Fishing Port Phillip Bay: the fish, the seasons, and the plan to catch them

What and where it is

Port Phillip Bay is the large, near-enclosed marine bay that Melbourne sits on, about 1,930 km² of water on Victoria's south coast. It is shallow for its size (a mean depth of about 13 m), with sand flats, mud, scattered reef patches, dredged shipping channels and the Rip at its narrow entrance. You fish that structure, mostly from a boat.

The bay is almost a circle, roughly 60 km across, joined to Bass Strait by a single narrow gap between Point Nepean and Point Lonsdale known as the Rip, one of the more dangerous stretches of water in the country on the wrong tide. Most of the bay is shallow and gentle, so the fishing is about finding the right patch: a reef lump on the sand that snapper sit over, a clean weed-and-sand edge that whiting graze, a channel drop-off, or the deeper holes off the Mornington shore. Because it is so broad and shallow, this is largely a boat bait and lure fishery over the flats and reefs, with good pier and jetty fishing around the edges.

It is an easy bay to reach. Melbourne wraps the top of it, with the Mornington Peninsula down the eastern arm (Mordialloc, Frankston, Mornington, Sorrento) and the Bellarine Peninsula down the western arm (Queenscliff, Portarlington, St Leonards). All of it is a short drive from the city and Melbourne's airports, and ramps and piers ring the shore, so you can launch or fish close to wherever you stay.

This is busy water, shared with shipping, ferries, swimmers and sailors, and it sprawls, which is why almost everyone fishes it from a boat and why a charter is the simplest way in for a first trip: the skipper knows which reef or channel edge is holding snapper that week. (Source: Victorian Fisheries Authority.)

The fish, and where, when and how to catch each

Snapper is the fish people travel for, on bait and soft plastics over the reef in spring. King George whiting is the steady feed, on a light bait rig over sand. Around them: southern calamari, flathead, Australian salmon and garfish, with the odd big mulloway off the deep marks. Each holds on different ground and wants a different method. The cards below give you where, when and how.

Others, for context. The deeper marks and the channels also give up the occasional big mulloway and the larger snapper off the deep ground, and the bay holds trevally, leatherjacket and gummy shark among others. They are not what most visiting anglers travel here for, so the cards above are the trip. The two fish to plan a trip around are snapper in spring and whiting through the warmer half.

Each species is set out as a card. Read the one for the fish you want, then check the seasonal section for how the bay changes month by month, and follow the rig link to build the method.

How the fishing changes by season

Spring is the headline: snapper pour into the bay from September, peaking October and November, and it is the busiest, best window of the year. Summer is whiting, calamari and flathead over the sand, fished early and late around the boat traffic. Autumn keeps the whiting going and holds late snapper. Winter slows for snapper but still gives whiting, salmon, garfish and squid.

Here is the year in plain terms, tied to the marks and methods from the cards above.

• Spring (September to November), the snapper run. This is the trip. Snapper move into the bay to spawn from September, peaking October and November, and the eastern reefs off Carrum to Mount Martha and the western marks fill with boats. Fish a bait rod and a soft plastic over a reef on the change of light. Whiting and calamari are building too.
• Early summer (December). The tail of the snapper run, with whiting now in full swing over the sand, calamari over the weed, and flathead on the drift. The bay is busy with summer boat traffic, so the early and late windows are when the fish feed and the water is quiet.
• High summer (January and February). Whiting are the steady feed, with calamari, flathead and garfish around them, and salmon in the southern bay. Snapper are mostly pinkies now. Fish dawn and dusk; the middle of a hot, busy day is slow.
• Autumn (March to May). Whiting fish well into autumn, often on the larger, cooler tides, with calamari good in the clearer southern water and the chance of a late snapper. A settled, less crowded time on the water.
• Winter (June to August). Snapper drop off, but the bay still gives whiting in patches, calamari, garfish off the piers and salmon along the southern shore and the surf side. A good time for land-based and pier fishing while the boats thin out.

