Welcome to the Flinders Pier Fishing Guide. Flinders Pier is roughly 1 hour and 25 minutes or 100 kilometres from Melbourne along the Mornington Peninsula. The pier is 250 meters long, overlooking Western Port, Phillip Island, and the Bass Strait. Flinders is a charming township with beautiful scenic views. The township got its name from the explorer Matthew Flinders, one of the first settlers in the immediate area in 1854.
The township now has fantastic fishing opportunities and a considerable reputation for squid. You can catch squid here all year round. However, it’s best around early Spring when the big squid come in to spawn. Thanks to a recent 2-million-dollar major renovation in 2010, this pier has become a top-quality fishing location. With crystal clear waters, weed beds, and fishing in roughly 6 meters deep water, it offers a vast array of fishing species to target and an excellent land-based location for targeting squid. It also has good amenities including public toilets, bins, a car park and nearby shops.
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Things to do at Flinders Mornington Peninsula
This is a beautiful spot with surrounding beaches and rock pools. It is a popular destination for swimming, snorkelling, and scuba diving. Weedy sea dragons have been heavily featured within the weed beds underneath the pier in this area. Port Jackson sharks can be spotted. The immediate area has toilet facilities and ample parking in front of the pier. The kids will need to be closely supervised when on the pier. Flinders is a bright, small seaside township along the Mornington Peninsula. The town has cafes, a bakery, boutique shops, cottages, a golf course, and breathtaking views. The township is relatively small but popular and has a high property market value. The beach is popular for swimmers and snorkelers. With Port Jackson, sharks are a common encounter for snorkelers. There are many great walking trails to exercise and enjoy the stunning views. The Flinders golf course is unique, with many holes carved around the beachfront and cliff faces. The course, too, has spectacular views overlooking Western Port and Bass Strait and is certainly a course worthy of travel. Then there is the pier, which is a major drawcard. The recent renovation makes it an excellent fishing destination.
In the not-too-far distance, you have the Peninsula hot springs, wineries, lighthouses, championship golf courses, maze and gardens, adventure playgrounds and much more. The Mornington Peninsula is an excellent destination for families, with many activities to suit everyone. Nearby townships include Cape Schnack, Rye, Sorrento, and many more.
Watch us fishing the Mornington Peninsula and Flinders Pier.
Fishing at Flinders Pier
At Flinders Pier, you can catch
- Squid
- King George Whiting
- Snapper
- Australian Salmon
- Gummy Sharks
- Wrasse
- Barracouta
- Pike/Snook
- Trevally
- Leather jacket
Flinders Pier has an excellent reputation for quality squid fishing. The whole pier is surrounded by weedy vegetation, which makes for amazing grounds for large squid. It does take some time to master fishing here. Stay nimble and look for signs on the pier, such as ink stains and visible weed beds. The best way to catch squid is with squid jigs cast out and worked with a series of lifts and pauses. Suspending a silver whiting or flesh bait on a prong can also work well. You can learn more about targeting squid here by reading our detailed guide on How to catch squid. You can catch squid here during the day and night. An egi rod between 7.5 feet and 9 feet in length is ideal, and plenty of egi rods on the market are fit for purpose. I have found myself fishing with an 8-foot 3-inch rod and a 3000-size reel with great success. Squid jigs are prone to snags in this area, and we have found that using slow-sinking jigs in the smaller sizes of 2.5 and 3.0-gram jigs will help avoid this problem. Fishing at dawn or dusk on the incoming high tide will be your best chance, especially when the wind is chopping up a little
Flinders is also an excellent fishing spot for King George whiting. With lots of sand holes and thick weeds, it makes an amazing ecosystem for them. Whiting is a fun species to catch and great to eat. You’ll also likely catch Australian salmon, snapper, wrasse, barracouta, pike, trevally, leather jacket and large sharks. Unfortunately, there are also lots of pest species here when bait fishing, such as Port Jackson sharks, Banjo sharks and rays. As you fish offshore, you can also target sharks, including gummy, bronzewhale and sevengillers.
We recommend using pilchards, blue bait, silver whiting, raw chicken, and squid for these fish. Our most memorable catches have been very golden trevally and large squid. You will catch many small fish, such as leather jackets, but you must be prepared for the odd large fish, such as a trevally, snapper and sharks. Often, I will use a running sinker rig to a swivel, and 50cm of strong leader finished with a Pilchard tail or small squid head. A paternoster rig with raw chicken breast will fish very well if you are chasing pinkies. Soft plastics are a great option to use at Flinders Pier. We recommend lightly weighted curl tails, paddle tails, and minnow imitations. These will allow you to target multiple species of fish. These can fish cast out into open water or fish hard up against the pier.
