Waratah Bay Beach

Waratah Bay is the broad, sweeping bay between Cape Liptrap and Sandy Point, looking straight across to the peaks of Wilsons Promontory, a view good enough to forgive a slow bite. The beach in front of the small Waratah Bay settlement is the easy access point: short tracks from the car parks, a caravan park that sells bait, and no major town to compete with. The fishing story is simple: whiting hold just beyond the breakers, with flathead, salmon and gummies about too. It is a quieter, more sheltered beach than the full Bass Strait surf at Venus Bay — the bay is tucked behind Cape Liptrap — and the kind of place where a fishing session and a family beach day can happen on the same patch of sand.

Fish the incoming tide; the bay suits a lighter surf approach than the open coast: a running sinker or paternoster rig cast just past the breaking waves, where the whiting feed over the sand. Pipi, mussel and squid strip are the whiting baits; pilchard and bluebait suit salmon and flathead. With little swell, a 9–10 ft rod is plenty on most days. When waves are low, locals also launch a tinny straight off the beach — there is no boat ramp at Waratah Bay — which is worth knowing if the beach is busy with boats in summer. Gummies are a dusk and night proposition on fresh baits.

King George whiting are the target here, taken a short cast beyond the breakers, with late summer and autumn generally the strongest whiting period along this coast. Australian salmon move through in the cooler months, flathead sit on the sand year-round, and gummy shark come in close after dark. Yelloweye mullet are the usual small fish in the wash. Victorian limits: King George whiting 27 cm and 20 a day; salmon 21 cm, 20 combined with herring; flathead 27 cm; gummy shark 45 cm partial length, two a day combined with school shark.

Bait up at the Waratah Bay Caravan Park before you hit the sand. Fish the run-in tide and keep the cast modest — the whiting are just past the breakers, not on the horizon. Watch for beach-launched boats in summer and keep lines clear of them. The wider Waratah Bay coast includes Walkerville and Bear Gully in Cape Liptrap Coastal Park, where Bear Gully beach is popular for fishing and rock pooling.

Waratah Bay is reached via Fish Creek and Waratah Road. The settlement has car parks behind the dunes with very short bush and sand tracks to the beach, and public toilets near the main access. The caravan park is the only real facility in the settlement, so bring food and water. The walk from car to sand is short but soft, so it is manageable for most able-bodied anglers but not for wheelchairs. There are no fees.

The bay faces south toward the Prom, with Cape Liptrap blocking much of the westerly swell, so it is generally gentler than the open ocean beaches to the west — but high winds and strong currents still come up quickly, and a strong south-westerly or southerly still pushes in a heavy shore break. Light northerly winds and a low swell are ideal for both fishing and beach-launching. The incoming tide is the best fishing time.

The beach is not a patrolled surf club beach; the Waratah Beach Surf Life Saving Club patrols at Sandy Point to the east. High winds and strong currents can come up quickly, so do not wade out to cast and watch children closely. Beach-launched boats share the water in summer. On the rocky shore toward Walkerville and Bear Gully, the rock is slippery and swell can wash over low rock at high tide — wear grippy footwear and a lifejacket that meets AS 4758 (Level 50S or greater) whenever you fish from the rocks.

Waratah Bay is known for King George whiting just beyond the breakers, with flathead, Australian salmon and gummy shark also taken off the beach. Yelloweye mullet are common in the wash.

No. There is no boat ramp at Waratah Bay, and locals launch small boats off the beach when the waves are low. Shore anglers should keep clear of launching boats in summer.

Fish the incoming tide. Light northerly winds and a small swell make the best days, and late summer into autumn is the most reliable whiting period, while salmon are more likely in the cooler months.