Hastings Jetty

Hastings Jetty runs out from the Hastings foreshore next to the boat ramp and Western Port Marina, and it is the easy-going end of Western Port land-based fishing. It is a year-round spot for King George whiting, salmon, silver trevally and flathead, and a family favourite for the pelicans that gather as the fishing boats come in — they are better at reading the boats than most anglers are at reading the tide. The town is the main boat-launching hub for the northern half of the port, so the snapper talk at the cleaning tables is free entertainment. The jetty itself is shallower and calmer than Stony Point down the road.

Fish around high tide, cast into the sand patches for flathead and whiting, and work the pylons for silver trevally. A paternoster or running sinker rig with pipi, squid or pilchard covers most of it, and a small soft plastic hopped across the sand is the classic flathead method. On the run, the current still pushes hard enough that you will need more lead than a Port Phillip pier. Snapper and gummies are an opportunistic chance off the end on a summer evening or a night tide rather than a sure thing.

Flathead are the bread and butter — 27 cm minimum and a combined bag of 20 for all flathead other than dusky. King George whiting (27 cm, bag 20) come through on the warmer tides, silver trevally (20 cm, bag 20) hang around the pylons, and salmon (21 cm, combined bag of 20 with Australian herring) turn up in the cooler months. Snapper (28 cm minimum, bag 10 with no more than three at 40 cm or over) are a summer possibility rather than the main event, and gummies are a night bonus.

Time your session to finish around high water and you have done most of the work. Bring a little berley for the trevs — Western Port's cap is 10 litres — and keep the bait small for the whiting. King George whiting, snapper and gummies must stay whole while you are on the water — fillet at the cleaning tables at the ramp, not on the jetty.

There is a car park at the base of the jetty and a public toilet block a short walk away. Fred Smith Reserve next door has electric barbecues and a playground, and there is an indoor swimming pool and café right at the entrance to the pier — a rare luxury for a wet winter session. The boat ramp precinct alongside has plenty of car and trailer parking, though it fills early on snapper-season weekends. The approach is flat, which suits prams, kids and anglers carrying too much tackle.

Hastings is tucked up the western side of Western Port and is more sheltered than the entrance spots, though a strong southerly still chops up the water. The tide range is large and the current runs hard at peak flow, so the turn and the hours around high water are the comfortable windows. Low tide exposes mud and drains the shallows near the shore.

This is a working waterfront, with boats from the ramp and marina moving close by — keep casts clear of the channel. The tide runs strongly past the jetty at peak flow, so children need watching and a lifejacket (AS 4758) is sensible for small kids. Do not walk out onto the mud at low tide; it is soft and the tide comes back quickly.

King George whiting, Australian salmon, silver trevally and flathead are caught at Hastings Jetty year-round, with snapper and gummy sharks an occasional bonus. Flathead and whiting are the most reliable, especially on the hours leading up to high tide.

It is one of the friendlier Western Port options: a flat approach, toilets, a playground and barbecues in Fred Smith Reserve, and a pool and café at the entrance. Keep an eye on children near the edge because the current runs hard at peak tide, and boats use the area constantly.

Around high tide. Fishing around the top of the tide is most productive, with flathead and whiting on the sand patches and silver trevally around the pylons.