Welcome to the Lakes Entrance Fishing Guide. Lakes Entrance is a beautiful waterfront town located between Bairnsdale and Orbost. It is a popular holiday destination with a good selection of accommodations, gardens, shops, and restaurants. Lakes Entrance is an all-year-round fishing destination on the east coastline of Victoria. It is situated on the edge of Bass Straight and Gippsland lakes. With scenic sandy beaches and healthy estuary systems, it’s a lively location only a few hours’ drive from Melbourne.
This is an amazing holiday destination for the family that offers plenty to do, such as surfing and shopping. In terms of fishing, there is a vast range of options and species to be targeted by anglers, making Lake Entrance a great fishing destination. You may choose some of the smaller estuaries or many of the main jetties or head out by boat. What’s truly amazing about this region is the dusky flathead and kingfish fishing in late December through to late February, which is only getting better and better.
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Things to do at Lakes Entrance
Lakes Entrance is a great place to take the family. This vibrant township has plenty to do, including bike riding, beach safaris, cruises, sailboating, and many accommodations. This is a nice spot to take the kids with plenty of fishing spots surrounding beach spots, parks, and BBQ facilities. East Gippsland is a beautiful location surrounded by beaches, lakes, and rivers. It’s a magnificent location for those who love the outdoors, camping, scenic views, mountainside walks, and recreational water activities. Close by, there is a good range of shops, cafes, restaurants, and accommodations, including Lake Tyers Caravan Park, which is only a 2-minute drive to Lake Tyers Boat Ramp.
There are many playgrounds for the kids, including Patterson Park. Nearby attractions include the Lakes Entrance beach, Buchan Caves, Footbridge Mini Golf Centre, Art Gallery, Wyanga Park Winery, Lakes Entrance boat cruises, fishing charters, Griffiths Seashell Museum, and Raymond Island. Nearby townships include Lakes Entrance, Paynesville, Bairnsdale, and Metung. Wildlife around the beach and lakes includes kangaroos, pelicans, and dolphins.
Fishing Lakes entrance
Where to begin? So many options are spread across beaches, surf, rivers, and lakes. A large combination of offshore, inshore and inland fishing makes this a premier fishing destination in Victoria. This can be a very popular and busy location, so fishing on the main jetty is going to get crowded during peak times. You can catch a whole range of fish species in this area, including
- bream
- dusky flathead
- flathead
- kingfish
- trevally
- leather jacket
- estuary perch
- luderick
- snapper
- King George Whiting
- garfish
- mullet
- tuna
- sharks
- Australian salmon
- tailor
The choice of lures is almost endless to make things easier we created a detailed video on the best lures and how to use them.
We provide specifics below on individual fish species common in the area. Generally, staple baits include pilchards, chicken, squid, maggots, scrub worms, and mullet. A paternoster rig works well with sinker options to suit your desired casting distance. Again there are many options specific for certain species. an example would be a light spin setup for bream with a range of hard body lures and soft plastics or a heavy game outfit for Tuna with a range of skirts. Rod set-up all depends on what fish species you’re targeting. In these circumstances, it’s almost good to go with a general-purpose rod that allows you to cover many different types of species. In this case, a 3-5 kilo rod with a 3000 reel spooled with 6-pound line would be a great option. If you’re going for smaller fish then a light rod setup is best. 2–4 kilo capacity, with a 2000-3000 reel which will be sensitive enough to feel small bites and inquiries. If you’re chasing bigger fish like snapper and Gummy Sharks then you’ll want a heavier setup and potentially a long-casting surf rod. Something along the lines of an 8 foot 5-8 kilo rod spooled with a stronger line such as 12 pounds.
Places to fish near Lakes Entrance
Not far from here, you can also try fishing at these destinations
- Lake Tyers
- Bemm River
- Tanboon Inlet
- Marlo
- Broadribb River
- Metung
- Hollands Landing
- Mallacoota
- Mitchell River
Recommended baits Lakes Entrance
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 your target species and conditions such as wind and tidal strength.
- yabbies
- Scrub worms
- sandworms
- maggots
- mussels
- pilchards
- prawns
Please read our detailed guide on Bait fishing for Bream.
