Western Port fishing spots

A big tidal bay of mangroves, mudflats and deep channels east of the Mornington Peninsula. It is known for big spring snapper, gummy sharks and elephant fish, with King George whiting and calamari around the jetties at Flinders, Stony Point, Hastings and Corinella. The tide range is large and the current strong, so most spots fish best in the hours around high tide.

Updated 9 Oct 2026

9 spots here: 8 fished from land and 1 reached only by boat. 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: Western Port
Spot	Type	Fished from	Water	Marine park
1. Flinders jetty	Jetty	Land-based	Bay, estuary or river	Mushroom Reef Marine Sanctuary; no-take zone nearby
2. Merricks Beach	Beach	Land-based	Bay, estuary or river	–
3. Stony Point pier	Jetty	Land-based	Bay, estuary or river	–
4. Hastings jetty	Jetty	Land-based	Bay, estuary or river	–
5. Warneet jetties	Jetty	Land-based, boat and kayak	Bay, estuary or river	Yaringa Marine National Park; no-take zone nearby
6. Tooradin (Sawtell Inlet)	Estuary	Land-based and kayak	Bay, estuary or river	–
7. Lang Lang Beach	Beach	Land-based	Bay, estuary or river	–
8. Corinella jetty	Jetty	Land-based	Bay, estuary or river	–
9. Tortoise Head bank (French Island)	Flats	Boat	Bay, estuary or river	–

1. Flinders jetty

Type: Jetty · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based. Bass Park, Flinders: toilets and parking at the jetty, shops nearby.
What's good here: Peak in October: southern calamari, silver trevally and leatherjacket. Also in season: King George whiting and Australian salmon.
Best tide: Run-in tide.
Best wind: Sheltered from westerlies; exposed to strong easterlies.
Note: Known for big spring calamari day and night; cast into sand patches for whiting and fish the pylons for leatherjackets and wrasse.
Safety: Exposed to Bass Strait swell in strong southerlies.
Zone: No-take zone nearby. Mushroom Reef Marine Sanctuary is about 1 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: -38.47563, 145.02678 · Open in Google Maps (position: FLINDERS JETTY, Vicmap Hydro - Water Structure Line)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

2. Merricks Beach

Type: Beach · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based. End of Merricks Beach Road: car park, toilets near the yacht club.
What's good here: Peak in October: sand flathead and gummy shark. Also in season: King George whiting, Australian salmon and yellow-eye mullet.
Best tide: High tide, best in the early morning or evening.
Best wind: Northerly winds keep the water calm. Faces SSE.
Note: A long sandy beach facing Phillip Island: whiting, salmon and mullet on the high tide, and gummy sharks at night.
Safety: Long walk back over soft sand at night: carry a torch.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: Mushroom Reef Marine Sanctuary, about 12 km south-west. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -38.39880, 145.10630 · Open in Google Maps (position: Merricks Beach, ABS suburbs and localities)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

3. Stony Point pier

Type: Jetty · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based. End of the road at Stony Point: ferry terminal for French and Phillip islands, toilets, general store opposite.
What's good here: Peak in October: southern calamari, silver trevally, sand flathead and snapper. Also in season: King George whiting, Australian salmon and yellow-eye mullet.
Best tide: A few hours either side of high tide.
Best wind: Fishable in most winds; exposed to south-westerlies.
Note: Baitfish live around the pier, so there is no need to cast far; metal lures and soft plastics that look like baitfish also work. Pin is the Stony Point headland.
Safety: Working ferry pier: keep clear of berthing ferries and follow signs.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: French Island Marine National Park, about 13 km north-east. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -38.37470, 145.22210 · Open in Google Maps (position: Stony Point, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

4. Hastings jetty

Type: Jetty · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based. Skinner Street foreshore: car park, toilets, pool and cafe beside the jetty.
What's good here: Peak in October: silver trevally and sand flathead. Also in season: King George whiting and Australian salmon.
Best tide: Around high tide.
Best wind: Sheltered from westerlies.
Note: Year-round jetty: cast to sand patches for flathead and whiting and fish the pylons for silver trevally.
Safety: Mudflats beside the jetty at low tide.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: Yaringa Marine National Park, about 8 km north-east. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -38.30838, 145.19858 · Open in Google Maps (position: HASTINGS JETTY, Vicmap Hydro - Water Structure Line)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

5. Warneet jetties

Type: Jetty · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based, boat and kayak. Warneet foreshore off Rutherford Inlet: jetties, ramp, toilets and fish cleaning.
What's good here: Peak in October: sand flathead, silver trevally and snapper. Also in season: King George whiting and yellow-eye mullet.
Best tide: Not confirmed for this spot yet.
Best wind: Sheltered in southerly and westerly winds.
Note: A quiet village with jetties into channel water; boats head into the top-end channels nearby, early-season snapper ground.
Safety: Large tidal range: channels drain to mud at low tide.
Zone: No-take zone nearby. Yaringa Marine National Park is about 1.3 km north-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: -38.22802, 145.30510 · Open in Google Maps (position: WARNEET SOUTH JETTY, Vicmap Hydro - Water Structure Line)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