What you can eat (and what to release)

Snapper and King George whiting are both prized eating and the reason most people fish the bay, and you may keep them within the size and bag limits below. Calamari and flathead are good eating too. There is no blanket consumption ban on Port Phillip Bay as there is on some waters, so the rule that matters is the legal size and bag limits, plus releasing undersized and surplus fish carefully.

This is a clean, well-managed fishery, so the discipline is about sizes and numbers rather than contamination. The headline limits, confirmed from the Victorian Fisheries Authority (as of 5 June 2026):

• Snapper: 28 cm minimum, bag 10, of which only 3 may be 40 cm or over. So you can keep a feed of pinkies but only three of the bigger "reds" a day. The bag rule is designed to protect the larger breeding fish, so release the extra big ones with care.
• King George whiting: 27 cm minimum, bag 20. A generous bag, but take what you will eat.
• Southern calamari: bag 10.
• Flathead: dusky and southern bluespotted flathead have their own size and bag limits; check the current VFA figures before you keep them.

Whatever you keep, check the size and bag limits before you take a fish, handle undersized and surplus fish in wet hands, return them to the water quickly, and bleed and ice the ones you keep for the table. Clean your kit and gear down between trips so you do not move anything between waters. (Source: VFA size and bag limits, snapper and King George whiting pages, as of 5 June 2026.)

Licence and rules

Yes, you need a Victorian Recreational Fishing Licence (RFL), which covers both saltwater and freshwater across the state. Buy it online from Service Victoria or the VFA in a few minutes, or from a tackle shop. For 2026 it is A$10 for 3 days, A$24 for 28 days, and A$42.20 a year (A$39.70 online). Under-18s, over-70s and concession holders fish free. There are size and bag limits.

What the licence covers. The Victorian RFL covers recreational fishing across Victoria, fresh and salt, so the one licence is all you need for Port Phillip Bay. You must carry proof while you fish. There is no separate boat licence for fishing in Victoria (the saltwater boat-licence rule is a Western Australian thing, not a Victorian one). (Source: VFA.)

2026 RFL prices (Victorian Fisheries Authority / Service Victoria, in force from 1 July 2025, as of 5 June 2026):

The 1-year and 3-year licences are cheaper bought online; the 3-day and 28-day cost the same either way.

Who needs one, and who fishes free. You need an RFL if you are 18 to 70. You fish free if you are under 18, 70 or over, or hold a qualifying concession card (a Victorian Seniors Card, a Veterans' Affairs or Commonwealth concession card of the listed types), or identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. (Source: VFA.)

How to get it

• Go to Service Victoria or the VFA, the official routes, and choose your licence.
• Pay, and save the digital licence to your phone (3-day and 28-day) or choose a card (1-year and 3-year).
• Carry proof while you fish.
• Or buy in person from a tackle shop that sells licences.

Sizes and bag limits

(Source: Victorian Fisheries Authority, snapper and King George whiting pages, as of 5 June 2026.)

• The snapper rule that catches people out: you may keep 10 snapper, but only three of them can be 40 cm or longer. Plan to release the extra big fish.
• Flathead limits have their own sizes and bags by species; read the current VFA recreational fishing guide before you keep them.

Other rules that matter

• No general closed season applies to snapper or whiting in the bay, but limits change, so check the current VFA guide each season.
• Release undersized and surplus fish carefully, in wet hands and quickly, and keep your gear clean between waters.
• Buy the licence at Service Victoria or the VFA, or a licensed tackle shop.

Where to fish: ramps, piers and the marks

This is mostly a boat fishery, launched free from ramps around the bay: Mordialloc, St Kilda and Werribee South near the city; Queenscliff, Portarlington and Sorrento and Blairgowrie down the peninsulas. There is good land-based fishing off the piers and jetties at St Kilda, Frankston, Mornington, Mordialloc and Portarlington for whiting, calamari, salmon and garfish.

The bay is broad and shallow, so from a boat you are reading the bottom: a reef lump on the sand for snapper, a clean weed-and-sand edge for whiting, a channel drop-off, the deeper holes off Mornington. From the shore you fish the piers and jetties that reach out to clean ground. These are the access points from the bay's ramps and piers.

