Portland

Welcome to the Portland Fishing Guide. Portland 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. Portland is one of Victoria’s first settlements dating back to 1834 and today is a great holiday location. Portland is an iconic fishing destination in Victoria with scenic rock formations and extremely deep waters over 10000 meters deep. However, Portland gets its real reputation as a fishing hot spot for its Tuna fishing throughout the winter months and Kingfish fishing in late summer. It also offers other great game fishing and a large range of species such as Kingfish, Snapper, and many other species. It’s also a popular destination for tourists with annual whale and sea watching. It’s also a great spot to head out with a fishing charter that has all the gear ready to chase a big Tuna or stick to the jetties for bread and butter species.

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Things to do at Portland

Portland is a vibrant town along the ocean. It has a nice range of cafes, restaurants and accommodation. Portland has over 200 historic buildings protected by National Trust. Bluestone treasures provide a sight into the town’s rich history. However, nearby attractions include a maritime discovery center, fishing charters, historic cable trams, bay of whales gallery, cape nelson lighthouse, a war memorial lookout, a visitor center with a whale skeleton, and more. Portland is often considered the whale-watching capital of Victoria and many families head to Portland during the winter months for some whale watching. There are also seal watching expiration, Of course, Portland is the place to go fishing. Carefully take your own boat or jump on one of many charter operators. The deep open seas aren’t for everyone and perhaps not suitable for young children so there are plenty of spots along the piers, jetties, and nearby estuaries that would be suitable.

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

Fishing Portland

Make no mistake Portland is the destination to target a big Bluefin Tuna, Yellowfin Tuna, and Albacore. You can also target Kingfish and a range of sharks including Gummy sharks, Mako Sharks, Thresher Sharks, School sharks, and Bronze Whaler sharks. There is also no shortage of reef species out deep, toothy species like snook, pyke, and barracoota in close, and your bread and butter species like King George Whiting, Flathead, Snapper, Salmon, and Mulloway. The techniques and gear requirements for these species are so different, we would highly recommend reading the FishingMad Members gear guides which run through the recommended rod, reel, line, lure, and bait choices for each individual species.

You can catch tuna all year round these days but typically Tuna season starts in March and finishes around July. With Tuna coming inshore during winter meaning you don’t need to venture out beyond the continental shelf to find them. Good ways to find tuna include watching your sounder for large bait balls, drop-offs, and reefs. However, the biggest indicators are often breaking water and large congregations of birds that are diving into the water.

The number one method of targeting tuna is trolling skirts behind the boat waiting for a decent hookup. Usually traveling speeds of 5-10 knots and using downriggers as a way of controlling the depth that you keep your skirts at. When targeting the big barrels of Tuna you will be using expensive shiny game rods and reels with a heavy line. If you are after some fun and want to chase some smaller school sized schoolies tuna then you can do so 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 like Portland to understand if you suffer from seasickness or motion sickness. Targeting Tuna means venturing out into open seas and trolling for many hours in deep waters with large swells. Swells that are very different from sheltered systems such as Port Phillip Bay. Safety when fishing these areas is paramount and not to be taken lightly take all the necessary safety precautions before venturing out. Winter is the best time of year to chase Tuna as that’s when there active. this is often the time of year when you will see the range of charters and traffic in full swing. Bird activity is often a great indication of a hungry pack of Tuna which are surfacing and on the bite. Portland, however, offers great fishing all year round. Seasonally you can target Mulloway and flathead in spring, Snapper and Kingfish in summer and Tuna in winter.

Portland Fishing Charters

Targeting Tuna is a very specialized recreational activity that requires expertise, a specific boat and 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.

• Salty dog fishing
• Magnet fishing charters
• Matt Cini fishing charters
• Matt Hunts fishing charters
• Game on charters
• Bag out tuna fishing charters
• Red hot fishing charters
• Proline charters
• Unreel fishing charters

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

Targeting Tuna at 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 have 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. However, the biggest indicators are often breaking water and large congregations of birds that are diving into the water.

Targeting barrels generally requires going out deep and requires specialized equipment consisting of big game rods, expensive game reels, and heavy lines. You’ll often see big game reels like Shimano Tiagras spooled with heavy lines. These are often trolled around 10-15 knots behind the bota and sometimes aided with downriggers. 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 harbor 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

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 table fish, 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’s, 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 Mullowat at Portland

Mulloway AKA Jewfish are a prized catch that sits on the top of many Victorian anglers’ bucket list. 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 the night, during peak tides and moon phases. We have found that lures are quite productive during the day and bait 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 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 foot and 9 foot 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 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 constant slow reel is all that’s required.

Check out this video a master class on Kayak fishing for squid in Melbourne.

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.

Watch our 25-minute whiting masterclass as we guide you through everything you need to know to catch whiting.