Marlo Jetty (Snowy River Estuary)

Marlo sits at the mouth of the Snowy River, where the Snowy and Brodribb rivers meet the sea, and its town jetty is the easy way onto the estuary. The Snowy estuary has some of the best estuary perch and bream water in the country, with flathead, luderick, mullet and trevally as well. The entrance stays open for most of the year. The town jetties and islands are the bream spots and the rock groynes the luderick spot, and in spring the bream move up the Snowy and into the Brodribb. Sunset at the Marlo pub is a local institution, which explains the evening bite's popularity.

From the jetty and town foreshore, fish lightly weighted prawn, sandworm or crab baits close to structure for bream. Luderick are a rock-groyne and weed fish — float green weed along the groynes on a moving tide. Estuary perch prefer snags and overhanging cover, so work small lures tight to the banks upriver. Flathead sit on the sand flats near the mouth and take soft plastics. Salmon and tailor come in on the tide near the entrance and off the surf beaches.

Black bream and estuary perch are the prize fish, with luderick, dusky flathead, mullet and silver trevally regular catches and salmon and tailor near the mouth. Black bream here fall under the general rule — 28 cm minimum and a combined bream bag of 10 — and must be kept whole until you leave the water. For regulation purposes, any flathead caught in Lake Tyers or any estuary east of it counts as a dusky flathead: 30–55 cm, bag of 5, kept whole until you leave the water. Estuary perch have a 27 cm minimum and a combined bag of 5 with Australian bass.

Follow the fish upstream: in spring, bream move up the Snowy River and hold in the Brodribb, where local prawn is the bait. Fish the change of light and a moving tide. Weather and low river levels occasionally close the entrance, and then the estuary behaves more like a lake. Bait nets are not permitted inside the Snowy River estuary — only in marine waters seaward of the mouth, at least 400 m from it — and cast nets are illegal everywhere in Victoria, so bring bait. Keep estuary perch whole for the measure.

Marlo is reached from Orbost on the Marlo Road. The jetty is beside Beach Road on the town foreshore, with parking close by and the Marlo Hotel and caravan park nearby. There are four boat ramps around Marlo, which is generous for a town you can walk across before the kettle boils. The foreshore and jetty are flat; banks elsewhere are uneven. No fee applies.

The estuary is sheltered from most winds, but strong westerlies blow across the open water near the mouth. Tide and river flow drive the fishing: a moving tide and clear water are best, and a big flood in the Snowy pushes fish out and colours the estuary. When the entrance is open, salmon and trevally move in with the tide.

Jetty edges, wet boards and boat traffic are the main hazards. The river mouth and entrance channel have strong currents when open — do not wade. Rock groynes are slippery; wear grippy shoes and a lifejacket. Snakes are possible on riverbanks in summer.

Bream and estuary perch are the prize fish in the Snowy River estuary, with flathead, luderick, mullet and trevally also caught. Salmon and tailor are taken near the mouth and off the surf beaches.

Yes. Any flathead caught in an estuary east of Lake Tyers, including the Snowy River at Marlo, is treated as a dusky flathead: 30–55 cm, bag of 5.

Usually. The entrance stays open for most of the year but is occasionally closed by weather and river levels.