Stony Point Pier

Stony Point Pier sits at the end of the road on the western shore of Western Port, beside the terminal where the passenger ferries leave for French Island and Phillip Island. What sets it apart is depth: the main channel swings in close here, so a pier cast reaches water that most bay piers can only dream about. It is one of Western Port's best-known land-based spots, with squid, King George whiting, salmon, silver trevally, yelloweye mullet, flathead and snapper on the card. It is a working pier with boats coming and going, which is part of its charm and most of its noise.

Fish the run, not the slack. Regulars work the couple of hours either side of the tide change, and the top of the tide is the pick. The channel side gets heavy paternosters with fresh pilchard, squid or cut mullet for snapper and the odd gummy at night; the shallower edges get a lighter running rig with pipi or worm for KGs, which hunt the margins rather than the deep water. Soft plastics and metal lures that look like baitfish also work, and the pier holds enough food that a long cast is not always needed. Squid jigs are worked down the current rather than against it.

Snapper are the headline, with spring into early summer the time land-based anglers talk about, though fish turn up from October well into autumn. Victoria's snapper rules are a 28 cm minimum and a bag of 10, of which no more than three may be 40 cm or longer. King George whiting (27 cm, bag 20) work the edges from late spring into autumn, squid (combined bag of 10 squid, octopus and cuttlefish) are around most of the year, and salmon and silver trevally fill the gaps. Flathead are a year-round chance on the sand. Gummy sharks are a night-tide bonus — 45 cm partial length, and two gummy and/or school shark per person.

Plan the session off the BoM tide tables before the car keys come out — this pier punishes people who turn up at slack water. Pack more lead than seems reasonable; a sinker that holds on a Port Phillip pier will be swept away here on the run. Snapper and King George whiting cannot be filleted on or in Victorian waters, so keep them whole until you are off the water. Stay clear of the ferry berth and the boats manoeuvring off the ramp. Bring a head torch for night sessions — the outer pier is dark even when the terminal is lit.

Drive to the end of Stony Point Road through Crib Point; there is a large car park shared with the ferry terminal and the boat ramp, with toilets nearby and a kiosk beside the car park. Stony Point station, the end of the Stony Point train line from Frankston, is a short walk away, which makes this one of the few Western Port spots reachable by public transport. The pier deck is flat and broad. It is not the place for unsupervised young kids — the water off the edge is deep and fast — but the foreshore around the ramp is gentler for families.

Western Port's tides are the whole story. The range here is about 2.5–3 m on spring tides and still well over a metre on neaps, several times what the Port Phillip piers see, and the run through the channel is strong in both directions. A southerly or south-easterly blows straight onto the pier and makes the outer end unpleasant; a north-westerly is awkward for casting but safer. Water clarity improves on the flood. Night tides in late spring are worth the lost sleep for snapper.

Deep water and a hard-running tide sit right off the pier edge; anyone who falls in at peak run will be carried fast, so kids belong in a lifejacket (AS 4758) and adults should think about one at night. Ferries and trailer boats use the area constantly — keep lines clear of the berth and the ramp channel. The outer deck is exposed and unlit. Never wade off the foreshore here; the channel drops away quickly.

Yes. Stony Point is one of the few Western Port piers that reaches deep channel water, and snapper are caught from it, mostly from spring into early summer and often on a running night tide. Use heavy lead to hold the bottom in the current. Victoria's snapper limit is 28 cm minimum and a bag of 10, of which no more than three may be 40 cm or over, and they must be kept whole while you are on the water.

The running tide. The couple of hours either side of the change, when water is moving hard through the channel, fish far better than slack water. Stony Point is the tide station Western Port predictions are built around, so check its high and low times before you go.

Yes. Stony Point station is the end of the line from Frankston and sits a short walk from the pier, car park and ferry terminal. Services are infrequent, so check the timetable before relying on it for the trip home.

Yes — the pier sits right beside the ferry terminal, so a squid jig or a light whiting rig is an easy way to fill the wait. Keep clear of the ferry berth and its lines, and pack up in time for boarding; the squid will still be there next trip.