Princess Pier

Welcome to the Princess Pier Fishing guide. Princess Pier was built in 1912 and is an iconic fishing location in Port Melbourne. The pier was closed in 1990 due to rotting timber, which was unsafe for the public to walk on. But it was reopened to the public in 2011 after a 14 million dollar renovation fund as part of a state government initiative. What makes this location so unique is that the original pier was 580 meters long, and the renovated pier is only 190 meters long. Leaving 390 meters of the original stumps left in the ground. This has created an amazing underwater ecosystem for local fish species. The structure has become home to snapper, bream, mulloway, flathead and more.

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From Princess Pier, you will see the adjacent piers in Station Pier, Lagoon Pier and Kerfed Pier, and quite often see the big ships such as the Spirit of Tasmania cruising in. It’s also a great spot to fish with a Kayak and throw lures deep into the stumps and structures.

Check out this detailed vid about targeting pinkies and snapper around Port Melbourne.

Things to do in Port Melbourne

Port Melbourne is a stylish township where high-rise residential buildings and cafes run along the bay. It’s an excellent place for dinner, with many restaurants along Bay Street. You are only a short distance away from the West Gate Bridge, Melbourne CBD. This stretch is very popular with walking, cycling and jogging along the paved walkways along the beach. There are also dog-friendly beaches. A great time to walk along the coast is sundown. A scenic area is excellent for photo opportunities. Take the kids for ice cream and play in the sandy beach area. There are many piers along this stretch, such as Kerferd Road Pier, Lagoon Pier and Station Pier. Due to its deep waters, many large boats will be moored along the station pier, including the Spirit of Tasmania, Queen Elizabeth, large shipping vessels and navy vessels.

A short distance away, you can take a hot air balloon ride and overlook the bay and piers along with Port Melbourne. You can also board cruise ships that take you around Port Melbourne, Williamstown, and stretches of the Yarra River. Of course, this area is also well known as a top fishing location around Melbourne. Deep waters are easily accessible and provide excellent catches of snapper annually.

Fishing Princess Pier

This is a terrific fishing location for Snapper and Pinkies, particularly in summer. However, trimed down stumps/pylons create an amazing ecosystem and structure for a variety of species, including bream, snapper, flathead, snook, salmon, garfish, mulloway, mullet and more. The best way to catch is to do a brave cast well into the timbers, as that’s where the fish will reside. If you’re flicking lures into the structure, then the choices are endless. Our go-to choices have been 4-inch jerk shads, grub-style soft plastics and curl tails. Rigged on a 1/8 or 1/6 ounce jig head, these are a great combination for snapper and pinkies. Other good options to flick amongst the timer are crab imitations, blades and vibes. Allow the soft plastic or lure time to sink towards the bottom of the stumps, as that’s where plenty of fish reside.

When flicking amongst the timber, I like to rig up a little heavier than usual. A 3-5 or 4-6 kilo rod with a 3000 size reel spooled with 15-20 pound braid and equivalent leader is a great starting point. You could fish lighter with a 2-4 kilo capacity coupled with a 2000 size reel spooled with 10 pound braid, but do expect to be busted off by bigger fish along the pylons when bait fishing from the jetty. Pilchards, squid, whiting fillets and raw chicken are great bait choices. A combination of a simple running sinker setup and a paternoster rig does the trick in this location for many species. Using burley really does help keep the fish around. If you’re targeting large snapper and gummy sharks, then a full unweighted pilchard with a size 5 Mustad hook is a great way to go.

It’s best to follow the tides. The low tide seems to bring good runs of flathead and salmon, and the high tide consistently produces a good volume of snapper, pinkies and bream. The hours of first and last light are good times to fish, regardless of the tides. If you are fishing on the jetty, be cautious due to the limited space, and avoid line tangles. Only 2 fishing lines are permitted. Always carry your Victorian fishing license, and always follow catch limits. Where possible, we encourage catch and release. If fishing from a kayak, always take the necessary safety precautions and keep your distance from boats. Here is our guide on Kayak safety.

