Portland

Welcome to the Portland Fishing Guide. Portland “aka Tuna Town” is located on the southwest coast of Victoria between the townships of Port Fairy and Nelson. This oceanside township is home to around 11,000 residents and is one of Victoria’s first settlements dating back to 1834. Today Portland is an iconic fishing destination in Victoria with scenic rock formations and deep waters on the continental shelf well over 10000 meters deep.

However, Portland gets its real reputation as a fishing hot spot for its Tuna fishing. Portland Harbour is one of the busiest boat ramps all year with schoolies and massive barrels being very sought-after catches. There is a wide variety of species you can target at Portland including Kingfish fishing in late summer, Snapper, a variety of sharks, king george whiting, squid and even deep-dropping baits for species like nannygai, morwong, sea perch and blue morwong.

Those not fond of offshore fishing in a boat, you can land base fish at lee breakwater Rockwall or alternative options nearby including the Fitzroy, Surry and Glenelg/Nelson Rivers and Yambuk and Bridgewater Lakes. It’s also popular for its annual whale watching or heading out with a fishing charter which has all the gear ready to chase a big Tuna.

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Things to do at Portland

Portland is a vibrant town along the ocean with cafes, restaurants, accommodations and 200 historic buildings protected by the National Trust. Nearby attractions include a maritime discovery centre, Graham Husson Fauna Park, Botanic Gardens, Heywood Water Tower, historic cable trams, the Bay of Whales gallery, Cape Nelson Lighthouse, war memorial lookout, and visitor centre with a whale skeleton. Portland is often considered the whale-watching capital of Victoria. Many families head to Portland during the winter months for whale watching or to watch the vast array of seals, dolphins and seabirds. Portland however is the mecca of game fishing so take your own boat or jump on a fishing charter. The deep open seas aren’t for everyone but there are plenty of piers, jetties, and nearby estuaries that also provide great fishing.

Watch this video of FishingMad chasing school Tuna in Portland around Lawrence Rocks

Fishing Portland

Portland is a prime destination to target big Bluefin Tuna, Yellowfin Tuna, and Albacore. You can also target Kingfish in late summer and a range of sharks including Gummy, Mako, Thresher, School and Bronzewhalers. There is also no shortage of reef species like snook, pyke, and barracoota, and bread and butter species like King George Whiting, Flathead, Snapper, Squid, Salmon, Trevally and Mulloway. Also, deep dwellers like nannygai, morwong, sea perch and blue morwong. The techniques and gear requirements for these species are so different, that we highly recommend joining the FishingMad Members area and reading our detailed gear guides which run through the needed rod, reel, line, lure, and bait/lures choices for each species.

You can catch tuna all year round but typically Tuna season starts in March and finishes around July. Good ways to find tuna include watching your sounder for large bait balls, drop-offs, reefs and large congregations of birds diving into the water. Trolling skirts, lures or teaser bars behind the boat whilst travelling at speeds of 5-10 knots. Some will use outriggers to control the spread of lures from tangling and get the desired angles and depths. When targeting the big barrels game rods and reels with a heavy line are required. Commonly gear like Shimano Tiagra reels and 100lb+ line.  If you are after some fun schoolies ( smaller tuna ) can be targeted with a 10-20 kilo rod a 8000 size reel spooled with braid between 20-40 kilo. This is an amazingly fun way to catch Tuna and you can mix up your tackle by opting for hardbody lures such as Rapala X-Raps, large vibes, and large soft plastics.

This form of fishing isn’t for everyone and you need to be honest with yourself before venturing out into open seas with large offshore swells. Safety when fishing these areas is paramount and not to be taken lightly so take all the necessary safety precautions before venturing out. And if you suffer from seasickness then there are plenty of alternative options as Portland offers great fishing year-round for many species offshore, in the bay, estuaries and lakes.

Enjoy an epic 40-minute kayak fishing video filmed in Portland chasing Kingfish and Trevally.

