Sheepwash Road, Barwon Heads

Fishing locations, such as Sheepwash Road in Barwon Heads, offer an interesting fishing spot at the entrance of the town. During the winter months, it produces massive runs of mullet, Australian salmon and plenty of pinkies and silver tevally, making it a terrific fishing location to take young kids to learn how to fish. It’s a location where you may also be lucky enough to catch an elusive mulloway.

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Things to do at Barwon Heads

This is generally a great spot for kids, as there are so many small fish, and you typically don’t need to wait too long to get a bite. The key here, though, is to fish very light and with tiny hooks, as the small Mullet and Salmon don’t tend to take a big hook. This will keep the kids busy and they don’t get bored fishing like this. It can be slippery after rain or on a high tide so be prepared to get muddy. Barwon Heads is 90 90-minute drive from Melbourne, passing through Geelong. Surrounding townships include Ocean Grove and Queenscliff. This whole area is renowned for clean beaches, which are very popular with holidaymakers during most school holidays. Swimming, paddle boarding, kayaking, snorkelling and fishing are prime activities here. It’s an excellent spot for kids who enjoy playing on the sand and in shallow water safely, while the parents have a rod out fishing. Within the town, 13th Beach offers great surfing with quality waves coming directly from the Bass Strait. You also have the Jirrahlinga Koala & Wildlife Sanctuary, with 5 acres of land dedicated to the welfare of local animals. In town, there is also stand up paddle boarding hire available, and many cafes, restaurants and parks to keep the family busy.

If you’re after a bit more excitement, then look no further than Geelong adventure park which has world-class rides and waterslides, including the new Tsunami waterslide. This is roughly 15 15-minute drive from Barwon Heads. Or skydiving and scenic flight tours in the surrounding townships.

Fishing at Barwon Heads

Specifically, along the river of Sheepwash road, you can target Salmon, Mullet, Trevally, Whiting, Flathead, Mulloway, Pinkies, Gurnards, and Crabs. If fishing with bait, then small hooks with pilchards, squid, maggots or chicken are good options. Soft plastics such as Z-Man grubs and turtleback worms also work very well. Usually, a straightforward and light running rig or a small paternoster rig does the trick in this location. Using burley really does help keep the fish around. There are lots of small fish, so make sure you’re fishing as light as possible with tiny hooks. I like a very light rod setup I prefer a 1–4-kilo capacity, with a 2500 reel. It needs to be sensitive to see the bites and inquiries. You can catch fish here at any time, but I generally would always suggest at dawn and dusk. Ideally, an hour on either side. Some will fish through the night chasing the prize of a Mulloway.

Overall, Barwon Heads Fishing Guide offers multiple areas to fish, providing a very diverse fishing ecosystem. You can fish the Bass straight by land or boat, targeting bigger saltwater species, or you can fish the Barwon River and target many of the estuary species. Within the Barwon River, you can catch whiting, salmon, mullet, silver trevally, bream, estuary perch, flathead, pinkies, gurnard, mulloway and crabs. I have found small mullet to be the most common catch, and big bream and Mulloway as prized catches. Seasonally, you can also catch elephant fish, typically between February and April.

There are multiple jetties along this area, making it a great spot to target by kayak or small tinnie. When bait fishing, use small hooks, as many of the species in the Barwon River have small mouths. Good bait options include yabbies, pilchards, squid, maggots, worms & raw chicken. You can also fish this area effectively with soft plastics. Ideally, going with small grubs, worms and minnow imitations. The Savage Gear slim minnow, Z-man grubs and turtleback worms work well in this area. There are a lot of small fish in this area, so a light rod setup, such as a 1-3 or 2-4 kilo rod, coupled with a 2000 or 2500 size reel. It needs to be sensitive to see the bites and inquiries. Usually, a very simple and light running rig or a small paternoster rig does the trick in this location. Using burley really does help keep the fish around. You can catch fish here at any time, but I generally suggest dawn and dusk. Ideally, an hour on either side. Some will fish through the night chasing the prize of a mulloway.