Boat ramps

All Victorian public ramps are free to launch and park, since 7 October 2019, via Better Boating Victoria.

• Mordialloc and Patterson River (eastern shore). The handiest launch for the eastern snapper reefs off Carrum, Mordialloc and Frankston. Busy in the spring run.
• St Kilda Marina (city). Close to the city marks and the northern bay.
• Werribee South (western shore). The launch for the western snapper grounds.
• Queenscliff (south-west). The Bellarine launch, near the Rip and the southern marks; also a charter port.
• Portarlington and St Leonards (western shore). Near the western whiting and squid ground.
• Sorrento and Blairgowrie (south-east). The southern Mornington launches, near the clean southern water, the whiting and squid grounds, and charter pick-ups.

Piers and jetties (land-based)

• St Kilda pier and breakwater (city). Squid, garfish, salmon and the odd pinkie snapper.
• Frankston and Mornington piers (eastern shore). Whiting, squid, garfish and salmon, with a chance of a snapper close in after a blow.
• Mordialloc pier (eastern shore). Squid, whiting, flathead and garfish.
• Portarlington and St Leonards piers (western shore). Whiting and squid over the nearby weed-and-sand ground.

What depth and ground mean for method

• Reef patches and broken ground on the sand (snapper): a bait rig at anchor, or a soft plastic or slow-pitch jig drifted over the top. The inshore bait rig or the jigging rig.
• Clean sand and weed-and-sand edges (whiting and flathead): the light bait rig on a gentle drift or at anchor. The inshore bait rig dropped right down for whiting.
• Shallow weed beds (calamari): a squid jig worked with a lift-and-flutter.
• Off the piers (whiting, squid, salmon, garfish): the light bait rig, a squid jig, a small metal or a float rig, depending on the fish.

Charter, your own boat, or the pier

For a first trip in the spring snapper run, a charter is the simplest way in: the skipper supplies the tackle and knows which reef is holding fish that week. With your own or a hired boat you cover the same ground free from any ramp. From the piers you can fish for whiting, calamari, salmon and garfish without a boat at all. The middle of a hot, busy day is usually slow whichever way you fish.

A boat is what opens up the snapper reefs and the whiting ground properly, so it is worth a charter or a launch even for a short trip. Watch the weather: the bay can get up quickly in a southerly, and the Rip at the entrance is dangerous on the wrong tide, so check the forecast and stay off the Rip unless you know it or are with a skipper who does.

Charter (recommended for a first visit)

A licensed charter covers your fishing licence for the day and supplies the tackle, targeting snapper in the run and whiting, flathead and calamari the rest of the year. Rates vary by trip and party size, so book directly:

• Rip Charters (Sorrento and Queenscliff) – running snapper, whiting and Bass Strait trips since 1986. ripcharters.fishing.
• Proline Fishing Charters (Sorrento Pier and Queenscliff Marina) – a family operation since 1991, snapper and bay trips. prolinecharters.com.au.
• Joe Farr Fishing Charters (Blairgowrie Marina) – King George whiting, snapper and flathead trips. joefish.com.au.

Your own or a hired boat

Launch free from any of the ramps above (all Victorian public ramps are free since 7 October 2019). A trailer boat is all you need for the bay marks; tackle shops and a few hire operators around the bay rent boats, so confirm the rate and what is included when you book. Read the bottom for reef patches and weed-and-sand edges, anchor up-tide of a reef for snapper, and drift the sand for whiting and flathead.

From the pier

No boat needed for whiting, calamari, salmon and garfish off the piers listed above. A light rod, a small bait rig, a squid jig and a float rig cover it. Pier fishing is at its best early and late and, for snapper close in, after a blow.

Bank vs boat, and the time of day

Pier only is mainly whiting, calamari, salmon and garfish, with a pinkie snapper close in after a blow. A boat adds the snapper reefs and the best whiting ground, the channel edges and the drift for flathead. The change of light, dawn and dusk, beats the middle of a hot, busy summer day. A boat opens up most of the bay.