Recommended lures and soft plastics Lakes Entrance
- Cranka Crabs
- Mussel Vibes
- OSP bent minnows
- Soft plastics such as Zman grubZ, Zman slim Swimz, Berkley powerbait grub, Daiwa Bait Junkie 2.5-inch grub, Squidge wriggles, Damiki Monster Miki 2.5 sp
- Shallow diving hardbody lures such as Jackall Chubby, Breamin 45, Daiwa Double Clutch, Atomic cranks, Savage Gear Fathead Crank
- Blades such as EcoGear VX range, TT Switchblades, Berkley big eye blades
- Yabby imitations such as Pro lure live Clone prawn, Zman TRD Craw
- Vibes
Targeting Bream at Lakes Entrance
This is a great location to target bream with lures and soft plastics. The options available are almost endless so make sure you read our guide on the best lures to catch bream. Recommended options include crab imitation, shallow diving cranks, paddle tail soft plastics, curl tail soft plastics, minnow imitations, vibes, and blades. Also, try your luck with surface lures which is an exciting form of fishing with light gear. Bream is all about finesse fishing so you will need an ultralight spin outfit. We recommend a 7-foot rod in a 1-3 or 2-4 kilo class, paired with a 1000, 2000 or 2500 reel spooled with a 2-6-pound braid and equivalent leader. There are so many amazing bream outfits on the market and budgets vary greatly depending on your skill level and spending habits.
Bream reside within structures such as jetty pylons and stumps. Enticing them away from the structure onto your lure will take some time to master. Remember to work your lures and plastics slowly and mix up the retrieval techniques. If you are targeting bream with bait then we would highly recommend sandworms, maggots, scrub worms, mussels, yabbies, & chicken. A 2-4 kilo class rod paired with a 2500 size reel would be a great option spooled with a 6-pound line. We would encourage you to read our detailed guide on Bait fishing for Bream.
Targeting Dusky Flathead at Lakes Entrance
Please note the legal size and catch limits for Dusky Flathead typically caught in the East Gippsland region from Lake Tyers to Mallacoota Inlet. Minimum legal size 30cm – Maximum legal size 55cm – Bag Limit of 5 between 30 and 55cm. For regulation purposes, any flathead caught in Lake Tyers or any estuary east of Lake Tyers will be considered to be a dusky flathead.
Dusky Flathead Fishing has improved so much in recent years thanks to commercial netting restrictions and slot limits. In areas around East Gippsland such as Mallacoota, Lake Tyers and Gippsland Lakes these fish are thriving and it’s common to catch them in good numbers between 50 and 90cm. These fish are primarily targeted in the warmer months and caught in shallow waters and sandy flats. Here are some amazing options to catch Dusky Flathead. At Lakes Entrance you can catch massive dusky flathead up to 95cm between the entrance and all the way up through to Metung and Paynesville. Dusky Flathead will take a variety of larger soft plastics, lures and swimbaits and it’s best to throw these around with a M or MH baitcast or M to MH Spin Rod. Some of our best lures for them include Shimano Arma Joint Flash Boost Minnow 190SF, Berkley Nesse Swimbait, Keitech Swing Impact “5.8 soft plastics, EverGreen ES Drive Swimbait, Sugapenn 120, Berkley 120mm Bender, Catch Black Label 6” Curl Tail soft plastics and Nomad Vertrex Soft Vibes
Targeting Flathead at Lakes Entrance
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 Kingfish at Lakes Entrance
In summer the kingfish action around Lakes Entrance can be brilliant. You will get great runs of smaller rat-size kingfish in the estuary between the entrance to Metung and Paynesville. It sure is a pleasant surprise when you’re targeting bream here with finesse gear and your rod screams off with a kingie. These smaller kingfish will take a variety of soft plastics and lures from paddle tails and yabbie imitations and can be caught with lighter spin gear.
You can however get much bigger ones out of the heads. Kingfish are unparalleled sports fish that possess immense power. Good bait options include squid, pilchard, and garfish. Or live baits such as yakka, squid, and mackerel. From the boat, vertical jigging metal lures are one of the most successful techniques. You can also target them with large soft plastics and stick baits. Kingies are generally active between December to March and can be located during most hours of the day. Kingfish love swimming and patrolling along structures such as rock walls, so it pays to keep your lure or jig close to the structure. Kingies can grow over a meter in length, have amazing fighting qualities, generally school up in big numbers, are also renowned tablefish, and are a very welcome bycatch for those who may have been out in deeper waters targeting species such as Tuna. A heavy-duty setup is required starting with a 10-15 kilo rod paired with a 6000-20000 size reel. Some good options include the Penn Slammer, Shimano Saragosa, Daiwa Saltist, Daiwa Saltiga or Shimano Stella spooled with 20 to 50-pound line.
