Yarra River (Anderson Street Landing)

Below Dights Falls the Yarra runs slow and tidal through the middle of Melbourne, and this section is under-fished with good access. Saltwater pushes a long way upstream, carrying black bream, sea mullet, flathead, pinkies, salmon, trevally and mulloway — mulloway to 20 kg have been recorded — into the heart of the city. The Anderson Street landing, on the south bank beside the Main Yarra Trail, is a purpose-built riverside platform that makes a handy base. The rowing sheds are a kilometre or so downstream and the Botanic Gardens are behind you, so a quiet session here comes with better landscaping than most.

Bream are the main target and bass yabbies are the best bait — fish them unweighted or on a tiny running sinker close to the bank edges and any snags. Soft plastics and small hard-bodies cast tight to the walls and fallen timber work for lure anglers. A float with dough or bread and a little berley brings mullet in. Mulloway hunters fish bigger live or fresh baits after dark on the tide change, and patience is the main ingredient. Rowing coaches with megaphones are a local hazard; the bream seem to find them motivating.

Black bream (28 cm, bag 10) are the steady catch, with good fish in the cooler months. Mullet are always about (no minimum, combined bag 40). Flathead, silver trevally and salmon move up from the bay in the warmer months or after the river has flushed. Mulloway are the trophy: 60 cm minimum, bag of 5 (changes have been proposed — check the VFA guide).

Better Health and EPA Victoria publish eating advice for the lower Yarra and Maribyrnong because of PCBs: women of childbearing age and children under 16 should eat no more than one 150 g serve of fish a month and no eels, and everyone else no more than four serves of fish and one of eel a month. Fishing is permitted along the banks through the city to the river mouth, but there are restrictions at North Wharf and other wharves — fish the open banks and public landings, not commercial berths. Traffic includes rowers and river-cruise boats, so cast between them, not across them. Fishing the CBD's river is the one commute in Melbourne that improves with traffic on the water.

The landing sits on the south bank at the bottom of Anderson Street, South Yarra, on the Capital City Trail / Main Yarra Trail, with the Royal Botanic Gardens and Kings Domain close by. Street parking nearby is limited and often time-restricted. Paths are sealed and flat, and the landing is a calm, level platform.

The river is sheltered from the bay, so wind is rarely the problem — tide and rain are. A run-in tide pushes salty water and fish upstream; heavy rain turns the river into a brown torrent for several days and the fishing drops off until it clears. Warm, settled spells with a good tide range are the windows. Night sessions are popular for mulloway.

The banks drop straight into deep, cold, murky water with strong flows after rain — never fish the edge after heavy rain, and keep kids well back. The shared trail carries fast cyclists. River traffic includes rowing eights that move quietly and quickly; give them room. Lighting is patchy at night, so bring a headlamp and fish with a mate.

Yes. Fishing is permitted along the banks through the city to the river mouth, with some restrictions at North Wharf and other wharves — fish the open banks and public landings.

Black bream, sea mullet, flathead, pinky snapper, mulloway to 20 kg, Australian salmon and trevally all live in the saline lower reaches below Dights Falls. Bass yabbies are the pick of baits for bream.

Better Health and EPA Victoria publish eating advice for the lower Yarra and Maribyrnong because of PCBs: women of childbearing age and children under 16 should eat no more than one 150 g serve of fish a month and no eels, and everyone else no more than four serves of fish and one of eel a month. Choose smaller legal fish, remove the skin and fat, and grill or bake them.