Sandringham Breakwater

Welcome to the Sandringham Breakwater Fishing Guide. Sandringham breakwater is located on Jetty Road behind the footy oval. Although it’s not as popular as neighbouring fishing destinations Brighton Breakwall and Mordialloc Pier, it remains a great fishing spot, especially in the warmer months. Casting soft plastics with light to medium spin gear is excellent fun for pinkies, flathead and salmon. Those fishing with bait can bring long casting surf gear for extra casting distance to target snapper from the ends of the rock wall, or light gear to target whiting and garfish. Or casting soft plastics near the moored yachts, which can be very enjoyable.

Please note that new fishing zones are in place at Sandringham breakwater. The marina has contacted us, as local anglers are continually fishing within the marina despite signs advising that fishing is not allowed. Please ensure you follow the signage and fish the permitted areas, which include the breakwater rockwall. Members here have reported vessel damage from hooks and lures, as well as lines getting caught around their propellers. So always be mindful and respectful of the boats in the area and ensure you collect rubbish after yourself. Please also note that the old Hampton Pier has been decommissioned and is in the process of being rebuilt, which will also provide additional area for fishing once completed. 

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Things to do at Sandringham

Sandringham is a popular Melbourne suburb that spans along Port Phillip Bay, only 16 kilometres southeast of the Melbourne CBD. This is a popular destination for the family to enjoy the beach, walking, cycling and a vast array of playgrounds, cafes and boutique shops in a vibrant township. Visit the band rotunda on Sandringham beach, which provides fun photo opportunities. The bayside coastal arts trail is a great 17-kilometre walking track that passes through Sandringham. Paid parking is available at the pier entrance.

Fishing at Sandringham Breakwater

At Sandringham Breakwater, you can seasonally target

• Snapper
• Flathead
• King George Whiting
• Garfish
• Australian Salmon
• Snook
• Mulloway
• Silver Trevally

This location fishes well with both soft plastics and bait, especially for pinkies in the warmer months around Spring and Summer. Take some time to study the weather and tides before fishing here, as this can significantly impact your casting distance. Fishing on low tide can be challenging because the waters are shallow, and you inevitably lose some gear along the rocks to snags. Ideally, it’s best to fish during a rising tide. Over the years, many snapper have been caught here. The best time to target snapper here is between October and March, after a few windy days. For bait fishing, ideally use a 9 to 12-foot surf rod and a heavy star or bomb sinker to cast squid or pilchard out into deeper waters and productive snapper grounds.

The area is surrounded by weedy vegetation, which makes amazing grounds for whiting and garfish. King George whiting is a very common catch here in the warmer months and at night. Look for clearings amongst the reef, which are spots where whiting will often reside. Pipis on a running sinker or paternoster rig will be very productive during the right time. For Garfish, good bait options will include glassies, silverfish, maggots or small pieces of pilchard or chicken. For garfish, a light and sensitive rod is essential. Ideally, an 8-foot fishing rod with a 1-3 kilo rod with a 2000 reel spooled with a 4-pound line is ideal. Then suspend your baits from a float and hook small enough to fit in a gar’s mouth.

In this area, I find it most enjoyable walking up and down and flicking soft plastics on each side of the Rockwall. Flicking plastics towards the moored yachts to the right and then into open water on the left. We have caught snapper, australian salmon, snook, trevally and flathead casting plastics towards the moored yachts. Just make sure you show respect to those who have their yachts there and do respectfully keep your distance. If you are fishing with baits, then we would highly recommend using squid strips, pilchards, blue bait, silver whiting, raw chicken, and mussels. We have found paternoster rigs with a strong line to work the best in this area. This area is rocky and very snaggy, so casting out a fair distance is key to getting your baits in the prime location. We would recommend a medium-weight long casting fishing rod between 7 and 10 feet. You’re also likely to catch many small pinkies and flathead, so you don’t want to fish too heavy, but need to be prepared for the odd large snapper. Often I will use a running sinker rig to a swivel and 50cm of strong leader finished with a full pilchard or squid head to try and entice a snapper. If you’re chasing pinkies, then a paternoster rig with raw chicken breast will fish very well. Landing a fish can be a little awkward here, and a long landing net and a gaff are handy tools. We have lost several fish either along the rocks or when attempting to lift them onto the pier. So plan and have the right gear with you.

Want to make your own snapper rigs? Then watch this video, which will walk you through step by step.

Rod & Reel Setup for Sandringham Breakwater

Gear selection varies at this location, depending on the species you’re targeting and whether you’re using bait, lures, or soft plastics. For the most part, those using soft plastics will have success here chasing a variety of species with a 7-foot, 2-4-kg spin rod coupled with a 2500-size reel spooled with a 6-12lb line and leader. A combo that is sensitive to feel the bites and inquiries, yet lightweight enough to cast all day. If you plan on casting larger soft plastics or light metal lures for tailor and Australian salmon, then bump that up slightly to a 7-foot 3-5kg rod paired with a 3000-size reel. If you are targeting bigger fish with bait such as snapper, mulloway or Gummy Sharks, then you’ll need a heavier outfit such as a 4-8 kilo fibreglass rod coupled with a 4000-5000 size reel spooled with a 15-20 lb line and leader. You can also choose to go with a longer rod, should you feel the need for greater casting distance. The range of rods and reels on the market is massive, with budgets varying wildly. Therefore, it’s essential to pick something that matches your skill level and budget.

Best Baits for Sandringham Breakwater

At this location, we would highly recommend the baits suggested below. There are several ways to present baits, including a running sinker rig, paternoster rig, or dropper rig. The rig and sinker choice will be dependent on the species you are targeting and the conditions, such as wind and tidal strength.

• Pilchards
• Squid
• Pipis
• Blue bait
• Silver whiting
• Raw chicken strips
• Prawns
• Mussels

Lures and soft plastics for Sandringham Breakwater

At this location, we would highly recommend the following soft plastics. Ideally rigged on a 1/12, 1/8 or 1/6 jig head in size 2-0 through to 4-0. Casting them out, allowing them to sink to the bottom, and working them slowly, imitating a wounded baitfish. This works excellently for pinkies, snapper, Australian salmon and flathead.

• Berkley Gulp Turtleback worm
• 2.5″, 3″ and 4″ curltails ( Gulp Nemesis, Daiwa Wave Minnow, Zman grubZ,  Squidges Wrigglers )
• 3″ and 4″ paddletails in natural colours ( Keitech easy shiner, Zman StreakZ, Munroes 3.75-inch paddle tails )
• 4″ and 5″ inch jerk shads ( Zman scented jerk shads, Berkley Gulp
• Squid and Yabbie Imatations ( Nomad Squidtrex, Berkley Turbo Shrimp, Clone Prawn, Nomad Jerksquid )
• Shallow mid diving hard body lures ( Daiwa Double Clutch )
• Vibes and Blades ( Zerek fish trap, Samaki Vibelicious, EcoGear SX40 )

Targeting Snapper at Sandringham Breakwater

 

Targeting Australian Salmon at Sandringham Breakwater

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.