Warmies, Newport	River	Land-based, boat and kayak	Bay, estuary or river	Jawbone Marine Sanctuary; no-take zone nearby
4. Kerferd Road Pier, Albert Park	Jetty	Land-based	Bay, estuary or river	–
5. St Kilda Pier	Jetty	Land-based	Bay, estuary or river	–
6. Middle Brighton Pier & breakwall	Jetty	Land-based	Bay, estuary or river	–
7. Mordialloc Pier & Creek	Jetty	Land-based	Bay, estuary or river	–
8. Patterson River mouth, Carrum	Breakwall	Land-based	Bay, estuary or river	–
9. Frankston Pier	Jetty	Land-based	Bay, estuary or river	–

1. Altona Pier

Type: Jetty · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based. The Esplanade, Altona; parking and toilets nearby.
What's good here: Peak in October: snapper, sand flathead, leatherjacket, black bream and southern calamari. Also in season: Australian salmon, southern garfish and King George whiting.
Best tide: Rising tide; big snapper usually come during or just after rough weather.
Best wind: Fishes best during or soon after a southerly blow; calm days suit whiting and calamari.
Note: Artificial reefs off the end hold pinky snapper, flathead and leatherjackets; bream live under the pier, garfish come to light berley, and calamari and whiting work the shallow weed either side.
Safety: Slippery decking in wet weather.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: Jawbone Marine Sanctuary, about 4 km east. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -37.87200, 144.83010 · Open in Google Maps (position: Altona Pier, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

2. Gem Pier & Ferguson Street Pier, Williamstown

Type: Jetty · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based. Nelson Place and The Strand, Williamstown; paid parking, cafes and toilets.
What's good here: Peak in October: black bream, snapper, sand flathead and silver trevally. Also in season: Australian salmon and southern garfish.
Best tide: Early or late in the day, around high tide.
Best wind: Sheltered in westerlies.
Note: Bait among the pylons or towards moored boats for bream, cast off the end for pinky snapper and flathead, and use light berley for garfish. Ferguson Street Pier fishes the same way.
Safety: Busy public pier: watch your back-cast.
Zone: No-take zone nearby. Jawbone Marine Sanctuary is about 2.0 km west: no fishing of any kind inside it. Check the boundary markers or the VicFishing app. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -37.86110, 144.90580 · Open in Google Maps (position: Gem Pier, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

3. The Warmies, Newport

Type: River · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based, boat and kayak. Newport, on the west bank of the Yarra beside the West Gate Bridge (The Warmies ramp area); limited parking.
What's good here: Peak in October: mulloway, snapper, sand flathead and black bream. Also in season: Australian salmon. Now and then: tailor.
Best tide: Any tide; best when the power station is discharging warm water.
Best wind: Sheltered from most winds under the West Gate Bridge.
Note: Warm outflow from the Newport power station draws baitfish and predators: tailor, salmon, mulloway, snapper, flathead and bream. The bottom is very snaggy, so bring plenty of rigs.
Safety: Crowded, slippery rock edges. Lower Yarra fish carry PCBs: follow the eating advice.
Zone: No-take zone nearby. Jawbone Marine Sanctuary is about 2.5 km south-west: no fishing of any kind inside it. Check the boundary markers or the VicFishing app. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -37.84680, 144.89850 · Open in Google Maps (position: Warmies Boat Ramp, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

4. Kerferd Road Pier, Albert Park

Type: Jetty · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based. Beaconsfield Parade, Albert Park; street parking.
What's good here: Peak in October: snapper, sand flathead and silver trevally. Also in season: King George whiting.
Best tide: Low light around high tide.
Best wind: Good snapper come after a big onshore (south-westerly) blow.
Note: Reef, sand gutters and weed around the pier: light rigs for pinky snapper, whiting, flathead and trevally, and surf rods for bigger snapper after a blow.
Safety: Exposed to strong south-westerly waves.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: Jawbone Marine Sanctuary, about 6 km west. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -37.85024, 144.95043 · Open in Google Maps (position: KERFORD ROAD PIER, Vicmap Hydro - Water Structure Line)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

5. St Kilda Pier

Type: Jetty · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based. Pier Road, St Kilda; paid parking, very busy on warm evenings.
What's good here: Peak in October: snapper, silver trevally and sand flathead. Also in season: Australian salmon.
Best tide: Summer evenings; early spring after heavy rain for snapper.
Best wind: Calm to moderate winds; big blows from the south-west make it rough.
Note: Pinky snapper, trevally, flathead and salmon on light gear, with good snapper possible on surf rods cast into deeper water in the right conditions.
Safety: Obey the signs around the little penguin colony on the breakwater.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: Jawbone Marine Sanctuary, about 7 km west. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -37.86440, 144.96950 · Open in Google Maps (position: St Kilda Pier, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

6. Middle Brighton Pier & breakwall

Type: Jetty · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based. Esplanade, Middle Brighton, near the sea baths; paid parking.
What's good here: Peak in October: southern calamari, snapper and sand flathead. Also in season: southern garfish, King George whiting and Australian salmon.
Best tide: Any tide; after dark for calamari and garfish.
Best wind: Snapper fire after onshore blows; calm nights suit calamari.
Note: Family fishing for calamari and garfish after dark, with a fine berley trail for whiting and salmon; the heavy ground around the breakwall holds snapper.
Safety: The rugged breakwall is uneven and slippery: wear grippy shoes and a lifejacket.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary, about 9 km south. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -37.90920, 144.98370 · Open in Google Maps (position: Middle Brighton Pier, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

