Fantastic Flinders

Written by John Cahill.

Appears courtesy of South East and West Fishing magazine.

Located right at the Western Entrance to Western Port, Flinders offers the visiting angler some amazing opportunities and variety within a short distance. What this location lacks however is good access to boat launching facilities for the average boatie. I have been fishing Flinders land based, by boat and by kayak for some time and am amazed by its regular spectacular captures. There are two basic reasons that the fishing can be so good – the close proximity to the productive offshore waters of Bass Straight and the area is not fished that heavily due to the poor launch facilities and long haul from the other good ramps on the port – for those that make the effort however, it is well worth it.

During holiday periods the Flinders pier will get very busy and to secure a good spot you need to get there early.

The facilities

Flinders has limited trailer parking and only has a sand ramp which is a relatively hard packed sand base. A 4 X 4 is usually not required unless retrieving a larger trailer boat although some two wheel drive vehicles do get stuck on the final soft sand section up to the road way. The ramp itself is a very shallow gradient that usually requires getting your car somewhat in the drink however some ingenuous regular visitors have engineered a variety of long draw bars and winch systems to avoid this. Large boats do not belong on the Flinders ramp although I have seen 6.5 meter boats launched there by competent crew who weren’t afraid of getting wet. If Flinders had decent facilities it would be one of the busiest on the port however this ramp is really the domain of small tinnies and kayaks – larger boats are better off taking the longer run from the excellent Hastings, Stony Point or Cowes ramps to fish the area. A word of warning about launching from Flinders – if an easterly wind is blowing or forecast or a south easterly swell is running you should exercise caution as no shelter is available from those directions and significant waves can break at Flinders in those conditions.

Dave 'the salmon king' O'Brien shows how big those Flinders pier callamari can get!

Flinders land based

The Flinders Pier is a significant structure that is very popular during holiday periods or when the squid are running. Usually there will be someone on the pier regardless of the time or conditions. This platform takes the shore based angler into 4 – 6 meters of water that is surrounded by weed beds and reef in close proximity to the Western Entrance. Whilst a variety of species such as king george and grass whiting, barracouta, trevally and leather jacket can be caught here, it is the large calamari that makes it famous. Every year excellent numbers of squid in the 2 to 3.5 kilogram bracket are caught usually on skewer style prongs baited with silver whiting or tommy ruff, for some reason these out fish artificial jigs in this area. An issue for anglers is hauling these squid up onto the pier and you will see a variety of long handle nets, drop nets and gaffs that all get the job done.

The moored boats, weed beds and pier at Flinders provide a great environment for fish and squid.

As well as the pier, the Shoreham, Point Leo, Merricks, Balnarring and Somers beaches provide great access to some awesome sheltered beaches where with a decent surf rod casts can be made to some very productive water for gummy, school and seven gill sharks or in closer for the whiting. It is best to visit these beaches during the day to establish where the reef is located so you can avoid the loss of a significant amount of tackle. Oily baits such as tuna fillet, salmon and trevally work well here on a rising tide at night for the sharks. A search on Google Earth will assist locating these areas’s of sand in between the reef.

Launching at Flinders on a dead low will mean you need to get you or your car wet - probably both!

By boat

The grounds wide of Flinders are extremely productive and options abound. This end of the port is extremely tidal and open to the ocean so all care needs to be taken. It is this end of the port where ‘typical Westernport gear’ is required with sturdy seven foot rods, overhead reels like Charter Specials and gel spun lines are required as well as sinkers up to 20 ounce to ensure you are holding bottom when the tide is pumping – sometimes it is only effectively fishable for two hours either side of a tide change depending upon the size of the tides. Salmon are regularly caught out from Flinders especially around the break at West Head and over towards Cat Bay against Phillip Island. Trolling small octopus skirts and hard body lures until a school is located is a good approach – then it is best to cast either soft plastic and metal slices into the school. Snapper and gummy sharks are regularly taken in the fast flowing waters at the bottom of the Port. Excellent area’s include the edges of the Main Channel on the mainland or Phillip Island side however ensure you do not anchor in the channel or your risk a fine or worse.

A nice eating size gummy from 30 meters of water between Seal Rock and the Fairway Buoy.

For the angler looking for that something different, Seal Rocks will always provide some variety and bottom bouncing will produce a range of species not all are desirable however. Trolling larger lures, live-baiting or setting a berley trail in this area may result in some incredible captures as some oceanic speedsters regularly frequent this area such as kingfish, thresher and mako sharks. Drifting to the south of Seal Rocks can result in a mixed bag from the bottom such as tiger and sand flathead, gummy sharks and gurnard. If exploring this area it is vital to assess the swell running and avoid the area if conditions are not suitable including an outgoing tide with a southerly swell. The water can get quite shallow between the Nobbies and Seal Rock and the sea can stand up significantly if conditions are poor.

Across from Seal Rock is the Fairway Buoy area which every year results in some significant captures of both snapper and gummys. This area is well known as an early season snapper area as fish school up as they enter the port.

In close

The area from Flinders down to Balnarring is an excellent area to explore by small boat or kayak. In close to the shore the effect of the strong Westernport tides are not as prevalent and the species that can be targeted in this area are some of the most desirable on the port such as jumbo calamari and the kidney slapping king george whiting. This water is interspersed with shallow reefs and weed beds that are obvious when on the water and can be negotiated safely. The waters in this area are relatively protected from the winds and swell via the shallow Middle Bank. As the tide slows – those fishing this area often push into slightly deeper water where some truly huge whiting are caught although usually not in numbers. Boat operators are reminded of the danger of crossing the Middle Bank as it is shallow and waves break their in all condition – go around it.

Regardless of what vessel you own, or if you are land based give Flinders a go as the rewards can be spectacular.

Looking out to Phillip Island from Flinders on a dead low tide.