Fishing Lakes Entrance
General fishing in Lakes Entrance is dominated by the constant tidal flushing through the man-made entrance channels. This powerful water movement creates a dynamic environment rich in baitfish and hungry estuarine predators. The mix of oceanic and lake waters ensures a year-round fishery with distinct seasonal migrations of snapper and salmon.
Land-based anglers are spoilt for choice with extensive wharves, boardwalks, and pristine surf beaches located right in town. Fishing the Cunninghame Arm structures yields massive black bream and silver trevally for those using finesse techniques. The spectacular surf beaches stretching along the coastline offer unparalleled shore-based access to migrating schools of Australian salmon.
Offshore and boat fishing from Lakes Entrance serves as a premier launching pad to explore both the sprawling lakes and the deep ocean. Crossing the maintained coastal bar provides access to rich offshore reefs loaded with snapper, gummy sharks, and yellowtail kingfish. Inside the system, boaters can safely navigate endless channels and sand flats targeting trophy dusky flathead and mulloway.
Top 10 Species
Landbased
- Cunninghame Arm Wharves: Cunninghame Arm Wharves provide premium shore-based access right in the centre of town for catching massive black bream. Fishing these pylons during a rising tide with a light fluorocarbon leader is the key to deceiving wary fish. Dropping lightly weighted crab imitations or unweighted local prawns vertically down the structure yields the best results.
- Eastern Beach Surf: Eastern Beach Surf is a phenomenal land-based location for anglers casting metal slugs into the deep oceanic gutters. You should target the high tide change on a calm morning to encounter the largest schools of Australian salmon. A twelve foot surf rod paired with a heavy paternoster rig and bluebait is also deadly for gummy sharks here.
- Kalimna Jetty: Kalimna Jetty offers a fantastic elevated platform for land-based fishers wanting to target silver trevally and tailor. Fishing the run-out tide when the current is flowing strongly provides the optimal bite window. A simple float rig baited with small pieces of pilchard or sandworm will keep you constantly hooked up.
- The Footbridge: The Footbridge is an iconic local structure where families can easily wet a line for whiting and flathead. Fishing the shallow sandy patches near the bridge on a high tide brings the fish right into casting range. Using a light spinning setup with a running sinker and fresh pipis is a guaranteed way to catch dinner.
- Bullock Island Boardwalk: Bullock Island Boardwalk provides fantastic deep water access for shore-based anglers hoping to intercept a passing mulloway. You will find the best success fishing this channel during the quiet hours of the night on a slack tide. Soaking a live mullet or large squid head on heavy tackle is absolutely essential to stop these powerful predators.
Offshore
- The Pipes Offshore Reef: The Pipes Offshore Reef is a legendary snapper ground located in fifty metres of water west of the entrance. Boaters must cross the Lakes Entrance bar safely on a calm day to reach this highly productive area. Anchoring and establishing a heavy berley trail while dropping fresh squid baits will attract massive schools of pinkies and snapper.
- Six-Mile Reef: Six-Mile Reef offers incredible offshore bottom fishing for gummy sharks and tiger flathead over broken ground. Anglers should fish this mark on a moving tide to ensure their scent trail disperses widely. A standard paternoster rig dropped straight to the bottom with oily fish fillets will consistently catch quality table fish.
- North Arm Drop-offs: North Arm Drop-offs act as a major highway for estuarine predators moving through the lakes system. You should drift along these steep underwater ledges during the peak tidal flow to locate feeding fish. Casting heavily weighted soft plastics down the face of the drop-off is the best way to hook large flathead.
- Flannigans Island Weed Beds: Flannigans Island Weed Beds are expansive submerged structures where boaters can target large luderick and bream. Anchoring silently near the edge of the weed on a high tide is the best strategy for this area. Suspending weed baits under a delicate float rig will entice aggressive strikes from schooling luderick.
- Barrier Landing Channels: Barrier Landing Channels provide deep protected waters where boat anglers can target silver trevally and king george whiting. Fishing these channels during a neap tide ensures your bait stays exactly where you want it. Dropping a lightly weighted paternoster rig baited with fresh bass yabbies will produce constant action.
Hot Spots
- The Entrance Channel rocks: The Entrance Channel rocks provide an excellent vantage point to cast slugs for tailor on a rising tide.
- Fraser Island sand flats: Fraser Island sand flats offer superb sight-casting opportunities for cruising whiting during the summer months.
- Rigby Island drop-offs: Rigby Island drop-offs are a prime location for drifting live mullet to target massive dusky flathead.