7. Mordialloc Pier & Creek

Type: Jetty · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based. Beach Road, Mordialloc: about 200 m pier with shelter, big car park, toilets and kiosk.
What's good here: Peak in October: snapper, sand flathead, silver trevally, southern calamari and black bream. Also in season: Australian salmon, King George whiting and yellow-eye mullet.
Best tide: A few hours either side of high tide; autumn and winter are good.
Best wind: Strong onshore weather brings big snapper; calm days for whiting and calamari.
Note: Snapper fans fish it in rough weather; salmon, whiting, flathead and trevally are regulars, calamari on the reef to the right, and bream and mullet in the creek alongside.
Safety: Waves can break over the pier in big onshore blows.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary, about 4 km north-west. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -38.01195, 145.08366 · Open in Google Maps (position: MORDIALLOC PIER, Vicmap Hydro - Water Structure Line)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

8. Patterson River mouth, Carrum

Type: Breakwall · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based. Southern rock wall between the Nepean Highway bridge and the mouth, reached via Launching Way.
What's good here: Peak in October: black bream, snapper and mulloway. Also in season: yellow-eye mullet, Australian salmon and estuary perch.
Best tide: Run-in tide, especially towards dusk.
Best wind: Sheltered from easterlies; strong westerlies make casting hard.
Note: The southern wall is a comfortable platform: bream and mullet in the river, pinky snapper and salmon at the mouth, and estuary perch or a mulloway in the right conditions.
Safety: Busy boat channel: cast with care. Rock wall is slippery when wet.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary, about 11 km north-west. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -38.07291, 145.12188 · Open in Google Maps (position: unnamed breakwater (south wall, Patterson River mouth), Vicmap Hydro - Water Structure Line)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

9. Frankston Pier

Type: Jetty · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based. Frankston foreshore beside Kananook Creek; paid parking nearby.
What's good here: Peak in October: snapper, sand flathead, leatherjacket, silver trevally and southern calamari. Also in season: southern garfish and Australian salmon.
Best tide: Low light around high tide.
Best wind: Snapper bite after onshore westerly weather; calm days for garfish and calamari.
Note: An artificial reef about 40 m off the end draws flathead, snapper, leatherjackets and salmon; trevally hang around the pylons and garfish arrive in season.
Safety: Busy pier: mind other users.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: Yaringa Marine National Park, about 15 km south-east. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -38.14579, 145.11377 · Open in Google Maps (position: FRANKSTON PIER, Vicmap Hydro - Water Structure Line)
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 Melbourne and northern Port Phillip in October: snapper, sand flathead, black bream, silver trevally and 5 more. Of the 21 species our Port Phillip and Western Port list has for this part of the coast, 9 peak in October 2026 and 7 more are in season.

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

Also in season: Australian salmon, King George whiting, southern garfish, yellow-eye mullet, estuary perch, rock flathead and flounder.

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

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

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 Melbourne and northern Port Phillip

Port Phillip intertidal zone (high-water mark to 2 m deep): the only invertebrates you may collect are marine worms, bass yabbies, squid, octopus and cuttlefish; crabs, shellfish and other invertebrates are protected, and hand-held digging tools are banned. Line fishing for fish is not affected.
Jawbone (Williamstown), Point Cooke and Ricketts Point marine sanctuaries are no-take.
HMVS Cerberus wreck off Black Rock is a protected zone: no entering, anchoring or fishing without a permit.
Lower Yarra and Maribyrnong: limit eating eels and bream (PCB advice from the Health Department).
Bait nets are banned in Port Phillip; skates and rays cannot be taken within 400 m of a pier, jetty or rock wall.

Marine parks and no-take zones

The zone notes here name Jawbone Marine Sanctuary. A no-take zone starts close to Gem Pier & Ferguson Street Pier, Williamstown and The Warmies, Newport: each one's zone note says where. Zones are a guide only, not for navigation: check the official maps before you fish.

Safety at Melbourne and northern Port Phillip

Ships use the channels and transit lane day and night: never anchor in them and keep well clear (see the 'Steer Clear' areas).
A south-westerly change can turn Port Phillip rough within minutes for small boats.
Piers and rock walls get slippery: take care at night and after rain.

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

Mornington Peninsula (Port Phillip side) (about 41 km south)
Geelong, Corio Bay and the Bellarine (about 45 km south-west)
Western Port (about 53 km south-east)
Phillip Island and San Remo (about 71 km south-east)

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 (Frankston, Seaford, Patterson River, Mordialloc, St Kilda, Kerferd Road and Brighton spots (VFA)); vfa.vic.gov.au (Werribee, Altona, Williamstown and The Warmies spots (VFA)); vfa.vic.gov.au (Werribee River, Ferguson St, Mordialloc and Patterson River pier guides (VFA)); vfa.vic.gov.au (Port Phillip intertidal restrictions); vfa.vic.gov.au (HMVS Cerberus protected zone); betterhealth.vic.gov.au (Lower Yarra and Maribyrnong eating advice); vfa.vic.gov.au (Jawbone Marine Sanctuary map); vfa.vic.gov.au (Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary map); boating.vic.gov.au (Patterson River ramp details and shoaling notice); boating.vic.gov.au (Werribee South ramp details and works notice); 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.