Station Pier

Sadly, access to Station Pier is closed to fishing; this is mainly used now for transportation, and gates prohibit access. Back in the day, you could drive your car in here and fish off the pier or walk and fish. There is a small pier/jetty to the right of Station Pier, just before the gated-off entrance. Anglers can fish from here, and you can still catch good volumes of pinkies, bream, garfish, and salmon, preferably on high tide. Please read our complete location guide below, created before the restricted access. 

Welcome to the Station Pier Fishing guide. Station Pier is located in Port Melbourne, roughly 20 20-minute drive from the CBD. It was built in 1854 and overlooks Port Phillip Bay, located on Beach Street. It’s easily recognised for having large cruise boats such as the Spirit of Tasmania and Navy ships berthed along with it, which can be seen from a distance. These ships will remain berthed here, transporting holiday goers and freight in and out of Melbourne. It’s a very respectable 661 meters long, and one of the longest wooden piers in the southern hemisphere, meaning land-based anglers can fish in quite deep waters.

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Station Pier has undergone significant changes in its access for anglers over the years. Many years back, you could drive your car all the way down to the end of the pier and fish without fees to your heart’s content. Back then, big catches of barracoota were very common. Unfortunately, you now have to pay for parking out front. There is restricted access for cars, and access is done through the gates during certain hours. It’s a fair walk down to deeper water, which has lost a little of the appeal for anglers at this spot. It can, however, produce all year-round fishing and spectacular Snapper fishing in the summer months. From Station Pier, you will see the adjacent piers in Princess Pier, Lagoon Pier and Kerfed Road Pier.

Check out this detailed video we put together about Princess Pier and how to fish there.

Fishing Station Pier, Port Melbourne

As the video above highlights, this is a terrific fishing location. Snapper and Pinkies are probably the most targeted fish species here, particularly in summer. However, you can also target flathead, barracouta, garfish, tailor, flounder, bream, whiting, salmon, trevally, gummy shark, mulloway and mullet. When fishing from a pier like this one, an all-around rod setup might be a good option, allowing you to target multiple species at once. A 3-5 kilo rod with a 3000 size reel spooled with 15-pound braid and equivalent leader is a great starting point. You may also opt to use a larger 10 – 12 foot surf rod paired with a 4000 – 6000 size reel with 20-pound line to target snapper, gummy shark or mulloway. Good bait choices include pilchards, blue bait, squid, pipis, mussels, maggots, whiting fillets and raw chicken. Rigs worth considering are a simple running sinker setup and a paternoster rig. They will allow you to cast far and target multiple species. 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 pilchard or squid head with a size 5/0 or 6/0 Mustad hook is a great way to go.

If you’re flicking lures, 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 an excellent combination for snapper and pinkies. Other good options include crab imitations, blades and vibes. Flicking a 3-5 kilo rod with a 3000 size reel spooled with 15-pound braid and an equivalent leader is a great starting point. You could also try going ultra-light, such as a 2-4 kilo capacity coupled with a 2000 size reel. Spool the reel with 6 or 4-pound braid finished with a rod length of 4 pounds or 6 pounds of fluorocarbon leader. Much patience is needed at Station Pier. Especially if you are targeting a bigger fish with heavier gear and big baits, 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. The full moon is often a good time to target mulloway and gummy shark, and the new moon to target snapper. Many of the bigger fish are often caught at night.

Only two 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. Paid parking is available, though it is quite pricey. Those with a pass or disability can drive up towards the end of the pier. You are very elevated on this pier, so be cautious and keep children away from the edges. It’s also challenging to bring in a big catch. Often, there are rows of fishermen everywhere, so the most significant danger will be avoiding line tangles or walking behind someone who is casting, so be wary of those around you.

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 at 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, Station Pier and Princess Pier. Due to its deep waters, many large boats will be moored along 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. Port Melbourne is a hotspot for catching juvenile snapper, known as pinkies.

Below is a video highlighting great land-based fishing spots around Port Melbourne

Targeting Gummy Shark at Port Melbourne

We would recommend targeting gummy shark with a 7-foot 8-15 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, 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. 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 Mulloway 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 Trevally Port Melbourne

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 plastic,s 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.