Portsea Pier

Welcome to the Portsea Pier Fishing Guide. Portsea is a lovely, vibrant town that is great for weekend getaways with the family. It’s roughly 60 kilometres from Melbourne and almost the furthest point up the Mornington Peninsula, past popular townships of Rye and Sorrento. From here, you get great views of the entrance to Port Phillip Bay into the Bass Strait, which is directly opposite the Bellarine Peninsula and looks towards Queenscliff. Many visitors travel to this region to catch the ferry between Sorrento and Queenscliff.

Portsea pier is located off Point Nepean Road and provides anglers with clear waters, weed beds and fishing roughly 6 meters deep. Seasonally providing excellent fishing for various fish species to target, and an excellent land-based fishing spot, particularly for squid, snapper and gummy sharks. The pier has adequate onsite facilities including public toilets, BBQ, nearby shops and a pub.

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Things to do at Portsea

Portsea is the furthest point along the Mornington Peninsula next to popular townships such as Sorrento and Rye. It has a lovely beach which the local surf lifesaving club patrols. Surfing is a popular activity here. It’s a spot well known for brilliant scuba diving with seals, sea dragons, rays, and dolphins, which is a regular encounter. There are terrific walks along the cliffside to take in the multi-million dollar houses overlooking the ocean. It’s beautiful with surrounding beaches, rock pools, ocean views and plenty of photo opportunities. Parking, toilets, shops, parks, BBQS and cafes are available. It’s also a spot to catch the renowned ferry to the Bellarine Peninsula. It’s the direct entrance to Port Phillip, and the ocean surrounds the township. The town has lots of character, with lovely beachfronts, historic shopfronts, restaurants, and cafes, and many overlook the harbour.

Several local attractions include snorkelling tours to see the local wild sea life. On offer are kayaking, boating day, and half-day tours to see the local reefs and a historic shipwreck. Local charter boats are also ready to take you out for a day’s fishing. Why not try a scenic walk or bike ride on the Point Nepean trail to see further points of the Mornington Peninsula. There is also the Portsea golf course off Relph Avenue. In the not-too-far distance, you have the Peninsula hot springs, wineries, lighthouses, championship golf courses, mazes 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.

Fishing at Portsea Pier

At Portsea Pier, you can seasonally target

• Squid
• Cuttlefish
• Snapper
• Flathead
• King George Whiting
• Australian Salmon
• Gummy Sharks
• Silver Trevally
• Garfish
• Leather jackets
• Gurnard
• Flounder
• Snook

Portsea pier allows anglers to fish to a depth of around 6 meters. You can target many different fish species, requiring slightly different setups. This location is a consistent land-based fishing destination for squid. However, seasonally you can also catch snapper, king george whiting, Australian salmon, flathead, mullet, garfish, trevally, wrasse and leather jackets. As you are close to the heads ( entrance of Port Phillip into the Bass Strait ), you can also target sharks, including gummy, bronzewhale and sevengillers. Ideally, fishing for 2 hours on either side of the tide is best, or fishing at dawn or dusk. The area is quite weedy, so you must use rigs with slightly elevated baits to avoid snags and weed. A good all-around option is a general-purpose fishing rod combo, allowing you to target multiple species simultaneously. This might be a 3-5 kilo fishing rod coupled with a 3000 size reel spooled with 8-pound line. You’re most likely to catch many small pinkies, whiting, garfish, leather jackets, and flatheads, so you don’t need to fish too heavily, but you must be prepared for the odd large snapper. Using a basic paternoster rig with fresh bait will work well for many fish species on the Portsea pier.

Consider using small hooks if you specifically target garfish, whiting, and leather jackets. These species have small mouths, and using small hooks, such as a size 12 long shank, will increase your catch rates. We would also recommend berleying the area you are fishing, which is a great way to attract garfish and whiting. You can buy premade berley or make your own using breadcrumbs and tuna oil. Good bait options include pilchards, silver whiting, pipis, raw chicken, squid strips, maggots, and silverfish. You can fish this area with soft plastics to target pinkies and flathead. Picking the right conditions will ensure you can cast your soft plastics far enough. Also, remember that this area is all rock, so you are prone to having your sinkers and jig heads snagging up on the rocks. Working out how to fish this area effectively might take time without losing too much gear.

 

Other great locations to fish near Portsea 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 Portsea 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 your target species and conditions, such as wind and tidal strength.

• Squid
• Pilchard
• Pipis
• Blue bait
• Mussels
• Silver whiting
• Salmon
• Silver fish
• Raw chicken strips
• Prawns
• Maggots

 

Lures and soft plastics for Portsea Pier

We highly recommend the soft plastics and lures below at this location.

• 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

Squid fishing at Portsea pier

Squid is the most targeted species at Portsea Pier as it is full of weed beds, making it the perfect squid ecosystem. Fishing for squid can be exceptional at night, and the pier is often full of anglers during the dark. You can learn more about targeting squid here by reading our detailed guide on How to catch squid at Portsea Pier. 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 Snapper at Portsea

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 Whiting at Portsea

Whiting is a bread-and-butter species that is fun to catch on light spinning gear and tastes excellent. 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 garfish at Portsea

Garfish or mini marlins are a fun local fish species to target. Generally caught between 20cm and 40 cm with no minimum legal-size limit but a daily bag limit of 40. Garfish have large snouts but very small mouths, so the key to catching them is using very small hooks. Small, long shanks between sizes 10 and 14 are ideal choices.  The preferred rig setup should consist of using a pencil or quill float, and then having a small split shot roughly 20cm above the hooks to keep the bait down. The floats will help suspend baits such as glacies, maggots or small pieces of fish flesh. berleying is an essential tool when targeting garfish. You can purchase premade berley pellets or powder from your local tackle shop or make your own using tuna oil, chook pellets and bread. Catching gars is all about finesse and an ultralight 1-3 or 2-4 kilo nibble tip rod that’s 7 to 9 feet long. Paired with a 1000, 2000 or 25000 size reel spooled with 4-6 lb line will be a great choice.

Fishing for Australian Salmon at Portsea 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.

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.