Plain version: pier only is mainly whiting, calamari, salmon and garfish, with pinkie snapper close in after a blow. A boat adds the snapper reefs and the best whiting ground, the channel edges and the drift for flathead. The change of light, dawn and dusk, beats the middle of a hot, busy summer day whichever way you fish.

This table is the core decision the trip turns on. It lives on the cheat sheet too. Read it as: pick your fish, pick where you are and when, and it gives you the rig.

Where to stay (and buy a licence locally)

To base yourself near the fishing, the Mornington Peninsula towns (Mornington, Sorrento, Blairgowrie, Rye) put you on the southern whiting and squid ground and near the charter ports; Queenscliff and Portarlington do the same on the Bellarine. Bayside Melbourne (Mordialloc, Frankston) is closest to the eastern snapper reefs. You can buy a licence at tackle shops around the bay, or online before you arrive.

Stay near the water

• Mornington Peninsula (Mornington, Sorrento, Blairgowrie, Rye). Holiday towns with accommodation of every kind, on the southern bay near the clean whiting and squid water and the Sorrento and Blairgowrie charter pick-ups. A good base for a peninsula-focused trip.
• Bellarine Peninsula (Queenscliff, Portarlington, St Leonards). The western arm, near the western whiting and squid ground and the Queenscliff charter port. Quieter than the Mornington side.
• Bayside Melbourne (Mordialloc, Frankston, Carrum). Closest to the eastern snapper reefs and the Mordialloc and Patterson River ramps, and an easy run from the city if you are combining the trip with Melbourne.

Buy a licence in person at tackle shops around the bay (most sell the Victorian RFL), or online beforehand at Service Victoria or the VFA. Buying online before you travel is the quickest, and the 1-year and 3-year licences are cheaper that way.

The methods, and the rigs to build them

A small set of rigs covers the bay, and they share most of their tackle. The inshore bait rig (a running sinker for snapper, a light paternoster dropped down for whiting) is the workhorse on bait. A slow-pitch metal jig or a soft plastic takes snapper over the reef. A squid jig takes calamari. A small metal or a float rig covers salmon and garfish. Each links to its build page.

Map of fish, where and when, to a rig. The build instructions and the knots live on the rig pages, so I link rather than repeat them.

• Snapper, on bait over a reef → inshore bait rig. A running-sinker rig lets a careful fish move off with the bait before it feels the weight, the classic snapper presentation; a light paternoster stands the bait off the bottom over reef. Fresh pilchard, squid head, silverfish or salmon fillet, snelled hooks, at anchor on the change of light.
• Snapper, on lure over a reef → jigging rig, or a soft plastic. A slow-pitch metal jig worked over the reef, or a soft plastic on a light jighead and a fluorocarbon leader, drifted over the same ground. Many anglers run a bait rod and a plastic together.
• King George whiting, light bait over sand → inshore bait rig. The light paternoster with the leader and small long-shank hooks dropped right down, pipi, squid strip or mussel, on a gentle drift or at anchor over clean sand. Light line is the difference.
• Flathead, on the drift over sand → inshore bait rig, or a soft plastic. A bait dragged slowly over the sand, or a soft plastic hopped along the bottom on a light jighead. A drift finds them.
• Calamari, over weed → a squid jig. Cast and worked back with a lift-and-flutter over the weed, from a drift or off a pier. The lift-and-drop is the same idea as the jigging rig, with a squid jig in place of the metal.
• Australian salmon and garfish, off the pier and the shallows → a small metal or a float rig. Salmon on a small metal cast and retrieved, or bait under a float; garfish on a light float rig with a tiny hook in a berley trail.

The knots that tie these are the snell (the bait hooks, so the pull stays in line for a sure hook-set), the Palomar (the workhorse, for swivels, jigs and the running-sinker join), and, for joining braid to a heavy fluorocarbon leader on the lure rods, the FG knot. Each rig page links to the knots it needs.

