Western Port
Bay · Salt water · in Victoria
The large tidal bay east of the Mornington Peninsula, enclosing French Island, with Phillip Island across its mouth. The state agency's guide numbers nine public spots around it: jetties and piers at Flinders, Stony Point, Hastings, Corinella, San Remo, Rhyll and Cowes, the inlet at Tooradin and the beach at Merricks.
Safety: cliffs and rock platforms — can cause serious injury or death (general advice, not specific to this place).
FishingHQ describes what this place is, not whether you may fish it. Access, permits and who to ask.
Fishing places on Western Port
9 publicly documented places inside this one, each with its own ground, catch and access.
Pier
A pier on Peter Street in Corinella, on the eastern shore of Western Port beside the foreshore caravan park. A deep channel runs next to it, and the agency says this lets anglers target larger fish — gummy shark, elephant fish and mulloway — with larger hooks and baits, without casting more than about five metres. It names the pier as the bay's place for elephant fish, and also lists King George whiting and flathead.
Documented here: Dusky kob, Elephant fish, Gummy shark and 1 more
Jetty
The jetty at the end of Bass Street in Cowes, Phillip Island's main town, very busy in holiday periods, with deep water off its end. The agency recommends a paternoster rig for most fish and lists squid, King George whiting, Australian salmon, silver trevally, gummy shark, elephant fish, barracouta, snapper, flathead and garfish.
Documented here: Australasian snapper, Barracouta, Elephant fish and 3 more
Jetty
A jetty at the end of Bass Street in Flinders, at the southern tip of the Mornington Peninsula, inside Bass Park. The agency says it has a reputation for excellent squid, with some very large ones in spring, that whiting are found by casting into the sand patches, and that wrasse and leatherjackets come from around the pylons. It also lists Australian salmon, silver trevally, barracouta and short-finned pike.
Documented here: Barracouta, King George whiting, Silver trevally
Jetty
A jetty on Skinner Street in Hastings, on the western shore of Western Port, which the agency says fishes for the popular species all year. Flathead and whiting are found by casting into the sand patches and silver trevally around the pylons. It lists King George whiting, Australian salmon, silver trevally and flathead.
Documented here: King George whiting, Silver trevally
Beach
A long sandy beach at the end of Merricks Beach Road on the western shore of Western Port, with room for many anglers. The agency names it as the bay's place for gummy shark, fished at night, and lists King George whiting, Australian salmon, yellow-eye mullet and flathead.
Documented here: Gummy shark, King George whiting, Yellow-eye mullet
Jetty
A long jetty at the end of Beach Road in Rhyll on Phillip Island's northern shore, surrounded by mudflats where the agency says bass yabbies can be pumped for bait. It recommends light tackle and paternoster rigs with small long-shanked hooks, and lists King George whiting, Australian salmon, yellow-eye mullet, silver trevally, flathead and garfish.
Documented here: King George whiting, Silver trevally, Yellow-eye mullet
Jetty
A jetty on Marine Parade at San Remo, before the bridge to Phillip Island, which serves commercial fishing boats, with a deep channel running across its front. The agency says casting away from the jetty is not always needed and that soft plastics and metal lures resembling baitfish can be rewarding. It lists squid, King George whiting, Australian salmon, barracouta, silver trevally, snapper, leatherjackets and wrasse.
Documented here: Australasian snapper, Barracouta, King George whiting and 1 more
Pier
A pier at Stony Point on the western side of Western Port, which serves as a port for vessels including the passenger ferries to French Island and Phillip Island. The agency says the pier gives food and shelter to fish of all sizes, so casting away from it is not always needed, and that soft plastics and metal lures resembling baitfish can be productive. It lists squid, King George whiting, Australian salmon, silver trevally, yellow-eye mullet, flathead and snapper.
Documented here: Australasian snapper, King George whiting, Silver trevally and 1 more
Estuary mark
The inlet at Tooradin on the northern end of Western Port, fished from a jetty and from many places along the banks. The agency recommends light tackle and berley, a running sinker rig for most fish, and a float with small long-shanked hooks for mullet. It lists bream, yellow-eye mullet, Australian salmon, flathead, silver trevally, King George whiting and estuary perch.
