Welcome to the Corinella Pier Fishing Guide. Corinella Pier is a popular fishing destination found within Western Port that offers good fishing all year round. It’s a nicely constructed pier that stretches out far and turns right at the end which is great for anglers to spread out and fish in deeper areas. Towards the end of the pier, most anglers will be fishing around 5 meters in-depth on a sandy flat bottom with most casting in the direction of the settlement point.
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Things to do at Corinella Pier
Corinella pier is located at the end of Peters street. It’s a great fishing platform overlooking the french islands along Western Port. The pier made from concrete and wood turns right at the end allowing many to fish deeper waters. It’s situated close to the Corinella boat ramp. Which offers 4 concreted ramps, ample parking available, and fish cleaning stations.
Fishing Corinella Pier
Corinella Pier and launching a boat at Corinalle is an awesome place for fishing. A great variety of species and big ones too. At Corinella pier you can target
- gummy sharks
- elephant fish
- whiting
- squid
- snapper
- trevally
- flathead
- mulloway
- barracouta
- flathead
- salmon
- snook
- leather jackets
Check out this Snapper and Gummy shark fishing session filmed at Western Port
The tidal flow strength and wind direction can make fishing challenging here so do check the winds and tides before venturing out. You may need to fish on one side of the pier in certain wind conditions. Good bait choices include Squid, Pilchard, Blue Bait, Silver Whiting, Pippis. Remember when pier fishing to use a berley bucket to try and attract the fish to you. Your rod selection will very much depend on what species of fish you are targeting. If you’re chasing the larger species such as gummy sharks or stingrays then you’re going to need a nice heavy outfit. My preference for this is a 8-12 kilo rod and a 4000-6000 reel spooled with 20-pound line. A single large hook or double snelled hook to present a full squid or pilchard. Sometimes I will also chase these species with Snapper rods which are 5-8 kilo rod with 12-pound line. This is a fun way of targeting these fish that might get dusted off occasionally.
If you are chasing lighter fish that don’t require gear as heavy such as elephant fish, flathead, trevally, or whiting then a nice light general purport 2-4 or 3-5 kilo with a 2500-3000 reel spooled with 6-pound line will work well. This is a great winter location for elephant fish and salmon, but it fishes well for most parts of the year. If you are keen to land a gummy shark then fishing throughout the night will be the best bet as that’s when predatory fish are most active. Always keep an eye on the tide early morning high tide is always great along piers and jetties. The pier can get quite slippery during rainy conditions so take care during these times, it also is open to strong winds.
Baits Corinella Pier
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.
- salmon
- mackarel
- yakkas
- pilchard
- pipis
- blue bait
- silver whiting
- prawns
- maggots
- squid
- mussels
Lures and soft plastics for Corinella Pier
- Daiwa Bait Junkie 2.5 inch grub
- Zman slim Swimz
- Daiwa Baitjunkie 5 inch jerk shads
- Berkley gulp turtleback worm
- Savage Gear Fat Curl tails
- Daiwa Bautjunkie 4 inch grubs
- 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 Gummy Shark at Corinella Pier
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 Elephant Fish at Corinella Pier
Elephant Fish share similar characteristics to a shark but have a unique elephant trunk-like snout that they use to feed on small fish. They do however have good fighting qualities and are much fun to catch on 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. . We recommend using
Elephant fish has a strong sense and respond well to berley. You can target elephant fish using a 3-5 or 4-6 kilo rod with 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 Trevally at Corinella Pier
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 Whiting at Corinella Pier
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 Flathead at Corinella Pier
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 Snapper at Corinella Pier
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 is 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 Salmon at Corinella Pier
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.
Images of fish supplied VFA and DEPI. All images and videos shown on the Corinella Pier Fishing Guide are Fishing Mad originals.
Thank you for visiting the Corinella Pier Fishing Guide. If you feel this location guide is missing any key information or needs any corrections made, then please let us know by emailing our team at enquiries@fishingmad.com.au with specific details in the email. Thank you
