Anderson Inlet Jetty (Venus Bay)

Venus Bay has two faces: the long Bass Strait surf on one side of town and the quiet southern shore of Anderson Inlet on the other. The Anderson Inlet Jetty is the inlet side — a small L-shaped floating pontoon beside the boat ramp at the end of Fishermans Road, built with fishing-licence money, with the Fishermans Jetty Reserve behind it and the Venus Bay Angling Club's shed just up the road. When the surf beaches are blown out, this is where Venus Bay goes fishing. The inlet holds the same mix as the Inverloch side across the water — King George whiting, flathead, mullet and silver trevally, with salmon pushing in through the cooler months — in water that never sees a wave bigger than a wind chop.

Fish the tide, not the clock. The inlet in front of the jetty is shallow, with a soft, fine-silt bottom, so the run-in and the top of the tide are when fish come within casting range. A light running sinker or paternoster rig with a small long-shank hook baited with pipi, mussel, squid strip or bluebait covers whiting, mullet and trevally. Flathead sit on the edges of the boat channel and take a pilchard strip or a small soft plastic worked slowly along the bottom. In winter, a small metal slug cast across the channel can turn up salmon. Keep the session short and sharp around high water — at low tide the flats in front of the jetty can be close to dry.

Whiting, flathead, yelloweye mullet and silver trevally are the realistic jetty catches, with salmon in the cooler months. Bigger fish such as gummies and pinkies are more of an Anderson Inlet boat proposition than a jetty one. Victorian limits: King George whiting 27 cm and 20 a day; flathead 27 cm with a combined 20; salmon 21 cm, 20 combined with herring; silver trevally 20 cm; mullet no minimum with a combined 40. Rays cannot be taken within 400 m of a jetty, so any ray hooked here goes back.

Check the tide before driving down — a session timed for the bottom of the tide is mostly a view. Pipis gathered on the Venus Bay surf beaches make good whiting bait, but the local limit is tight: 2 litres whole or 0.5 litres shucked, by hand only. Cast nets are illegal in Victoria. Keep lines clear of boats using the ramp and channel, and bring a bucket for the kids — this is the calm-water option in a town known for rips.

Follow Fishermans Road to its end at the Anderson Inlet boat ramp, where there is parking beside the reserve and the pontoon is a few steps from the car down an aluminium gangway. The gangway is gentle at high tide and steeper at low tide, so this is the most manageable fishing spot in Venus Bay for kids, and for less mobile anglers around the top of the tide, though facilities at the ramp are basic — bring water and shade. The Venus Bay shops are a short drive away. There are no fees.

Sheltered from the ocean swell, the jetty fishes on days when the surf beaches are unfishable. Wind is the limiting factor: a strong westerly or north-westerly blows across the inlet and stirs up the fine silt, while light winds and clean water are best for whiting. The boat channel here is shallow and only usable by small boats at favourable tides, which tells you how much the tide controls the fishing — big high tides are the days to come.

Low risk by local standards, but the soft silt flats are boggy at low tide — do not walk out after fish on a falling tide, as the water returns quickly and the mud can hold a boot. Watch for cars and trailers at the ramp, supervise children at the jetty edge, and wear sun protection; there is little shade. Wind can build quickly across the inlet in the afternoon, so carry a jacket.

Yes. The Anderson Inlet Jetty, a small floating pontoon, sits beside the boat ramp at the end of Fishermans Road, on the inlet side of Venus Bay. It is a small public jetty suited to calm-water fishing for whiting, flathead, mullet and trevally.

Fish the incoming tide and the hours around high water. The inlet in front of the jetty is shallow with a fine-silt bottom, and at low tide it can be close to dry.

Pipi, mussel, squid strip and bluebait on small long-shank hooks for whiting, mullet and trevally; pilchard strips or small soft plastics for flathead. If you collect pipis at Venus Bay, the limit is 2 litres whole or 0.5 litres shucked, by hand only.