Mount Martha Rocks

The Mount Martha rocks are one of the very best shore-based fishing locations in Port Phillip, especially on a rising tide. The stretch below The Esplanade between Hearn Road and Ian Road is reef, rock and weed beds — prime habitat for calamari, whiting, pinkie snapper, flathead, garfish and, in the right conditions, good snapper. Snapper moving up the eastern side of the bay in spring fan out from Mount Martha, which is why Mount Martha has a snapper reputation that boats and shore anglers both chase. The price of admission is a steep scramble down and a tackle box that will be noticeably lighter on the way back up.

Cast baited rigs into the sand gaps between the reef and wind them back fast and high to stay out of the snags. For snapper, use a surf outfit and time it after a strong onshore weather system has pushed the fish in close — the worse the weekend weather, the better the Monday. For squid, use small, slow-sinking jigs so they ride over the weed instead of into it. A lighter whiting outfit is fine for the smaller species.

Calamari are the reliable catch, mostly on the small side. Pinkie snapper, King George whiting, flathead and garfish fill the bag, with bigger snapper after onshore blows. Snapper 28 cm and 10 (no more than 3 of 40 cm or over). Squid (including calamari), octopus and cuttlefish: combined bag 10. King George whiting 27 cm and 20. Flathead 27 cm and 20. Garfish no minimum and 40 combined. Salmon 21 cm and 20 combined with Australian herring.

Take spare rigs and squid jigs — the ground is snaggy and keeps what it takes. In Port Phillip's intertidal zone (high-water mark to 2 m depth) you may only collect marine worms, bass yabbies, squid, octopus and cuttlefish, so leave the crabs, mussels and periwinkles on the rocks. Snapper and whiting stay whole until you are off the water.

Access is off The Esplanade at Mount Martha, with Hearn Road, Ian Road and Bradford Road the usual approaches and roadside gravel parking along the main road. The tracks down the cliff are steep and become treacherous after rain. There are no facilities on the rocks themselves. This is not a spot for small children, prams or anyone unsteady on their feet. Two access roads above The Esplanade between Ellerina and Bradford roads have been closed since a 2020 landslip while the cliff is stabilised — keep out of the fenced works zone and use the open tracks.

The rocks face west across the bay. A strong westerly or north-westerly onshore blow is uncomfortable to fish through but is what brings the bigger snapper in close afterwards; easterlies are offshore and calm, with clearer water for squid. Fish a rising tide, ideally into dawn or dusk. Mount Martha is much less tidal than the southern end of the Peninsula.

Walking down to the water is hazardous, especially after rain — the access is steep and genuinely dangerous. The rock and cliff face are slippery, and snakes turn up among the rocks in warm weather. Never fish alone, tell someone where you are going, and wear a lifejacket whenever you fish from the rocks, especially on any wave-washed ledge (AS 4758 Level 50S or greater, children Level 100 or greater).

Below The Esplanade at Mount Martha, reached via Hearn Road, Ian Road or Bradford Road, with parking on the gravel beside the main road. The way down is steep.

Calamari, whiting, pinkie snapper, flathead and garfish, and good snapper in the right conditions — especially after a strong onshore blow and on a rising tide.

Only with care. The tracks down are steep and slippery, particularly after rain, and the ledges are slippery too. Never fish alone, wear grippy shoes, and wear a lifejacket on any ledge the water reaches.