Other great locations to fish near Flinders Pier
Not far from here, you can also try fishing at these destinations
- Blairgowrie Pier
- Dromana Pier
- Flinders Pier
- Gunamatta Surf Beach
- Mt Martha Rocks
- Mornington Pier
- Portsea Pier
- Rosebud Pier
- Rye Pier
- Sorrento Pier
Boat Ramps along the Mornington Peninsula
Along the Monrington Peninsula, you have several boat ramps to launch from along this beautiful coastline. Sorrento boat ramp off St Aubin’s Way, Rye boat ramp off Pt Nepean Road, Mornington, Schnapper Point, Martha Cove, Olivers Hill and Safety Beach of Marine Drive. You also have smaller ramps, such as Tootgarook and Anthony’s Nose.
Baits Flinders Pier
At this location, we highly recommend the baits suggested below. There are several ways to present baits, including a running sinker rig, a paternoster rig, or a dropper rig. The rig and sinker choice will depend on the species you target and conditions such as wind and tidal strength.
- Squid
- Pipis
- Pilchard
- Blue bait
- Mussels
- Silver whiting
- Salmon
- Silver fish
- Raw chicken strips
- Prawns
- Maggots
Lures and soft plastics for Flinders Pier
Check out this instructional video guide on how to catch snapper with soft plastics.
- Squid Jigs
- Berkley Gulp turtleback worms
- Keitech Easy Shiners
- Zman Slim Swimz
- Nomad Squidtrex
- Berkley Gulp Nemesis
- Squidge Wrigglers
- Gulp 4-inch minnow
- Zman StreakZ
- Berkley Gulp Salty Nippers
Targeting Squid at Flinders Pier
Squid is a commonly targeted species here as it is full of weed beds, making it the perfect squid ecosystem. You can learn more about targeting squid here by reading our detailed guide on How to catch squid. Stay nimble and look for signs on the pier, such as ink stains and visible weed beds. The best way to catch squid is with squid jigs cast out and worked with a series of lifts and pauses. Suspending a silver whiting or flesh bait on a prong can also work well.
There are plenty of egi rods on the market fit for purpose. Generally, a whippy medium to light rod between 7.5 feet and 9 feet in length is ideal. Paired with a 3000-size reel spooled with 10-pound braid and leader. Squid jigs can be prone to snagging in this area, and we have found a lot of locals using the smaller size of 2.5 and 3.0-gram jigs and working them slowly to avoid this problem. If the tide is running too strongly and your squid jig is not reaching the bottom, you can always add a small chin weight to get it into the strike zone. Targeting squid is a fun form of fishing growing in popularity with the reward of fresh calamari. Squid can be caught all year round. You will find them in shallow weedy areas, and they respond well to jigs in clear water conditions. Cast your squid jig to allow time for the jig to sink, then do a series of lifts and pauses to imitate a wounded prawn. The natural temptation is to strike. Instead, a subtle lift to keep line tension and a constant, slow reel is required.
Check out this instructional video guide on squid locally in Port Phillip Bay.
Targeting Whiting at Flinders Pier
Whiting is a bread-and-butter species that is fun to catch on light spinning gear and tastes great. Whiting school is up in big numbers, and they respond well to Berley, so Berley is an isolated area with a mix of chicken pellets, Tuna oil, and pilchards. Whiting fishing requires finesse, so we recommend a light 1-3 or 2-4 kilo spin rod around 7 feet long. Coupled with a light 1000-2500 size reel, spooled with 4 pounds or 6-pound line and leader. When bait fishing, a simple running rig with a small sinker to swivel, then 40cm of 4-pound leader to a small baitholder long shank hook or a paternoster rig with two hooks and a size sinker depending on your conditions.
Watch our 25-minute whiting masterclass as we guide you through everything you need to know to catch whiting.
Targeting Salmon at Flinders Pier
Australian Salmon are such a fun species to target. They school up in huge numbers and punch well above their weight. When hooked, they go on powerful runs, leaping out of the water with vigorous head shakes. Australian Salmon will happily take a range of soft plastics, lures, and baits. We have had the most success casting 3 and 4-inch paddle tail soft plastics in natural colours and long-casting metal spoons and working them at a fast to medium pace. You can target them with light spinning gear such as a 2-4kg or 2-5kg spin rod and 2500-size reel. If you target Australian salmon on the surf, watch for gutters and patches of deeper water that salmon swim through in schools. The darker colour of the water can identify these, and you will likely jump up to a 5-10 kilo rod between 9-12 feet in length paired with a 3000-5000 size reel spooled with a 15-20 pound braid.
