Pettmans Beach (Lake Tyers)
Summary for 19 Oct 2026
Bite Compass is showing a high fish activity bite score on 19 Oct 2026. Wind is around SE at 9 km/h. Solunar feeding windows are listed below.
Feeding Windows
Local Knowledge
Pettmans Beach is a remote stretch of surf inside Lake Tyers State Park, with a bush camping area behind the dunes, and it appeals to anglers who want a piece of the East Gippsland coast to themselves. The gutters along this end of the coast run deeper than the beaches near Lakes Entrance. Salmon are the reliable fish, with tailor in the same water and gummy sharks after dark. It is a camp-and-fish proposition rather than a quick session from the car. The commute from tent to gutter is the shortest in East Gippsland.
Walk the beach at low tide and pick a deep gutter close to the shore, then come back on the rising tide. Long casts with a surf rod and a paternoster dropper rig are the standard approach. Salmon and tailor take metal slugs and pilchards at first and last light. Gummies come after dark on fresh squid or fish fillet. In the shallow wash, small baits on light gear find mullet and flathead.
Australian salmon are the mainstay, with tailor, gummy sharks, flathead, mullet and silver trevally. Salmon have a 21 cm minimum and a combined bag of 20 with Australian herring; tailor are 23 cm with a bag of 20. Gummy and school sharks have a combined bag of 2. Flathead other than dusky are 27 cm with a combined bag of 20.
Treat it as a remote beach: bring water, food, first aid and a way to call for help. Plan the trip around northerly days; an easterly brings weed and slop onto the beach. Fresh bait outfishes frozen for the gummies. Parks Victoria has closed some Lake Tyers State Park tracks after severe weather, so check its park page for current closures before you drive in.
Access & Conditions
Pettmans Beach is in Lake Tyers State Park, east of the Lake Tyers Beach township, reached on unsealed park roads; a 2WD may struggle after rain. There is a bush camping area behind the dunes and a short walk to the sand. Facilities are basic — bring everything you need. The beach is not wheelchair accessible. Supplies are in Lake Tyers Beach and Lakes Entrance.
The beach faces south onto Bass Strait and takes the full swell. A moderate swell builds fishable gutters; a big sea makes it dangerous and unfishable. Rising tide, low light and a northerly wind are the best combination. Weed and a strong side current shut it down.
The gutters here run deep close to the sand and the rips run out through them, so keep your feet dry while casting and watch the water behind you. Lake Tyers State Park beaches are not patrolled, and help is a long way away. Big seas dump on the steep sand. Ticks and snakes are possible in the dune scrub. Carry a headlamp at night and tell someone your plans.
Gear & Rigs
Pack light — everything gets carried over the dunes from camp, and by the last trip with the esky everyone agrees one rod was plenty. One 11–12 ft surf rod with a 5000–6000 reel and 20 lb braid to a 30 lb leader covers most of it. Rig a two-hook paternoster with 1/0–3/0 hooks and a 3–4 oz sinker for salmon, tailor, flathead and mullet, and carry a handful of 30–60 g metal slugs for when the salmon show. For a night gummy, swap to a running sinker and a 5/0–6/0 circle hook with fresh squid. Bring bait from town in a cooler; there is nowhere to buy it once you are in the park.
Seasons
Salmon are the year-round target along this coast. Gummy sharks are a night fish whenever the sea is fishable. Summer brings campers and warmer, clearer water. Winter is quiet and can be good for salmon on calm days.
If This Spot's Blown Out
Frequently Asked
Salmon are the main catch, with tailor, gummy sharks after dark, flathead, mullet and silver trevally.
Yes. There is a camping area at Pettmans Beach in Lake Tyers State Park, just over the dunes from the surf. Facilities are basic.
No. Beaches in Lake Tyers State Park are not patrolled, so fish with care, avoid wading into gutters and never fish the surf alone at night without telling someone.