- Hopetoun Channel Drop: Hopetoun Channel Drop features steep underwater ledges that hold massive schools of silver trevally.
- Cunninghame Arm Shallows: Cunninghame Arm Shallows provide sheltered waters perfect for pitching small unweighted baits to black bream.
Local Bait Tips
- Sandworms: Sandworms are a highly effective local bait that can be pulled from the surf beaches using a piece of pipi. You must collect these worms completely by hand to comply with Victorian regulations which strictly forbid the use of cast nets.
- Bass Yabbies: Bass yabbies can be hand-pumped from the exposed estuarine mudflats inside the lakes during a low tide. This manual harvesting method perfectly aligns with Victorian rules that ban cast nets and enforce strict daily limits.
- Sand Crabs: Sand crabs are easily gathered by hand amongst the shallow weed beds during a running out tide. Collecting these crabs must be done manually without prohibited cast nets while adhering to all Victorian catch limits.
Boat Ramps
- North Arm Boat Ramp (Bullock Island):
North Arm Boat Ramp (Bullock Island): Located on Bullock Island Road on Bullock Island in Lakes Entrance, this facility provides access to the North Arm of the Gippsland Lakes and Bass Strait. It features a concrete ramp and concrete turning apron that was fully replaced during major structural upgrades, though its specific lane configuration is not mentioned. Staging and boarding are facilitated by a floating pontoon with an all-abilities gangway on the western side of the ramp and a fixed eastern jetty. The eastern jetty also hosts a relocated heavy-duty game fishing gantry and weigh station closer to the water. Boaters face hazards such as strong tidal currents and shifting sand in the area, and must observe structural overhead limits including the Bullock Island Bridge (clearance of 1.9m or 8.4m) and the Lakes Entrance North Arm Bridge (clearance of 6.5m or 15.2m).
- Apex Park Boat Ramp:
Apex Park Boat Ramp: Located at Apex Park, at the corner of Princes Highway and Marine Parade in Lakes Entrance, this facility sits on the Cunninghame Arm of the Gippsland Lakes. The concrete ramp is under redevelopment and its exact lane configuration is not specified. Staging is supported by an accessible, all-abilities floating pontoon jetty. Because of its close proximity to the Lakes Entrance ocean entrance, boaters face strong tidal currents, bar-crossing hazards, and localized shoaling. Additionally, vertical clearance is restricted by the Cunninghame Arm Footbridge, which has a height limit of 2.8 metres.
- Marine Parade Foreshore Boat Ramp:
Marine Parade Foreshore Boat Ramp: This facility is located at 245 Marine Parade in Lakes Entrance on the Cunninghame Arm of the Gippsland Lakes. Its concrete construction has an unspecified lane configuration. Boarding is assisted by a dedicated boarding jetty. The facility is highly tidal and is subject to strong currents due to its close proximity to the permanently maintained ocean access channel at Lakes Entrance, and navigation is limited by the Cunninghame Arm Footbridge which has a clearance of 2.8 metres.
- Esplanade Foreshore Boat Ramp:
Esplanade Foreshore Boat Ramp: Situated along the Esplanade in Lakes Entrance, this concrete facility provides access to the Cunninghame Arm of the Gippsland Lakes, though its lane configuration is not specified. Boarding is supported by a boarding jetty. The ramp is subject to strong tidal influences and is located very close to the dangerous ocean bar at Lakes Entrance, with vertical transit limited by the clearances of Cunninghame Arm.
Bait and Tackle
- LAKES ENTRANCE TACKLE WORLD & OUTDOORS: 545 Esplanade, Lakes Entrance VIC 3909 | Phone: (03) 5155 1744
- EAST END BAIT TACKLE: 577 The Esplanade, Lakes Entrance VIC 3909 | Phone: (03) 5155 1593
- RIVIERA BAIT SUPPLIES: 243 Esplanade, Lakes Entrance VIC 3909 | Phone: (03) 5155 2263
Basecamp & Accom
- Eastern Beach Tourist Park | 42 Eastern Beach Road, Lakes Entrance VIC 3909 | 03 5155 1581
- NRMA Lakes Entrance Holiday Park | 43 Palmers Road, Lakes Entrance VIC 3909 | 03 5155 1222
- Lakes Entrance Riverview Caravan Park | 33 Marine Parade, Lakes Entrance VIC 3909 | 03 5155 1736
Emergency & Safety
- Emergency: 000 | Lakes Entrance Coast Guard, Bullock Island, Lakes Entrance VIC 3909, VHF Channel 16