Build your kit (the kit builder and the shopping list)

Pick your fish and whether you are on a boat or a pier, and the kit builder trims the shopping list and the rigs to exactly what you need. A bait outfit for snapper, a lighter outfit for whiting and lures, and a small box of terminal tackle build almost everything. The full list is below, grouped, with no brands and no prices.

That is the whole list. A medium bait outfit for snapper, a light outfit for whiting and the piers, an optional light lure outfit, two spools of line, two of leader, and a small box for the hooks, sinkers, swivels, jigheads, plastics and squid jigs. Buy generic sizes and types; you do not need a named brand to catch a snapper.

A trip checklist

Before you go: check your dates against the snapper run and the whiting window, buy the Victorian licence (unless you are exempt), decide charter, your own boat or the pier and book the boat or charter, pack the bait and lure kit, and note the size and bag limits. Then print the cheat sheet and take it with you.

Do this in order:

1. Check your dates against the seasons. Snapper peak October and November (building from September); whiting fish best November to April; calamari, flathead, salmon and garfish fill the rest. Spring is the snapper trip (the "what's on" strip above).
2. Buy the Victorian fishing licence. Online at Service Victoria or the VFA (the 1-year and 3-year are cheaper online), or from a tackle shop. Free if you are under 18, 70 or over, or hold a qualifying concession card. Carry proof while you fish.
3. Decide how you will fish, and book it. First trip in the run: book a charter (Rip, Proline or Joe Farr, links above) so the skipper finds the fish and supplies the tackle. Own boat: launch free from a ramp near your marks. No boat: fish the piers for whiting, calamari, salmon and garfish.
4. Pack the kit. A snapper bait outfit, a light whiting outfit, the small terminal box, soft plastics and squid jigs, bait, a net, an ice slurry and a brag mat. The shopping list above (trimmed by the kit builder) is your packing list.
5. Note the limits. Snapper 28 cm, bag 10 with only 3 over 40 cm; whiting 27 cm, bag 20; calamari bag 10. Release undersized and surplus fish carefully, in wet hands, quickly.
6. Print the cheat sheet and take it with you. Get the printable cheat sheet

Common mistakes

The big ones: missing the spring window when the snapper are in, keeping more than three snapper over 40 cm, fishing the bright, busy middle of the day, going out on the Rip or in a southerly without the experience, and bringing whiting tackle too heavy. None is hard to avoid once you know.

• Missing the snapper run. The fish are in the bay mainly September to early December, peaking October and November. Turn up in deep winter expecting reds and you will mostly get pinkies. Plan the trip around spring.
• Keeping too many big snapper. You may keep 10 snapper, but only three of them can be 40 cm or over. It is an easy rule to break in a good session. Count the big ones and release the rest with care.
• Fishing the middle of a hot, busy day. The bay is shallow, bright and busy with summer boat traffic. The change of light, dawn and dusk, is when the fish feed. Fish the edges of the day and rest in between.
• Underestimating the Rip and the weather. The entrance at the Rip is dangerous on the wrong tide, and the open bay gets up quickly in a southerly. Check the forecast, stay off the Rip unless you know it, and if in doubt take a charter.
• Whiting tackle too heavy. King George whiting want light line, a light leader and small long-shank hooks. Heavy gear and big hooks cost you bites. Drop right down for them.
• Wrong bait or stale bait. Fresh bait matters: fresh pilchard, squid and silverfish for snapper; pipi, squid strip and mussel for whiting. Stale bait is the quiet reason for a slow day.
• Not reading the bottom. Snapper hold over reef patches and broken ground, whiting over clean weed-and-sand edges. Find the right ground with the sounder rather than anchoring on bare sand and hoping.

Frequently asked questions

The questions travelling anglers ask most about Port Phillip Bay: what is here, the Victorian licence, prices, the snapper run and the whiting window, fishing from the shore, the size and bag limits, getting on the water, the rigs, the bait, and whether the fish are safe to eat.