Welcome to the Campbells cove fishing guide. Campbell’s Cove is located between Werribee South and Point Cook and is well recognized for its beach huts and kayak fishing. Whilst fishing in this location you will often be greeted by overhead flying planes from the nearby RAAF base. However, this location is a great location to catch squid, snapper, and a great spot for drifting for flathead.
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Things to do in Werribee Campbells Cove
Campbell’s Cove is 40 minutes or 40 kilometers from Melbourne. Its located between 2 growing townships in Melbourne’s west, Werribee South and Point Cook. The beach here is not really the best place for the kids. They can play on the sand but there isn’t much to do in the immediate area. You would be much better taking the kids a little further up to the Werribee south beach which has playgrounds, toilet facilities, and better beach access, and often less seaweed.
There are several local attractions including the Werribee Open Safari Zoo, The historic Werribee mansions, and the state rose garden which is brilliant towards the end of spring. There is also the national equestrian center and Werribee golf course. The Werribee River is close and flows into Port Phillip Bay which is great for boating and fishing.
Fishing at Campbells Cove
Check out this instructional video guide on how to catch snapper with soft plastics filmed locally in Port Phillip Bay
At Campbell’s cove, you can catch squid, snapper, flathead, whiting, snook & gummy sharks. It also has plenty of pest species including toadfish ( puffer ), banjo sharks, and rays. We like taking a few rod outfits at this location. The reefy and weedy areas in close hold squid, whiting and pinkies whilst the shallow flat around 5-6 meter mark hold good volumes of flathead. A light spin rod to target pinkies and flathead with soft plastics, a medium spin outfit to target squid and a general-purpose heavier bait rod to target snapper and gummy sharks. If you just starting then take a general-purpose fishing rod around 3-5 kilos allowing you to target multiple species and quickly change rigs and baits.
If you plan on fishing with bait then good options include pilchard, mussels, pippis, and fresh squid. We do however prefer fishing in this location with soft plastics. 3 inch and 4-inch soft plastics particularly minnow style, grub style and curl tails will work a treat. Just bouncing them off the bottom and pausing then continually repeating the process. This is a great way to catch many goods size flathead and pinkie snapper in this area.
This is a great destination to target squid. Boats and kayaks will drift around weedy areas and have much success. Take some time to look for weed beds that are visible these are prime areas to target. The choice of squid jigs is almost endless here but pick something that will take advantage of the depth and water clarity. If fishing by land an 8-9 foot Medium-light rod is ideal to provide extra casting distance and a 6-7 foot rod is ideal when on a boat or kayak. Why not read our detailed guide on How to catch squid at Campbells Cove.
You can catch fish here any time of the day however dawn and dusk can be more active, especially for squid and snapper.
Kayak fishing at Campbells cove
Campbell’s Cove is a great spot to launch a kayak. It’s located towards Werribee and Wyndham Harbour at the end of Campbells cove road. This is a long narrow unsealed dirt road that drives directly past the huts along the beach. At the end is a small unsealed carpark which can handle about 30 cars. Parking is free and there is plenty of room to park your trailer. This car park does have some strange things happening in the early morning so do take care if you are on your own and make sure your car and trailer are locked. Access to the water is very easy through a timber pathway that leads you directly to the beach. At the end of the timber, the pathway is a small drop which can be quite awkward to lower and raise your kayak on especially when you are on your own.
Launching at low tide can be quite tricky and you will need to drag your kayak out a fairway. During the rising tide, the entrance can be full of seaweed which is a little unpleasant on bare feet. However, the fishing here is very good. Flathead, pinkie, snapper, snook, gummy sharks, and squid are common catches without needing to venture too far out.
Boat and Kayak access at Campbells cove
As mentioned above this is a terrific location to launch a kayak. With parking and fish accessible only a hundred meters out from shore. If you have a boat then you will need to head further down and launch from the Werribee south boat ramp. Launching is now free. The boat ramp has multiple launching lanes, toilet facilities, and fish cleaning tables. There are 6 launching lanes with dredging access out into port Phillip bay or the Werribee river. There are roughly 90 parking locations for both cars and trailers. The boat ramp is reasonably maintained but at times can have lots of weed making access a little slippery. Campbells cove Fishing Guide
Best Baits Fishing Campbells cove
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.
