Moyne River Mouth (Griffiths Island)

Where the Moyne River runs out to sea, the rock wall on the Griffiths Island side gives land-based anglers a shot at ocean fish without a boat. Gummy sharks, snapper, barracouta, whiting, flathead, salmon, squid and mulloway all turn up at the mouth — a much bigger menu than the bream-and-perch fare upstream at the wharf. Port Fairy's reputation is built on offshore tuna, but most of the town's anglers never leave the river walls, and on a good salmon day they do not regret it. The island behind the wall has a walking circuit and a lighthouse, so the non-fishing half of the car is catered for.

Cast metal slugs or pilchards on ganged hooks into the channel and out toward the entrance for salmon and barracouta. Bottom-fish with squid, pilchard or crab on a paternoster for flathead, whiting and gummies, and a float with a squid jig for calamari around the weedy edges. For mulloway, fish a live mullet or fresh squid on the run-in tide after dark.

Salmon and barracouta are the most reliable catches, with flathead and whiting on the sand and squid along the weed. Gummy sharks, snapper and mulloway are the bonus fish. Victorian limits: salmon 21 cm (20 combined with Australian herring), barracouta no minimum and 20, flathead 27 cm and 20, King George whiting 27 cm and 20, snapper 28 cm and 10 (no more than 3 of 40 cm or over), gummy shark 45 cm partial length (2 combined with school shark), mulloway 60 cm and 5 (a change has been proposed — check VFA), squid (including calamari), octopus and cuttlefish no minimum with a combined bag of 10.

Fish the run-in tide, timed off the BoM tide tables for Port Fairy — clean ocean water carries salmon and baitfish into the channel. The mouth is busy with boats heading out after tuna and snapper, so cast with an eye on the channel. Snapper, whiting and gummies must be kept whole until you are off the water. The tuna boats head out at dawn, and by mid-morning the river walls have heard every detail of how the offshore fishing went, whether they asked or not.

Cross the causeway to Griffiths Island and walk east along the river to the rock wall on the island side of the mouth. The island and its lighthouse are reached on a walking circuit. Footing on the rock wall is uneven — fine for steady adults, less so for small kids, who are better off at the wharf upstream. Parking, toilets and food are in town.

Exposed to the swell that sweeps in around the island; a big south-westerly makes the wall wet and the channel dirty. A light northerly and a run-in tide are ideal. Heavy rain flushes fresh water out the mouth and can push estuary fish out with it.

Waves can wash over the wall in a decent swell, and the rocks are slippery. Strong current runs through the entrance on the tide. Wear a lifejacket whenever you fish a wall or rocks that the sea can reach — a properly fitted AS 4758 lifejacket, Level 50S or greater. Do not wade or swim the entrance.

Gummy sharks, snapper, barracouta, whiting, flathead, salmon, squid and mulloway are all caught at the mouth.

The run-in tide — clean ocean water carries salmon and baitfish into the channel.

On a calm day with care. The wall gets washed in big swell and the entrance runs hard on the tide. Wear a lifejacket and stay off the rocks when the sea is up.