13th beach surf area is also a good fishing destination. Which can provide quality catches of salmon all year round, but particularly in the colder months when Salmon is active. If you would like to learn more about salmon fishing, then read our detailed guide on surf fishing for salmon. Fishing Bass straight will allow you to target snapper, flathead, snook, barracouta, salmon, squid, and various shark species. There are charter operators in this area, should you not have your own boat. If you would like to learn more about targeting snapper, then read our detailed guide on how to catch snapper in Barwon Heads

Barwon heads boat and kayak access

There are three local boat ramps servicing the estuary. The main ramp is located near Ocean Grove, accessible on Guthridge Street. The other two ramps are located along the Barwon Heads River on Sheepwash Road. There is a gravelled launching area ideal for kayaks or small tinnies. The other is a concrete ramp with a floating jetty.

Best Baits Fishing Barwon Heads

• pilchard
• pipis
• blue bait
• silver whiting
• garfish
• salmon
• raw chicken strips
• prawns
• maggots
• silverfish
• squid
• mussels

Lures and soft plastics for Barwon Heads

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 Whiting at Barwon Heads

Whiting is a bread and butter species which are fun to catch on light spinning gear and tastes great. Whiting school up in big numbers and they respond well to berley, so berley 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 foot in length. 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 2 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 Trevally at Barwon Heads

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 that you must tick off. However, in Victoria, you will mainly be catching the much smaller silver trevally. Good bait options include blue bait, whitebait, 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 then you can go heavier moving up the scale to a 3-5 kilo class spin rod spooled with fine 8-12-pound braid and equivalent fluorocarbon leader.

Targeting Salmon at Barwon Heads

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.

When lure fishing first consider what weight lures you are likely to be casting. We would recommend rods between 9-12 feet in length in 5-10 kilo class paired with a 3000 size reel spooled with 15-pound braid. Good lure options include Savage Gear Missile, Halco twisty, Ecogear Teibo, JM Gilles pilchard baitfish, Rapala X-Rap SXR, Lazer spoons, Zman slim swimz, trick swimz, Halco laser pro

Targeting Mulloway at Barwon Heads

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 Snapper at Barwon Heads

We encourage you to read our detailed guide on how to catch snapper. Snapper season locally starts around October and finishes after March. The big reds migrate inshore during this time of year because water temperatures have increased providing ideal spawning conditions. Dawn and dusk are generally considered the best times to be on the water. The most common snapper rods are 7 foot 6 inches in length with a weight class of 4-7 kilos paired with a 4000 or 5000 size reel spooled with 15-30 pound braid or mono and 40 pound leader. You can choose to fish lighter or heavier. Recommended bait options include pilchards either full or half, silver whiting, squid, garfish, mackerel and mullet. The best soft plastics are large jerk shads, whip baits, curl tails or paddle tails. Most between 4 and 7 inches in size generally coupled with a ½ or ¼ ounce jig head. Some good options include Savage Gear Fat Curl Tails, Daiwa Bait Junkie Jerk shads & Berkley 7 inch turtleback worm, Zman curl tails.

Targeting Flathead at Barwon Heads

Barwon Heads Bluff is part of a marine sanctuary. Remember to check with local fishing authorities before fishing in this area. Always ensure you have an active fishing licence and that you follow local rules. In terms of hazards, this is relatively low. The beaches can get crowded, so you’ll want to be careful and make sure you’re keeping a safe distance of those playing on the beach, swimming or paddleboarding. We haven’t seen any snakes in Barwon Heads, but closer to Geelong, along the Barwon River, you need to be extremely careful, as Tiger snakes are prevalent around this area. I have encountered several Tiger snakes in this area, and I urge people fishing the Barwon River to exercise caution and always wear strong protective gumboots and pants.

Images of fish supplied VFA and DEPI. All other photos and videos shown on the Sheepwash Road Barwon Heads Fishing Guide are Fishing Mad originals. Thanks for reading our Sheepwash Road Barwon Heads Fishing Guide. If you believe this location guide is missing key information or requires corrections, please email our team at enquiries@fishingmad.com.au with specific details. Please also feel free to share any fishing pictures you have from this location with us. Thank you