Welcome to the Best Land Based Fishing Spots around Geelong as we give you a great starting spot for amazing fishing in the Bellarine area. If you need more suggestions, head to our Fishing Location Guides, which have over 200 fishing locations to sink your teeth into.
Wangim Walk | Geelong Waterfront Fishing
Read the full Wangim Walk Fishing Guide here
Wangim Walk is a 10 million-dollar project built in 2021. This modern 440-meter-long fishing platform in the heart of the Geelong township with parklands, carousels and beachfront now also provides anglers with great land-based fishing to target a variety of fish seasonally. Snapper, King George Whiting, Trevally, Garfish, Flathead, Australian Salmon, Snook and more. This is a great spot to walk around with a light 2-4 or 2-5kg spin combo and flick a variety of soft plastics from 4” turtleback or 3” slimswimz on a 1/8 or 1/12 jig head either in open waters or hard up against the jetties, moored boats and yachts. Periodically, you can go heavier and see if you can tempt a snapper from November through to January. You can also fish here with bait and catch a good variety of species. This great spot is easily accessible and provides plenty of fishing room and options.
Watch Al from FishingMad in some crazy land based fishing at Geelong Waterfront Wangim Walk
Barwon Heads Ozone Jetty
Read the full Barwon Heads Fishing Guide here
Ozone Jetty and Barwon Heads Jetty are two great options that allow you to fish the entrance of the bass straight. These areas are pretty tidal, and because of that high-flowing water, you can catch a great variety of species from silver trevally, snapper and even gummy sharks. Planning is essential when fishing these two jetties as the water is very shallow on low tide and almost unfishable from these spots, so you will need to study the tide times and ideally fish 2 hours on each side of high tide for the best chance of catching. Over the years, I have caught some high silver trevally here, casting 2.5-inch grubz on a light 2-5kg spin combo. However, baits will also work well here. These jetties are surrounded by clean beaches, which are perfect for taking the family for a fun day on the beach aswell.
St Leonards Pier
Read the full St Leonards Fishing Guide here
St Leonard’s Pier offers excellent seasonal fishing for snapper, King George whiting, and squid. This is a hot spot in November and getting a spot on this small pier during peak times can be very challenging. Using longer-length rods and casting out baits, including pilchard, silver whiting, and squid on a paternoster rig, can account for large snapper. The left corner at the end has reefs and sand holes, which generally hold good numbers of King George Whiting, and all year round, you can catch squid on the weed beds at the start and mid sections of the pier on the left-hand side.
Barwon River
Read the full Barwon River Fishing Guide here
The Barwon River is an underrated fishing location. Its fishing has improved in recent years thanks to the heavy stocking of fish from the VFA. However, seasonally, you can catch redfin, estuary perch, carp, and even some odd catches of yellowbelly and cod. There are scattered jetties along this stretch, and we have often fished the small jetty underneath Queens Bridge. Simple baits on a running sinker rig, such as scrub worms and corn, work well, as does casting small soft plastics and shallow diving hard body lures. You can also fish this stretch of water with a kayak.
Portarlington Breakwall
Portarlington Breakwall is located 30 minutes past Geelong and is one of the most popular land-based spots for snappers from October through to December. It can fish exceptionally well on windy days and balmy evenings. Bait fishing is the easiest from this spot, and using longer-length rods and casting out baits, including pilchard, silver whiting, and squid on a paternoster rig, is a great recipe for big snapper. This location can get very busy during peak times, and it’s often challenging to get a spot at the end with some anglers camped there day and night during peak times. There is ample parking, but be prepared for a long walk; many anglers will use fishing trolleys to help with this. In 2024, sections of this Rockwall were closed off for repair, so hopefully, those issues won’t be a problem moving forward.
Cunningham Pier and Griffin Gully Pier
Cunningham Pier has been an iconic fishing spot within Geelong for many years. This pair is built over 100 years ago and provides excellent seasonal fishing for flathead, Australian salmon, silver trevally, snapper and garfish. There is parking along the main road, a small car park at the entrance, and even parking on the pier. The pier is lit up at night, so it’s also good for fishing if you want to wet a line during the evening and night. Some huge snapper have been caught here over the years during the warmer months. Nearby, you also have good options, including St Helens Rockwall, Griffin Gully Pier, Limeburners Lagoon and Limeburners Point.
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