Welcome to the Barwon Heads Fishing Guide. Barwon Heads is a popular and scenic township on the southern coast of the Bellarine Peninsula. It has clean beaches, boutique shops, surf, cafes, camping, and excellent fishing opportunities. It’s a location where the Barwon River meets the Bass straight opposite Port Phillip Bay’s entrance, so ample fishing and water activities are available. There are some tremendous land-based fishing spots here, including Ozone Jetty, Barwon Heads Jetty and Sheepwash. Silver Trevally, Australian Salmon, Snapper and many smaller bread and butter fish species in abundance can be caught all year round and fish particularly well in the winter months.
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Things to do at Barwon Heads
Barwon Heads is a 90-minute drive from Melbourne, passing through Geelong. Surrounding townships include Ocean Grove and Queenscliff. This whole area is renowned for its clean beaches, which are very popular with holidays and 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, often whilst the parents have a rod out fishing. 13th Beach offers great surfing within the town, with qualified waves coming directly from the Bass Straight. You also have the Jirrahlinga Koala & Wildlife Sanctuary, which has 5 acres of land dedicated to the welfare of local animals. Stand-up paddle boarding hire is available in town, and there are many cafes, restaurants, and parks to keep the family busy.
If you’re after a bit more excitement, look no further than Geelong Adventure Park, which has world-class rides and waterslides, including the new Tsunami waterslide. This is roughly a 15-minute drive from Barwon Heads. You can also go skydiving and take scenic flight tours in surrounding townships.
Fishing at Ozone Jetty and Barwon Heads Jetty
Watch as Al from FishingMad catches some amazing fish whilst land-based fishing in Barwon Heads
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 huge silver trevally, casting 2.5-inch grubz on a light 2-4 or 2-5kg spin road paired with a 2500 size reel on 1/12 or 1/8 jig heads. Watch the video above, which shows exactly how good fishing from these land-based jetties in Barwon Heads can be.
Fishing at Barwon Heads
At Barwon Heads, you can seasonally target
- Silver Trevally
- King George Whiting
- Australian Salmon
- Snapper
- Flathead
- mullet
- mulloway
- bream
- Squid
- Garfish
- leather jackets
- gurnard
- flounder
- snook
Barwon Heads provide many areas for fish and a 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 many bread and butter species such as King Goerge Whiting, Silver Trevally, Australian Salmon, Mullet, Bream, estuary perch, flathead, pinkies, gurnard, mulloway, and crabs. Historically, we also used to catch elephant fish between Feb and Apr, but that hasn’t been as common in recent years.
There are multiple jetties along this area, and it’s also great to target by a 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 in this area effectively with soft plastics. Ideally, go with small grubs, worm, and minnow imitations. 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 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.
The 13th beach surf area is also a good fishing destination. This can provide quality salmon catches all year round, particularly in the colder months when salmon is active. If you want to learn more about salmon fishing, read our detailed guide on surf fishing for salmon. Fishing Bass straight will allow you to target snapper, flathead, snook, barracouta, salmon, squid, and some different 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 fishing
Watch as Al from FishingMad catches some amazing fish kayak fishing at the entrance of the Barwon River
There are three local boat ramps servicing the estuary. The main ramp is located near Ocean Grove and is accessible on Guthridge Street. The other two ramps are located along the Barwon Heads River on Sheepwash Road. One has a gravelled launching area ideal for kayaks or small tinnies, and the other is a concrete ramp with a floating jetty. You can also launch a kayak here from the beach and closer to the Ocean Grove Golf Course.
Baits Barwon Heads
At this location, we 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 depend on the species you are targeting and conditions such as wind and tidal strength.
- pilchard
- pipis
- blue bait
- silver whiting
- garfish
- salmon
- raw chicken strips
- prawns
- maggots
- silverfish
- squid
- mussels
Lures and soft plastics for Barwon Heads
- 4″ and 7″ Gulp Turlebacks
- 2.5″ grubs
- 3″ and 4″ paddle tails ( such as Zman slimSwinz and Keitech easy shiners )
- 4″ and 5″ jerk shads
- Zman grubZ
- eco gear ZX40
- Daiwa Double Clutch
- EcoGear SX40
- Squidges biotough grub
- Zerek fish trap
- Samaki Vibelicious
Targeting Silver 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, you will mainly be catching the much smaller silver trevally in Victoria. Good bait options include blue bait, white bait, 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 Squid at Barwon Heads
Targeting squid is a fun form of fishing that is growing in popularity with the reward of fresh calamari. Squid can be caught all year round; you will find them in shallow, weedy areas, and they respond well to jigs in clear water conditions. We recommend reading our detailed guide on How to catch squid around Melbourne. An egi rod between 7.5 feet and 9 feet in length is ideal, and there are plenty of egi rods on the market fit for the purpose. We recommend an 8 foot 3-inch rod paired with a 3000 size reel spooled with 15-pound braid. Squid jigs are prone to snags in this area, and we have found that using slow sinking jigs in the smaller size of 2.5 and 3.0-gram jigs will help avoid this problem. Cast your squid jig to allow time for the jig to sink, and then do a series of lifts and pauses to imitate a wounded prawn. The natural temptation is to strike. Instead, a subtle lift to keep line tension and a constant slow reel is all that’s required.
