13th Beach
Summary for 18 Oct 2026
Bite Compass is showing a medium fish activity bite score on 18 Oct 2026. Wind is around NE at 10 km/h. Solunar feeding windows are listed below.
Feeding Windows
Local Knowledge
Thirteenth Beach runs west from the Barwon Heads bluff towards Breamlea, a long stretch of open surf that locals treat as the area's salmon beach, especially in the colder months. Surfers know its breaks by name — the Corner, Beacon, Cylinders, the Hole — and anglers use the same features to find the gutters. After dark, surf mulloway and gummy sharks turn up along this coast from Point Lonsdale to 13th Beach. The golf links behind the dunes mean you are rarely the only person out here losing gear to the wind.
Walk the beach at low tide to find the gutters, then fish them on the rising tide; the surfers have named every break here, so at least the gutters come with labels. Spin 25–40 g metals through the wash for salmon, or soak blue bait, pilchard or squid on a paternoster. For gummies and mulloway, fish fresh salmon fillet, squid or squid heads into the deepest gutter at night over the high tide.
Salmon are the main catch, with gummy sharks and occasional mulloway at night. Salmon 21 cm and 20 combined with Australian herring; gummy shark 45 cm partial length and 2 combined with school shark (kept whole or as a carcass until off the water). Mulloway are 60 cm minimum, bag 5 (changes have been proposed — check the VFA guide).
Hooded plovers nest on this beach — respect any fenced nesting areas and keep below the high-tide line. Facilities and beach-access stairs change with storm damage; check Barwon Coast notices before you go. The Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary covers the reef and rock platform at the bluff beside the river mouth — all fishing and bait collection are banned inside it, so don't wander out onto the bluff platform with a rod. The beach in front of the Barwon Heads 13th Beach surf club is patrolled in summer — fish well away from the flags.
Access & Conditions
Access is from car parks along the coast road, with beach-access stairways (storms close them from time to time). The surf-break names double as car-park landmarks, so "meet at Cylinders" works. Stairs and sand mean no wheelchair access to the beach.
Open to Bass Strait and the south-westerly swell. A moderate swell builds gutters; a big swell makes the beach dangerous and unfishable. Northerly winds are offshore. Dawn, dusk and the top of the tide fish best.
Rough surf and dangerous currents — never wade out to cast, and watch for sets. Beach access stairs may be closed after storms. Wear a lifejacket on any rock you fish from (AS 4758 level 50S or greater, children Level 100 or greater). Barwon Bluff has had recent rockfalls — keep clear of the cliff base at the eastern end, and don't get caught below the bluff on a rising tide; there is no safe access there at higher tides.
Gear & Rigs
An 11–12 ft surf rod for distance on the long open stretches, a 4000–6000 reel and 20–30 lb braid to a mono leader. 25–40 g metals for salmon. A paternoster with 1/0–3/0 hooks. Heavier 5/0–8/0 rigs with fresh bait for gummies and mulloway, with 4–6 oz sinkers.
Seasons
Salmon peak through the colder months, from autumn into early spring. Gummies are an after-dark option all year, on warm summer nights and in the winter gutters, where they often turn up with the salmon. Mulloway are an occasional catch at night, mostly over the high tide. When a Barwon Heads angler says they're off to the beach in July, this is the beach and salmon are the reason.
If This Spot's Blown Out
Frequently Asked
Yes — it is the area's salmon surf beach, especially in the colder months, with gummy sharks and the odd mulloway at night.
No. The bluff platform at the eastern end of 13th Beach is in the Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary, where all fishing is banned.
Autumn into early spring, on a rising tide at dawn or dusk; metals or blue bait in the gutters.