Mordialloc Pier

Mordialloc Pier is one of the most popular shore-based platforms in Port Phillip, and a reliable one for salmon and yelloweye mullet. The 300-metre pier on Beach Road sees anglers in all conditions, and when strong onshore winds are blowing, a dedicated band of snapper fanatics makes a point of turning up — it is all about big snapper. Day to day it produces salmon, whiting, flathead and trevally, with heavy reef on the right-hand side where calamari are often caught. Mordialloc Creek runs out beside it for bream and mullet, so there is always a fallback.

On a rough onshore day, cast fresh baits wide for snapper and fish into the dark. In calmer weather, fish a paternoster with whitebait or pilchard for salmon, or cast metals and plastics when the schools show. Whiting and flathead come off the sand on light paternoster rigs, and calamari over the reef on the right-hand side with jigs. For mullet, use a quill float or paternoster with small long-shank hooks and sandworm, pipi or dough. The worse the forecast, the fuller the car park; Mordialloc's snapper regulars read weather maps upside down.

Snapper and pinkies (28 cm, bag 10 with no more than 3 at 40 cm or more), salmon (21 cm, combined bag 20 with herring), whiting (27 cm, bag 20), flathead (27 cm), trevally (20 cm), calamari (squid combined bag 10), garfish and mullet (each combined 40, no minimum). Toadfish must be returned, and rays can't be taken within 400 m of the pier. On the rough days the snapper are the headline act and everything else is the support band.

Autumn and winter are good times to fish the pier, with salmon peaking from March to September a few hours either side of high tide by the BoM tide tables. The worst weather often brings the best snapper — but stand back from the edge when waves break over the deck. In the bay's intertidal zone, bait collection is limited to worms, bass yabbies and cephalopods, so buy pipis and mussels. Boat hire operators work out of the creek, so give hire boats room at the mouth. Bring a rain jacket — it is, after all, the bad-weather pier.

The pier is off Beach Road, Mordialloc, beside the creek mouth. There is ample parking, a toilet block, playground and kiosk in the immediate area, and a shelter on the pier; Peter Scullin Reserve nearby has barbecues, picnic facilities and beach access. The deck is flat and family-friendly. The kiosk does a steady trade in hot drinks to people who swear they are only staying for one more cast.

Mordialloc faces west into the bay. Strong onshore westerlies and south-westerlies are the big-snapper conditions, while easterlies and northerlies leave the water calm and clear for whiting and calamari. Salmon respond to a bit of wash; whiting and squid want clarity. A rising tide around dawn or dusk is the standard window.

In strong onshore winds the deck takes waves and spray — snapper weather is also slip-and-fall weather, so wear grippy shoes and consider a lifejacket for night sessions. Boats move in and out of the creek mouth beside the pier. Handle toadfish and rays carefully and return them. Wet decking is slippery.

Yes — a dedicated band of snapper fanatics fish the pier in strong onshore winds because it produces big snapper in bad weather. Snapper are 28 cm minimum, bag 10, with no more than 3 at 40 cm or more.

Salmon, King George whiting, flathead, silver trevally, garfish, yelloweye mullet and calamari over the reef on the right-hand side. The creek beside the pier holds bream and mullet.

Ample parking, a toilet block, playground and kiosk nearby, and a shelter on the pier. Peter Scullin Reserve has barbecues and picnic facilities.