Documented here: Estuary perch, King George whiting, Silver trevally and 1 more
What you can catch here
Documented at this place, grouped by how you would be fishing, with how strongly the sources support each one. This is what has been written down, not a forecast, and being listed is never permission to fish.
From the shore · 6
- Australasian snapperSeasonal1 placeWestern PortOver bayAround Jan–May, Oct–Dec
- Elephant fishSeasonal1 placeWestern PortOver bayAround Mar–May
- Gummy sharkSeasonal1 placeWestern PortOver bayAround Mar–Oct
- King George whitingSeasonal1 placeWestern PortOver bayAround Jan–Apr, Nov–Dec
- Silver trevallySeasonal1 placeWestern PortOver bayAround Jan–May, Oct–Dec
- Yellow-eye mulletSeasonal1 placeWestern PortOver bayAround Mar–Sept
What these strengths mean
- Seasonal
- Well supported, and concentrated in part of the year rather than spread through it.
- How breadth is counted
- A fish documented at six marks is shown as six marks: breadth never raises the strength on its own. A fishery account describes the fishing; a recorded catch reports one specific catch. How evidence is weighed.
Fish documented nearby, not here
Nothing below has been documented at Western Port itself. Each one has been documented at a named place on the same ground, and the places are listed with it. Treat this as what the water around here holds rather than as a catch list for this mark.
Also documented at neighbouring places
One or two accounts each, on the ground around here. Enough to know the fish is caught in these waters; not enough to say anything about this place.
From the shore
- Dusky kob — documented at Patterson River
- Yellowtail kingfish — documented at Mornington Pier
How people fish it
Practised here: Sea fishing.
Methods the sources name for this ground. Each one is explained in full on its own page.
- Ledgering
Fishing a bait on the bottom held by a weight, with no float — the simplest way to fish at distance, in depth, or in wind.
- Float fishing
Suspending a bait at a controlled depth beneath a buoyant indicator — the most visual, most controllable and most widely applicable method in angling.
- Spinning
Casting an artificial lure and retrieving it so that it moves like something alive — the most direct form of lure fishing.
- Eging
Jigging for squid and cuttlefish with a barbed, weighted lure worked in lifts and pauses — a Japanese discipline with its own tackle, vocabulary and competitive scene.
Baits and lures for these fish
The baits and lures each of the fish above is commonly taken on, from that fish’s own page. This is what works for the fish, not a report of what people use on this particular water — local knowledge and the conditions on the day still decide.
Lures
- Soft plastics — for Australasian snapper, Silver trevally
- Metal jigs — for Australasian snapper
The ground and the water
- The ground
- The large tidal bay east of the Mornington Peninsula, enclosing French Island, with Phillip Island across its mouth. The state agency's guide numbers nine public spots around it: jetties and piers at Flinders, Stony Point, Hastings, Corinella, San Remo, Rhyll and Cowes, the inlet at Tooradin and the beach at Merricks.
Through the year
The agency gives peak months across the bay rather than for each jetty: King George whiting November to April, silver trevally and snapper October to May, gummy shark March to October at night on a rising tide around the full and new moon, elephant fish March to May, and squid April to October. For most fish it recommends a few hours either side of high tide.
The months the sources attach to each species here. Where a species carries no season it is listed underneath rather than assumed to run through the year.
| Species | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australasian snapper — seasonal, recorded in October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May. | ||||||||||||
| Elephant fish — seasonal, recorded in March, April, May. | ||||||||||||
| Gummy shark — seasonal, recorded in March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October. | ||||||||||||
| King George whiting — seasonal, recorded in November, December, January, February, March, April. | ||||||||||||
| Silver trevally — seasonal, recorded in October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May. | ||||||||||||
| Yellow-eye mullet — seasonal, recorded in March, April, May, June, July, August, September. |
Safety
Cliffs and rock platforms — Can cause serious injury or death
General safety for this kind of ground, not a finding about this place.
Ocean rock platforms are swept by unexpected large waves, and anglers are washed off and drowned. The sets that cause it are not visible from the platform in advance, and the escape route is usually upward and slow.
