Fishing locations guide Mornington Pier located along Schnapper point drive in Mornington is roughly a 50-minute drive from Melbourne. The Mornington pier was originally built back in 1850 and today offers locals a vast array of fishing species to target all year round making it an excellent land-based fishing destination. The pier had a 15 million dollar facelift in 2015 but was shut down with lengthy delays in 2017 after storm damage made the pier unsafe to use. The pier is only 250 meters long but is very popular for walkers, photographers, and scuba divers.
Things to do at Mornington Pier
This is a beautiful spot with surrounding beaches and scenic views. The immediate area is popular for swimming, walking, cycling, fishing and scuba diving. Many locals enjoy walking the pier taking in the views and spotting sea creatures in clear waters such as jellyfish. Nearby there are local cafes, restaurants, shops and bars within a lovely vibrant township. Fishing charters operate directly from the pier if you’re looking for a day out on the water. There are rock pools close by but do make sure the kids are closely supervised when on the pier. Recent renovations have included toilet facilities a yacht club and vastly improved pier.
Fishing at Mornington Pier
Mornington pier can be fished all year round. there are many different species that can be caught here including squid, garfish, whiting, salmon, snapper, silver trevally, leather jacket, rays and more. Prized catches would include large snapper during summer, large squid during winter and an abundance of garfish in between. Fishing dawn or dusk on the incoming high tide is often peak times to catch fish especially when the wind is chopping up a little. Fishing is also generally better in the area during the summer and autumn seasons.
Good bait choices include pilchard, blue bait, silver whiting, raw chicken strips, prawns, maggots, silverfish, glacies, and squid tentacles. If your targeting species such as garfish then remember to berley an isolated area frequently which will help greatly with catch rates. You can buy premade berley mix or make your own. A simple mix of bread and tuna oil will work well.
You can also fish using a whole range of soft plastics which is effective on local species. We would recommend small paddle tail and curl tail soft plastics with a 1/8 jig head as a good starting point. Species such as pinkies and flathead will certainly have a go at that. When targeting squid a whole range of long casting squid jigs can be used. Why not read our detailed guide on How to catch squid around Mornington.
How to catch fish at Mornington Pier
It all depends on which fish species you plan to target. Let us explain a little further.
If your targeting squid then a light to medium rod between 7 and 9 foot is ideal. This will allow you to cast great distance and feel subtle enquiries. Take a range of squid jigs with you in different sizes and colours, and see what’s working on any particular day.
For small species such as garfish, leather jackets and whiting, you will want to use an ultralight fishing combo. Ideally a 1-3 or 2-4 kilo fishing rod with a 1000, 2000 or 2500 size reel spooled with light line. Then using small long shank hooks and small baits as these fish have quite small mouths. Good baits for these species include small pieces of pilchard, prawns, silverfish and maggots. These can be either suspended from a float or a light running sinker rig.
Then there are general-purpose outfits which will allow you to target a whole range of different species such as flathead, snapper, trevally and so on. These are usually 3-5 or 4-7 kilo rods with a 3000 or 4000 size reel spooled with slightly heavier line and ready to tackle various different fish species. Good rigs to use when general-purpose fishing include pre-made paternoster rigs or a running sinker rig to a swivel and 50cm of a strong leader. Finished with a Pilchard tail or squid tentacles, raw chicken breast or any other bait will fish very well
Helpful fishing video for fishing the Mornington Peninsula
Have a look at this video which shows some basic tip on fishing around Mornington.
Known Hazards at Mornington Pier
There are often many rods being cast in a condensed area so be mindful of others casting around you. Espcially if you have children teach them to be weary of those casting around them.
Additions and corrections of this location
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