6. Tooradin (Sawtell Inlet)

Type: Estuary · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based and kayak. Tooradin foreshore off the South Gippsland Highway: jetty, banks, BBQs, playground and shops.
What's good here: Peak in October: black bream, sand flathead and silver trevally. Also in season: yellow-eye mullet, Australian salmon, King George whiting and estuary perch.
Best tide: Around high tide.
Best wind: Sheltered in most winds.
Note: Light tackle and berley pay off: running-sinker rigs for bream and whiting, and a float with small long-shank hooks for mullet.
Safety: Much of the inlet drains to mud at low tide.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: Yaringa Marine National Park, about 6 km west. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -38.21870, 145.37560 · Open in Google Maps (position: Sawtell Inlet, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

7. Lang Lang Beach

Type: Beach · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based. Lang Lang foreshore; only walk out on the flats around high tide.
What's good here: Peak in October: gummy shark and snapper. Also in season: Australian salmon. Out of season now: elephant fish.
Best tide: Within a couple of hours of high tide; at low tide the water is hundreds of metres out.
Best wind: Easterly winds put the breeze behind you; strong westerlies blow straight in. Faces W.
Note: A land-based gummy shark beach: fresh oily baits on an evening high tide. Elephant fish, snapper and salmon turn up seasonally.
Safety: Soft mud and a fast-flooding tide on the flats.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: French Island Marine National Park, about 6 km west. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -38.30750, 145.52080 · Open in Google Maps (position: Lang Lang Beach, Composite Gazetteer of Australia)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

8. Corinella jetty

Type: Jetty · bay, estuary or river
Access: Land-based. Peter Street, Corinella, next to the foreshore caravan park; toilets in the park, store nearby.
What's good here: Peak in October: mulloway, gummy shark and sand flathead. Also in season: King George whiting. Out of season now: elephant fish.
Best tide: A few hours around high tide.
Best wind: Exposed to strong westerlies.
Note: A deep channel lies just off the end, so a short cast is enough: big hooks and baits for gummies, elephant fish and mulloway, and smaller rigs for whiting.
Safety: Tide and wind can make it hard to hold bottom.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: French Island Marine National Park, about 11 km north. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -38.40726, 145.42250 · Open in Google Maps (position: CORINELLA JETTY, Vicmap Hydro - Water Structure Line)
Forecast: Forecast for this spot

9. Tortoise Head bank (French Island)

Type: Flats · bay, estuary or river
Access: Boat. Boat from Stony Point, Cowes or Rhyll.
What's good here: Peak in October: snapper and gummy shark. Out of season now: elephant fish.
Best tide: Fish the drop-offs on the rising tide; the bank dries at low tide.
Best wind: Light winds; wind against tide gets rough.
Note: Drop-offs around the bank hold spring snapper plus gummies and elephant fish; expect to need heavy sinkers in the current.
Safety: The bank is exposed at low tide: watch your depth.
Zone: Nearest no-take area: Churchill Island Marine National Park, about 10 km south. Guide only, not for navigation: check vfa.vic.gov.au map (PDF).
Map: -38.40270, 145.27520 · Open in Google Maps (position: Tortoise Head, 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 Western Port in October: sand flathead, silver trevally, snapper, gummy shark 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: sand flathead, silver trevally, snapper, gummy shark, southern calamari, black bream, mulloway, leatherjacket and southern bluespotted flathead.

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

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

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

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 Western Port

French Island, Yaringa and Churchill Island marine national parks and Mushroom Reef Marine Sanctuary (at Flinders) are no-take.
Bait nets are banned in Western Port.
Skates and rays cannot be taken within 400 m of a pier, jetty, wharf, rock wall or breakwater.
Aquaculture reserves are marked with yellow buoys: do not tie up to or interfere with farm gear.

Marine parks and no-take zones

The zone notes here name Mushroom Reef Marine Sanctuary and Yaringa Marine National Park. A no-take zone starts close to Flinders jetty and Warneet jetties: each one's zone note says where. Zones are a guide only, not for navigation: check the official maps before you fish.

Safety at Western Port

Large tides and strong currents: banks and mudflats dry fast, and the top end drains to mud.
Navigation is tricky, with hidden sandbars, mud banks and rocky patches; go slowly in unfamiliar water.
South-westerly fronts arrive quickly and turn the bay rough.
Obey exclusion signs around naval and industrial wharves.

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

Phillip Island and San Remo (about 18 km south)
Mornington Peninsula (Port Phillip side) (about 35 km west)
Melbourne and northern Port Phillip (about 53 km north-west)
Geelong, Corio Bay and the Bellarine (about 70 km west)

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 (Flinders, Merricks Beach, Stony Point, Hastings, Tooradin, Corinella: species, tides, amenities (VFA)); hookedupmagazine.com.au (Western Port snapper: top-end channels, Corinella, tides); fishingmad.com.au (Lang Lang Beach gummy sharks and tide timing); fishingmad.com.au (Tortoise Head bank species and navigation notes); vfa.vic.gov.au (Mushroom Reef Marine Sanctuary map); vfa.vic.gov.au (Yaringa Marine National Park map); vfa.vic.gov.au (French Island Marine National Park map); vfa.vic.gov.au (Aquaculture fisheries reserves); vfa.vic.gov.au (Rays near piers); 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.