Check out this instructional video guide on how to squid filmed locally in Port Phillip Bay
Targeting Whiting at Barwon Heads
Whiting is a bread-and-butter species that is fun to catch on light spinning gear and tastes great. Whiting school up in big numbers, and they respond well to berley, so berley is 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 feet long. 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 whiting masterclass as we guide you through everything you need to know to catch whiting.
Targeting Australian Salmon at Barwon Heads
Australian Salmon are such a fun species to target. They school up in huge numbers and punch well above their weight. When hooked, they go on powerful runs, leaping out of the water with vigorous head shakes. Australian Salmon will happily take a range of soft plastics, lures, and baits. We have had the most success casting 3 and 4-inch paddle tail soft plastics in natural colours and long-casting metal spoons and working them at a fast to medium pace. You can target them with light spinning gear such as a 2-4kg or 2-5kg spin rod and 2500-size reel. If you are targeting Australian Salmon on the surf, 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, and you will likely jump up to a 5-10 kilo rod between 9-12 feet in length paired with a 3000-5000 size reel spooled with a 15-20 pound braid.
Targeting Mulloway at Barwon Heads
Mulloway, AKA Jewfish, is a prized catch that sits on 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 such as mullet, salmon, and whiting are a top choice when targeting mulloways. 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, such as mullets, which are designed to imitate a fish in its surroundings.
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 resides 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
Locally, Snapper season starts around October and finishes towards April. The big reds migrate inshore due to the warmer water temperatures, which provide ideal spawning conditions. Dawn, Dusk, and tide changes are considered the best times to catch snapper. Snapper will take a variety of bait and soft plastics. For bait a 7 to 8 foot rod with a 4-7 kg rating paired with a 4000 or 5000-size reel spooled with 15-30 pound line is great. Good bait options include pilchards, silver whiting, squid, and salmon. When it comes to soft plastics, a 7 foot 3-6 kilo rod paired with a 3000 size reel is great. Good soft plastics include jerk shads, whip baits, curl tails or paddle tails between 3 and 5 inches in various colours. We encourage you to read our detailed guide on how to catch snapper.
Targeting Elephant Fish at Barwon Heads
Elephant Fish share similar characteristics to a shark but have a unique elephant trunk-like snout, which they use to feed on small fish. They do, however, have good fighting qualities and are much fun to catch in light gear. They are seasonal fish that come into select areas within Western Port and Port Phillip Bay throughout March and May to spawn. Elephant fish are not fussy eaters, and they will happily take a wide range of baits including pilchard, squid and salmon. Elephant fish have a strong sense and respond well to berley. You can target elephant fish using a 3-5 or 4-6 kilo rod with a 3000-4000 size reel spooled with 8 to 12-pound braid. A running sinker to a swivel, then 60cm of a strong leader to a circle hook, or a paternoster rig with chunks of fresh bait.
Targeting Flathead at Barwon Heads
Flathead is a year-round prospect that can be caught at any time of the day. They are an ambush predator that waits in disguise for smaller fish to swim by for easy feed. This highlights the importance of keeping your baits and soft plastics towards the bottom. If fishing from a boat or kayak we would recommend drifting around the sandy flats until you find a good patch of them. Also, keep an eye out for depth drop-offs which is a great location for an ambush predator to wait. We recommend targeting flathead with a 7 foot 2–4 or 3-5 kilo fishing rod paired with a 2500 or 3000 size reel spooled with 8-12lb braid and equivalent leader. You can go lighter, but flathead has bristly teeth that can compromise your fishing line.
Flathead is not fussy and will happily have a go at many various soft plastics and lures. We would highly recommend reading our detailed guide on the best lures and soft plastics to catch flathead. Top choices include worm and yabby imitations, paddle tail soft plastic, curl tail soft plastics, deep diving hard body lures, vibes, swimbaits, and blades. If you are targeting flathead with bait, we recommend using a paternoster rig or running sinker rig. Using a small ball sinker to swivel, then 50cm of 8-12 leader to a size 6 long shank hook. Good bait choices include pilchards, mussels, squid, chicken, white bait, Pipis, blue bait, and prawns.
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 follow local rules. In terms of hazards, this is quite low. The beaches can get crowded, so you’ll just want to be careful and make sure you’re keeping a safe distance from 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 very common around this area. I have bumped into a few Tiger snakes in this area along the way and urge people fishing the Barwon River to be careful and always wear strong protective gumboots and pants.
Images of fish supplied VFA and DEPI. All other images and videos shown on the Barwon Heads Fishing Guide are Fishing Mad originals. Thanks for reading our Barwon Heads Fishing Guide. If you feel this location guide is missing key information or needs any corrections made, then please let us know by emailing our team at [email protected] with specific details in the email. Please also feel free to share any fishing pictures you have from this location with us. Thank you