Portland Boat Ramp

This is one of the busiest boat ramps in Victoria but there is excellent access here with 2 separate boat launching areas to launch a boat. There is plenty of car and trailer parking and the marina has paid berths available for boats of different sizes which are often occupied by local boat and charter operators. There are also 8 fish cleaning tables with running water and a fish weighing station to weigh those trophy-size barrels. This is located opposite the main road which is home to cafes, accommodation and even a tackle store.

Portland Fishing Charters

Targeting Tuna is a specialized form of fishing that requires expertise, the right boat, fishing tackle, and an understanding of the conditions. For many, the best way to experience this is by going out on a fishing charter. Known charters who operate in this area include.

• Matt Cini fishing charters
• Reel Time charters
• Salty dog fishing
• Cassar Fishing charters
• Sharkmen charters
• Magnet fishing charters
• Matt Hunts fishing charters
• Game on charters
• Bag out tuna fishing charters
• Red hot fishing charters
• Proline charters
• Unreel fishing charters
• Gone fishing charters

If we’re missing any charter operators you would recommend, let us know, and we will add it to our list.

Targeting Tuna in Portland

Tuna is a remarkable fish species with a worldwide reputation for speed, size, power, and taste. Genuine missiles of the ocean and for many a bucket list fish. Tuna has remarkable fighting qualities and unparalleled eating qualities. Tuna fishing hits its peak in the colder months. Locally we have bluefin, yellowfin, & albacore all of which grow to massive sizes. Good ways to find tuna include watching your sounder for large bait balls, drop-offs, and reefs and following large congregations of birds diving into the water, dolphins and seals.

Around Portland, you can catch Tuna far and wide popular areas include the anchorage, Julia Reef, Cape Nelson, and Lawrence Rocks. However, you can catch good tuna in many sports from Port Fairy through to Port Macdonnell and beyond. We like to troll a spread of skirts, lures and teaser bars at 6 knots and will often keep an extra rod rigged up with poppers and stick baits just in case. Targeting barrels requires specialized equipment consisting of big game rods ( generally 15-24kg class ), expensive game reels ( generally Tiagra 50’s or equivalent), and heavy lines ( 100+ lb braid with equivalent top shot).

For many, the best way to experience this is through a specialized tuna charter operator. If you are targeting schoolies ( Tuna between 10-40 kilos ), then you can do this by using a 10-15 or 10-24 kilo spin rods and an 8,000-20,000 size reel spooled with 40-60 pound braid. This can be a fun form of fishing. Productive areas for schoolies in Portland will include areas near Lawrence Rocks, in Portland harbour near the big boats, and towards Julia Reef. Trolling skirts or deep-diving lures like Rapala X-Raps or Nomad Madmacs work really well. You can also have a rod with poppers or stick baits on hand and ready in case you come across a school of Tuna which will be noticed by breaking water, a large congregation of birds, or masses of bait. This is a really fun form of fishing, locate the school and cast into them and work stick baits back at a medium to fast retrieve then hold on.

Targeting Kingfish at Portland

In summer the kingfish action around Portland is brilliant. We have caught them fishing off the main breakwall, from the kayak launching from Wally ramp and also on the boat all around the anchorage, Julia reef and beyond. Kingfish are unparalleled sports fish that possess immense power. 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.

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. You will often get good volumes of kingies around February not too far out from Wallys Ramp as there are nice shallow reefs about 1 kilometer out that the kings like to congregate around.

Targeting Mulloway at Portland

Mulloway AKA Jewfish are 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 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 surroundings 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 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.

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 Squid at Portland

Squid is a frequent catch on the pier towards the front and mid parts of the pier. Just look for the squid ink which is a great indicator of where to target them. Anglers do well suspending squid jigs with the use of a float. 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 purpose. We recommend a 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 using slow sinking jigs in the smaller sizes 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.

Targeting Whiting at Portland

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.