Bonbeach Beach

Bonbeach is the southern end of the long Mordialloc–Patterson beach, finishing at the Patterson River mouth, the busiest boat channel in Port Phillip. The river pushes estuary water and baitfish into the bay here, which is why salmon and flathead hang about the sand either side of the mouth. It is a simple beach to fish with the river's rock walls as a fallback. The shoreline runs so straight that you can watch the weather coming down the bay long before it arrives.

Fish the 400 m of sand north of the Patterson mouth, where the river's run-out tide pushes baitfish along the beach: metals for salmon when there's a westerly wash, plastics hopped back along the sand for flathead in summer. The rock walls are the fallback when the beach goes quiet. If the boats are queued at the mouth, so are the salmon — they just aren't paying for fuel.

Salmon (21 cm, combined bag 20 with herring) are the beach's main fish, pushed along the sand by the river's run-out tide in the cooler months, and flathead (27 cm, combined bag 20) take over in the warm ones along the plume line. King George whiting (27 cm, bag 20) and garfish (combined 40) are bonuses on calm days, and pinkies (28 cm, bag 10, no more than 3 at 40 cm or more) are a dusk chance. South of the mouth, the cunji beds off Seaford and the artificial tyre reef well out off Carrum are the snapper habitat that keeps pinkies passing along this shore.

Fish early or late on summer days, when the swimmers and the flags own the sand. In Port Phillip Bay's intertidal zone you may only take worms, bass yabbies and cephalopods, so bring bait. Skates and rays can't be taken within 400 m of the Patterson River rock walls at the southern end. Stay well clear of the river mouth channel and its boat traffic; don't wade across the entrance. On summer days the sandcastles go up in the exact spot you wanted to cast from, so arrive before the buckets do.

Access is from Nepean Highway and the foreshore reserves at Bonbeach and Chelsea, with parking and paths to the sand. The Patterson River foreshore parks are a short walk south. The sand is flat and kid-friendly in calm weather.

The beach faces west into the bay. After rain the river-mouth plume colours the water along the beach, which flathead like and whiting don't. A westerly wash fires the salmon; a run of easterlies flattens it for garfish. The run-out tide carries the baitfish.

Stay well clear of the Patterson mouth channel — strong tidal flow and constant boat traffic, so never wade across the entrance. Swimmers use the beach in summer; cast away from them. Onshore blows bring weed and dumping shore-break.

Yes. Fish the sand north of the Patterson mouth early or late, away from summer swimmers, and never wade across the river entrance.

Yes. After rain and on the run-out tide, the coloured water and baitfish pushed out of the river draw salmon and flathead along the beach.

Sand flathead and other non-dusky flathead are 27 cm minimum with a combined bag of 20.