- pilchard
- pipis
- blue bait
- silver whiting
- salmon
- prawns
- squid
Lures and soft plastics for Port Phillip Bay
- Daiwa Bait Junkie 2.5 inch grub
- Daiwa Baitjunkie 5 inch jerk shads
- Berkley gulp turtleback worm
- Savage Gear Fat Curl tails
- Daiwa Bautjunkie 4 inch grubs
- Zman slim Swimz
- Berkley powerbait grub
- Gulp 3 inch minnow
- Dawia Bait Junkie paddle tail minnow
- Zman grubZ
- eco gear ZX40
- Daiwa Double Clutch
- EcoGear SX40
- Squidges biotough grub
- Zman StreakZ
- Munroes 3.75 inch paddle tails
- Kietech swim impact fat
- Zerek fish trap
- Samaki Vibelicious
Targeting Snapper at Campbells cove
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 baits 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 great. Good soft plastics include jerk shads, whip baits, curl tails or paddle tails between 3 and 5 inches in a variety of colours. We encourage you to read our detailed guide on how to catch snapper.
Targeting Gummy Shark at Campbells cove
We would recommend targeting gummy sharks 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 to single or double snelled rig or a paternoster rig. You can use an Ezi rig attaching a sinker to the clip and 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 Flathead at Campbells cove
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 be waiting. 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, whitebait, Pipis, blue bait, and prawns.
Targeting Squid at Campbells cove
Targeting squid is a fun form of fishing 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 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 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 Campbells cove
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 feet 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 whiting masterclass as we guide you through everything you need to know to catch whiting.
Targeting Salmon at Campbells cove
Salmon are powerful sports fish that school up in big numbers. They punch well above their weight and when hooked produce strong bursts of speed, powerful runs, and vigorous head shakes. Keep an eye for gutters which are patches of deeper water that Salmon will swim through in schools. These can be identified by the darker color of the water. Salmon will happily take a range of soft plastics, lures, and baits. Including 3 and 4-inch soft plastics and long-casting metal spoons. You can target them with light spinning gear such as a 2-4 kilo rod and 2500-size reel. However, if you are targeting them land-based on the beach or surf then you will likely jump up to a 5-10 kilo rod that’s between 9-12 feet in length paired with a 3000-size reel spooled with 15-pound braid.
Check out this instructional video guide on how to catch salmon on soft plastics. Crazy action in this one.
Targeting Snook at Campbells cove
These toothy critters are fun to catch on light spinning gear. You will find them in shallow weedy waters often a bycatch for those targeting snapper, whiting, and flathead. You can catch snook with staple baits such as pilchard, prawn, and squid. However, Snook loves natural-looking soft plastics retrieved at a medium pace including minnows, paddle tails, and grubs. Adding scent to the soft plastics really seems to help. Snook also respond well to shallow and mid diving hard body lures in shiny colours retrieved at a medium pace. Metal slugs and blades trolled slowly also work very well. Do handle snook with care as they have razor-sharp teeth. Despite their sharp teeth it’s still best to target them with light gear that you would generally use for pinkies and flathead. We recommend a 2-4 or 3-5 kilo spin rod paired with a 2500 size reel, spooled with 8-12 pound line and leader.
Targeting Mullowat at Campbells cove
Mulloway AKA Jewfish are a prized catch that sits on the top of many Victorian angler’s bucket lists. A stunning fish with a large mouth and distinctive silver or bronze color. 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 legal size. Live baits are a top choice when targeting mulloways such as mullet, salmon, and whiting. 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 surrounding 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 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 the 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 at Campbells cove
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.
This spot is choc-full of pest fish so take care when handling them. This will include Toadfish ( puffer ), Rays, and banjos which are quite common in this area. I once fished here in waders in 1-meter deep water and stood on a stingray. I was very lucky not to be stung so do take care. Also, note that Campbells Cove for many years was a clothing optional nudist beach. In 2014 the beach was literally stripped of its clothing-optional status as the volume of residents had grown substantially and new townships such as Wyndham harbour were being built very close to the old nudist stomping grounds. That being said I have witnessed many strange activities here in the car park during early morning kayak launches and would advise not going there on your own during the early hours.
Images of fish supplied VFA and DEPI. All other images and videos shown on the Campbells Cove fishing guide are Fishing Mad originals.
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