What reduces it: Never fish rock platforms alone. Watch a mark for a full set cycle before going on it. Wear a lifejacket — mandatory in some jurisdictions for exactly this reason. Wear footwear with grip on wet rock, plan the escape route before you start, and never turn your back on the sea.
Rules and access
Particular to this water: Marine national parks lie in Western Port, among them Churchill Island Marine National Park south of Rhyll, and the state's fishing guide app shows their boundaries. Check them before fishing anywhere not named here.
Beyond what is stated above, FishingHQ does not know the current access position here. Victoria licenses recreational fishing in its marine waters, with exemptions the state lists; bag limits, size limits and closed seasons are set by the Victorian Fisheries Authority and change. Marine national parks and marine sanctuaries lie along the bays and coast, and their boundaries are shown by the state's fishing guide app. A pier or jetty being public is not a statement that fishing from it is allowed today. Check the current position with the Victorian Fisheries Authority before going.
Who holds the answer:
- The Victorian Fisheries Authority, which issues the recreational fishing licence and publishes the rules, limits and closures.
- Parks Victoria, for the state's marine national parks and sanctuaries.
- The operator of the pier or jetty, for whether it is open.
- The Victorian Fisheries Authority, which issues the recreational fishing licence and sets and publishes the catch limits, size limits and closed seasons.
- Service Victoria, the state's service through which the licence is bought.
- Parks Victoria, which manages the marine national parks and marine sanctuaries where fishing is prohibited.
- The operator of a pier or jetty, for whether it is open.
- The Victorian Fisheries Authority: issues the recreational fishing licence and publishes the bag limits, size limits and closed seasons for the bay.
Nearby fishing
Other publicly documented places within about 40 km, by distance. Positions are approximate public geography and are never exact marks.
- Corinella Pier — 2–5 km · Pier
- Rhyll Jetty — 10–25 km · Jetty
- San Remo Jetty — 10–25 km · Jetty
- Tooradin Inlet — 10–25 km · Estuary mark
- Cowes Jetty — 10–25 km · Jetty
- Stony Point Pier — 10–25 km · Pier
- Hastings Jetty — 10–25 km · Jetty
- Merricks Beach — 25–40 km · Beach
Sources for this place
- Go Fishing — Western Port — Victorian Fisheries Authority (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: The state fisheries agency's entry for this spot: where it is, the fish it lists here, the tide and method it recommends, and the amenities nearby.States this directlyPassage read and verified
- Buy a Victorian recreational fishing licence — Service Victoria (State Government of Victoria) (Local authority, harbour or protected-area body)Relied on for: That Victoria licenses recreational fishing in all its waters, with exemptions the state lists, and that the Victorian Fisheries Authority issues the licence.States this directlyPassage read and verified
- Churchill Island Marine National Park — Parks Victoria (Local authority, harbour or protected-area body)Relied on for: That Churchill Island Marine National Park lies in Western Port south of Rhyll, and that the park operator points anglers to the state's app to check its boundary.States this directlyPassage read and verified
How FishingHQ labels evidence is explained in the evidence policy. Last reviewed 2026-10-22.
Something wrong or out of date?
If something on this page has changed, email us from your own account using the link that fits, with a link to where you saw the change if you can. Every report is checked by a person before anything is changed, and a report never appears on the site by itself. Please don’t send exact private marks.
Before you go
- Fish documented here
- 6 at this place itself. See them.
- Getting there
- Not recorded. FishingHQ holds no sourced description of the way in.
- Rules particular to this water
- Marine national parks lie in Western Port, among them Churchill Island Marine National Park south of Rhyll, and the state's fishing guide app shows their boundaries. Check them before fishing anywhere not named here. From the body that sets it: Victorian Fisheries Authority and Service Victoria (State Government of Victoria) and Parks Victoria, read 2026-10-22. Applies to: Western Port.
Nothing here is watched for change. Sources and who to ask.
- Hazards particular to this place
- None recorded for this place; the hazards of the wider coast or water still apply.
Check before you travel
- Whether you may fish here, and whether a licence or permit is needed — start with the Victorian Fisheries Authority.
- The tide times and the forecast for the day you go.
- Anything recorded here was true when it was read; it is not watched for change.