Victoria

Nine of the best places to go fishing in Victoria

Fishing on a boat at Goulburn River

Peter Nugent

Posted November 20, 2019

Fishing got you hooked? Here are nine of the best places in Victoria to cast a line.

Fishing is one of the best ways to pass the time during our  long summer days. If you’re a seasoned angler, or perhaps you’ve never ‘wet a line’ before, we’ve compiled a list of locations to try your luck when you succumb to the lure of fishing.

Fishing at Cowes Jetty

There are plenty of fish in the sea off Cowes Jetty, on Phillip Island.

Nine of the best places in Victoria to go fish
 

Albert Park Lake

You don’t need to go far to go fish. Just five kilometres from the Melbourne CBD, Albert Park Lake is an oasis on the doorstep of the city. Grab your fishing rod and a folding chair, then hop on a tram to this convenient and tranquil location. The Victorian Fisheries Authority regularly stocks the lake, and you could bag a rainbow trout, silver perch, golden perch or estuary perch in the warmer months. 

Port Phillip Bay

Port Phillip Bay is a fishing paradise that can be reached by all Melburnians whether you have a boat or not. If you’re in the western suburbs Altona Pier offers plenty of variety, especially with the creation of three artificial reefs earlier this decade at the end of the pier. You can hook bream, salmon, snapper, trevally, mullet, squid, garfish, leatherjackets and flathead. (More: Expert tips for fishing Port Phillip Bay)

Mordialloc Pier

Mordialloc Pier in Melbourne’s south-east is always popular with fishers, especially with its ample parking facilities, playground, kiosk and nearby barbecue/picnic facilities. You can catch squid, salmon, snapper, flathead, silver trevally, garfish, bream, yellow-eye mullet and King George whiting.

Devilbend Reservoir

If you’re heading to the Mornington Peninsula, Devilbend Reservoir near Tuerong, (just half an hour from RACV Cape Schanck Resort) is worth the detour if you want to experience freshwater fishing. The government has spent more $1.6 million transforming this former water supply into an anglers’ playground, and fishers can catch brown and rainbow trout, or the highly sought-after estuary perch.

Cowes

One of the state’s busiest fishing spots in the holiday period is the Cowes Jetty on Phillip Island (56 kilometres from RACV Inverloch Resort). The end of the pier provides direct access to deep water, where anglers can find squid, King George whiting, salmon, silver trevally, gummy shark, elephant fish, barracouta, snapper, flathead and garfish. It’s perfect for the family, with public toilets, a playground, shops and cafes nearby. While you’re there, take a look at the new Penguin Parade visitor centre, which recently underwent a $60 million makeover. 

Camperdown

For something completely different, head to the state’s west and Camperdown’s crater lakes, which attract keen freshwater anglers. Fisheries Victoria regularly stocks Lake Bullen Merri and Lake Purrumbete with Chinook salmon, as well as brown and rainbow trout.

Boats at Lakes Entrance

Reel in some King George whiting at Lakes Entrance.

Eildon 

Eildon offers lots of options for fishers. The Eildon Pondage is a designated ‘family fishing lake’ where the daily bag limit is five trout. There are also plenty of big rainbow trout lurking in the Goulburn River for those keen to try their hand at fly fishing.

Lakes Entrance

In the far east of the state, Lakes Entrance offers plenty of opportunities for keen fishers. You can try to land a King George whiting or sand whiting from the floating jetty, or fish for salmon from the surf beach.

Warrnambool

In the southwest corner of the state at Warrnambool  (down the Great Ocean Road from RACV Torquay Resort) anglers can try their luck on the Hopkins River estuary, a nine-kilometre stretch of water extending from Point Ritchie to Allansford. Here you’ll find black bream, estuary perch, mulloway, yellow-eye mullet, Australian salmon and short-finned eels. (More: Why Wicked Fishing star Dave Marciano loves Portland.)
 

If you’ve got any questions about fishing, or you need a fishing licence (required for those aged 18 to 69 unless exempt), want to know bag limits or even what type of fish you’ve caught, download the free Victorian Fisheries app. It doesn’t matter if you catch a fish or not, just give it a try. You might be hooked for life.