Check out this instructional video guide on how to catch salmon on soft plastics. Crazy action in this one.
Targeting Snapper at Flinders Pier
Locally, Snapper season starts around October and finishes towards April. The big reds migrate inshore due to the warmer water temperatures, which provide ideal spawning conditions. The best times to catch snapper are Dawn, Dusk, and tide changes. Snapper will take a variety of baits and soft plastics. When bait fishing a 3-6 or 4-7kg rod that’s 7 to 8 feet long paired with a 3000, 4000 or 5000 size reel spooled with 15-30 pound line is excellent. Good bait options include pilchards, silver whiting, squid, and salmon. A 2-5kg or 3-6 kg rod around 7 feet in length paired with a 3000 size reel is great when soft plastics fishing. Suitable soft plastics include jerk shads, whip baits, curl tails, or paddle tails between 3 and 5 inches in various colours. We encourage you to read our detailed guide on how to catch snapper.
Targeting Gummy Shark at Flinders Pier
Gummy sharks are a welcome catch in this area, and not being too far from the entrance ( Port Phillip Bay heads into the Bass Strait), they can be common catches. They are magnificent-looking sharks that fight well and also taste great. We recommend targeting gummy sharks with a 7-8 foot rod that’s 5-10kg or 8-15kg paired with a 6000 to 8000 size reel spooled with 40-60 pound line and finished with a strong leader ranging from 40lb through to 60 pounds. Ideal rigs include a running sinker rig, single or double snelled rig, or a paternoster rig. You can use an Ezi rig, attach a sinker to the clip, and tie it on a pre-made double-snelled rig. Octopus or circle hooks from 5/0 to 7/0 are preferred for presenting chunks of salmon, trevally, squid, mackerel, Eel, mullet, pilchard, yakka, & garfish.
Targeting Flathead at Flinders Pier
Flathead is a year-round prospect that can be caught at any time of the day. They are an ambush predator that waits in disguise for smaller fish to swim by for an easy feed. This highlights the importance of keeping your baits and soft plastics towards the bottom. If fishing from a boat or kayak, we would recommend drifting around the sandy flats until you find a good patch of them. Also, watch for depth drop-offs, which are excellent locations for an ambush predator to wait. We recommend targeting flathead with a 7-foot 2–4 or 3-5 kilo fishing rod paired with a 2500 or 3000 size reel spooled with 8-12lb braid and equivalent leader. You can go lighter, but flathead has bristly teeth that can compromise your fishing line.
Flathead is not fussy and will happily go for various soft plastics and lures. We highly recommend reading our detailed guide on the best lures and soft plastics to catch flathead. Top choices include worm and yabby imitations, paddle tail soft plastic, curl tail soft plastics, deep diving hard body lures, vibes, swimbaits, and blades. If you are targeting flathead with bait, we recommend using a paternoster or running sinker rig. Using a small ball sinker to swivel, then 50cm of 8-12 leader to a size six long shank hook. Good bait choices include pilchards, mussels, squid, chicken, whitebait, Pipis, blue bait, and prawns.
Targeting Trevally at Flinders Pier
Trevally pound for pound is one of the best fighting fish. In certain parts of Australia, surface popping for Giant Trevally is one of the bucket list fishing experiences you must tick off. However, you will mainly be catching the much smaller silver trevally in Victoria. Good bait options include blue bait, white bait, raw chicken, pilchards, pippies, squid and mussels. Trevally will also take a range of soft plastics, including worm and minnow imitations, small surface poppers, and small metal spoons. We recommend targeting trevally with a 1-3 or 2-4 kilo fishing rod coupled with a 2000 or 2500 reel spooled with 4-8-pound braid and equivalent fluorocarbon leader. If there are larger trevally in the area, you can go heavier, moving up the scale to a 3-5 kilo class spin rod spooled with a fine 8-12-pound braid and equivalent fluorocarbon leader.
Flinders can be a very windy destination. Gale force winds from where the bass straight meet western port can blow directly on those fishing and walking the pier. Make sure you check weather conditions before fishing. Also, many rods are often cast in a condensed area, so be mindful of others casting around you. Images of fish supplied by VFA and DEPI. All photos and videos shown on the Flinders Pier Fishing Guide are Fishing Mad originals. Thank you for visiting the Flinders Pier Fishing Guide. If you feel this location guide is missing any key information or needs any corrections made, then please let us know by emailing our team at [email protected] with specific details in the email. Thank you