Catching Prawns at Lakes Entrance
Lake Tyers is an awesome spot to target prawns especially when the mouth has opened taking in a heap of saltwater which oxygenates the system. We like to target gars here with waders in the evenings walking around with an underwater night light and deep reach net. This is a fun thing to do and is great eating and great bait for big dusky flathead and bream. Great spots to target them are near the mouth opposite the local caravan park and pub. You can park right in front and then walk the banks. In 2023 the volume of prawns at the entrance was amazing with local anglers and visitors catching them by the bucket loads. It’s a must-do activity with the family and kids.
Targeting Estuary Perch at Lakes Entrance
Another highlight of fishing in this area is targeting Estuary perch with surface and shallow diving lures. The action can be frantic on warm balmy evenings with low wind. listen for the sound of breaking water which indicates EPs are feeding. The excitement an angler gets from an EP smashing a surface lure on light gear is something that truly needs to be experienced. It almost catches you by surprise when that aggressive strike comes. Small surface poppers, cicadas, blades, surface minnows and pencil lures work well here. So do shallow diving hardbody lures. Noteworthy options include bent minnows, Rapala countdown series, nories laydown minnows and shallow diving cranks. Basically, anything that doesn’t dive too deep and makes a good vibrating action will work well. You can use any colour choice we often start with silvers that mimic small baitfish or mullet.
EPs also respond incredibly well to a whole range of soft plastics lightly weighted. Including curl tails, paddle tails and minnow imitations. The trusty 2.5-inch grubs and minnows are an excellent choice. These imitate small baitfish that the EPs are actively feeding on. We would recommend mixing up the retrieval speeds and pauses and playing around with different colours. Where possible fish along with the structure and stay alert for signs such as breaking water. Fishing for Estuary Perch requires finesse. We recommend an ultralight fishing combo consisting of a 1-3 or 2-4 kilo spin rod around 7 feet in length. Coupled with a 1000 or 2000 size reel spooled with a 2-8 pound line and equivalent fluorocarbon leader. When bait fishing uses a 2-4 kilo rod around 7 feet in length. Coupled with a 2500 size reel either a float or small running sinker to a swivel and very fine leader.
Targeting Tailor at Lakes entrance
Tailor is an aggressive predatory fish with sharp teeth with great fighting qualities. They have a similar profile to a salmon and leap out of the water when hooked. They school up in big numbers hunting baitfish in packs and breaking water often a sign that there feeding. You can catch them trolling, casting lures or bait fishing from the banks or surf. Small metal slugs, curl tail soft plastics, paddle tail soft plastics are great choices. So are staple baits like pilchard mullet, blue bait and garfish. Either on a single hook, ganged hooks or even on light wire trace if there cutting through your leaders.
Picking a suitable outfit for tailor can be tricky as they have sharp teeth and can shred your leaders with ease. When fishing in estuary systems we would typically use a 7-foot rod in a 2-4, 3-5 or 4-6 kilo class, paired with a 2500 or 3000 reel spooled with 6-8-pound braid and slightly stronger leader. If your targeting them in the surf then a long casting surf rod spooled with 14-20 pound braid and equivalent leader would be suitable. Handle them carefully they have sharp teeth that can do some damage. If you’re getting hook-ups but dropping a lot of fish then consider using a stronger leader or light wire trac
Targeting Snapper at Lakes Entrance
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.
Check out this instructional video guide on how to catch snapper with soft plastics filmed locally in Port Phillip Bay
Targeting Gummy Shark at Lakes Entrance
We would recommend targeting gummy sharks with a 7 foot 8-15 kilo rod paired with a 4000 to 6000 size reel spooled with a 20 to 40-pound line. Finished with a strong leader ranging from 40lb through to 60 pounds. Ideal rigs include a running sinker rig 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.
learn to make your own snapper and gummy shark rigs by watching this video
Images of fish supplied VFA and DEPI. Header complements of visitvictoria.com.au All other images and videos shown on the Lakes Entrance Fishing Guide are Fishing Mad originals. Thank you for visiting the Lakes Entrance 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 enquiries@fishingmad.com.au with specific details in the email. Please also feel free to share any fishing pictures you have from this location with us. Thank you
