Patterson River (Launching Way)

The relatively short estuary of the Patterson River is lined with access points on both banks, and the best starting point is Launching Way on the southern side, which gives access to various jetties, landings and sections of open bank. Upstream of the mouth there are bream, yelloweye mullet, silver trevally and mulloway, and the Patterson River is the bay's bream hot spot. The ramp's pontoons are wheelchair-accessible. The bream live among the busiest boat traffic in Melbourne and seem to have decided the hulls are cover.

Fish lightly weighted baits beside the jetty pylons, pontoon edges and rock banks for bream — bass yabbies, sandworms, prawns and bought mussels are the baits, fished morning or late afternoon a few hours either side of high tide by the BoM tide tables. Small soft plastics and hard-bodied lures cast tight to the structure are the lure approach. Float rigs and berley bring in mullet and trevally. After dark, a big fresh bait on a running sinker is the mulloway play. The mulloway regulars will tell you about the one they nearly landed; listen politely, it's part of the ritual.

Black bream (28 cm, bag 10) are the main target, with yelloweye mullet (combined 40, no minimum) and silver trevally (20 cm) common. Flathead (27 cm) push up from the bay in the warmer months, and mulloway are the rare prize — 60 cm minimum, bag of 5 (changes have been proposed — check the VFA guide). Most sessions are bream and mullet; the rest is a bonus.

Don't fish from the boat ramp pontoons while boats are launching or retrieving — those are for boaters, and the ramp is extremely busy on calm weekends from September to March. Use the open banks and landings instead. Black bream must be kept whole or as a carcass until you are away from the water, but you can fillet them at a boat-ramp fish-cleaning table. The ramp's car park on a calm Saturday is Melbourne's largest boat show, admission free.

Launching Way is on the south side of the river at Carrum, reached from McLeod Road off the Nepean Highway. There is excellent car-and-trailer parking (busy on good boating days), picnic shelters and barbecues west of the ramps, toilets near Ramp 4, and the ramp has wheelchair-accessible pontoons. Paths along the river are flat and suit families.

The river is sheltered from bay winds, so it fishes when the open piers are blown out. The tide drives everything: the run-in pushes salty water and bream upstream, while heavy rain in the Dandenong catchment floods the river with fresh, dirty water for days. Early mornings beat the boat traffic.

Constant boat traffic, wash and reversing trailers — keep clear of the ramps and lanes and never cast across the channel. The river is not suitable for swimming because of boats, rips and hazards. Jetty and bank edges are slippery and drop into deep water. A lifejacket is sensible at night.

Start at Launching Way on the southern side, which gives access to jetties, landings and sections of open bank. The southern rock wall near the mouth is the other main spot.

Black bream (it's the bay's bream hot spot), yelloweye mullet, silver trevally and mulloway upstream, with salmon and flathead at the mouth.

Launching Way has wheelchair-accessible pontoons, and Parks Victoria runs a free electric hoist at the ramps to help wheelchair users into boats (a safety induction is required first). Paths along the river are flat.