Targeting Gummy Shark at Port Melbourne

We recommend targeting gummy sharks with a 7-foot, 8-to 15-kilo rod paired with a 4000 to 6000 size reel spooled with 20 to 40 pound line. Finished with a strong leader ranging from 40lb through to 60 pounds. Ideal rigs include a running sinker rig, a single or double snelled rig, or a paternoster rig. You can use an Ezi rig, attaching a sinker to the clip and then tying 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’s, & garfish.

Targeting Salmon at Port Melbourne

I prefer targeting Australian Salmon with light spin gear. It makes the experience enjoyable and easy to use. A 7-foot 2-5kg spin rod paired with a 2500 or 300 size reel and 12lb braid and leader works excellently. When schooled up and actively feeding, they will smash soft plastics, ideally 4″ paddletails and curltails in natural colours, which imitate a baitfish that they are feeding on. They will also happily take staple baits like pilchard and squid from a pasternoster rig or running sinker rig. Winter is a great time to target salmon as they’re active and school up in big numbers. Salmon is a powerful sports fish that punches well above its weight. When hooked, they produce intense bursts of speed, powerful runs, and vigorous head shakes. Do keep an eye out for gutters, which are patches of deeper water that Salmon will swim through in schools. The darker colour of the water can identify these. When bait fishing, pick a surf rod between 12 and 15 feet in length, which allows for long casts with heavy sinkers and keeps your lines high above the crashing surf. These will be 6-10 kilo class. We recommend a Paternoster rig with a star sinker. Giving you two baits at different heights. You could also attach a surf popper above.

Targeting garfish at Port Melbourne

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 tiny mouths, so the key to catching them is to use tiny 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 in length. Paired with a 1000, 2000, or 25000 size reel spooled with 4-6 lb line, this setup will be a great choice.

Targeting Mullowat at Port Melbourne

Mulloway, AKA Jewfish, are a prized catch that sits at the top of many Victorian anglers’ bucket lists. A stunning fish with a large mouth and distinctive silver or bronze colour. Patience and dedication are required to catch the elusive Mulloway, which can reach up to 1.8 meters and 60 kilos. The minimum legal size is 60cm with a daily bag limit of 5 over the legal size. Live baits are a top choice when targeting mulloways such as mullet, salmon, and whiting and pinning them behind the neck to allow the bait to swim freely. Other staple dead baits can include pilchard, trevally, garfish, prawns, chicken & squid. A running sinker rig to a single 5/0 – 8/0 hook or a double snelled hook to present the bait nicely. Soft plastics between 80mm and 100mm are also a great option. Good options include flick baits, shads, paddle tails and grubz. You can also purchase pre-made rigs and swimbaits, which are designed to imitate a fish in its surroundings, such as a mullet. Choosing a Mulloway outfit. Recommended gear to target Mulloway 6-10, 10-15, or 12-24 kilo rod paired with a 4000-8000 spin reel spooled with 20-50 pound line and equivalent leader. Mulloway reside near river mouth entrances. They are often caught near structures such as bridges and pylons. Try to present your baits and lures as naturally as possible, or use live baits. Mulloway can be caught at any time of the day, but are most active at night, during peak tides and moon phases. We have found that lures are quite productive during the day, and bait is more productive at night.

Targeting mullet at Port Melbourne

This is a great location to mullet a bread and butter species that schools up in big numbers. They are fun to catch on light spinning gear and a great fish species to introduce beginners to fishing. Mullet respond well to berley, so berley an isolated area with a mix of bread, tuna oil and chook pellets. Good baits include bread, dough, live maggots, pilchard, and prawns. Remember that Mullet have a small mouth, so remember to cut these baits up into small pieces. You can also use soft plastics, such as small minnow and grub style soft plastics, with a slow, constant retrieve. Scents such as S-Factor or Procure certainly help. Most mullets are quite small; therefore, a 7-foot rod in a 1-3 or 2-4 kilo class, paired with a 1000, 2000 or 2500 reel spooled with 2-6-pound braid and equivalent leader.