Hopkins River (Mahoneys Road)

The end of Mahoneys Road is one of the public access points on the Hopkins estuary — a boat ramp, a jetty and bank access on a stretch of river that is designated a Premier River. It is a step back from the surf-and-sand chaos of the mouth: quieter water, steeper banks, snags and weed edges that bream and estuary perch live on. This is where the lure-and-fly crowd comes to sportfish, and where a lost jighead is evidence you were fishing in the right place. Mulloway move up with the salt wedge too, so the bait anglers are not wasting their time either.

Target structure — submerged timber along the banks, the jetty, channel edges and weed beds. Cast soft plastics, small crankbaits or vibes tight to cover and work them slowly; in clear water lures and flies are highly effective. When the water is murky, switch to bait: sandworm, crab, minnow, whitebait or cockles on a light running rig. On a still evening the river goes quiet enough that you can hear your lure land, and so can the perch.

Bream to well over a kilo and estuary perch are the fish people come for, and both are caught year-round. Yellow-eye mullet keep bait anglers busy, salmon push up when the salt water does, and mulloway are a realistic night-time chance. Victorian limits: bream 28 cm with a bag of 10, estuary perch 27 cm with a combined bag of 5 (no more than 2 Australian bass), mulloway 60 cm and 5 — VFA has proposed a larger size and smaller bag for mulloway, so check the current guide before keeping one. Bream and estuary perch must be kept whole until you are off the water — the cleaning tables near the ramps are fine.

The salt wedge drives everything: it helps bream and mulloway move upstream, while fresh inflows push them back toward the mouth. In a closed-mouth summer, the deeper holes can lose oxygen — fish under about 4 m over weed and flats. On bright days, look for fish in shade under the jetty or fallen timber.

Drive to the end of Mahoneys Road in Warrnambool for the public boat ramp, jetty and bank access. There are fish-cleaning tables at the main ramps — check on arrival. Banks can be steep and muddy; the jetty is the easiest footing for kids. The far (south) bank is largely private property.

Sheltered compared with the mouth, but a stiff south-westerly still roughs up the open reaches and makes lure work hard. Clear water after a settled spell suits lures; turbid water after rain suits bait. Dawn, dusk and a tide change after dark are the productive times — check the BoM tide tables for Warrnambool.

Steep, slippery banks and a jetty edge with deep water close by — keep kids on a short leash. Low-oxygen water in a closed-mouth summer can cause fish kills; do not keep fish that look sick. Boat traffic uses the ramp, so keep clear of the launching lane.

There is bank access below and from the Hopkins Point Road bridge, at various spots within Warrnambool, at the end of Mahoneys Road, at the end of Rowans Lane, around Deakin University and at Jubilee Park.

Small soft plastics, shallow crankbaits and vibes worked tight to snags, jetties and weed edges. In murky water, switch to sandworm, crab or whitebait.

Yes. There are public boat ramps at Lyndoch, at the end of Mahoneys Road and at Jubilee Park, and the main ramps have fish-cleaning tables — check on arrival.