Tooradin, VIC

Fishing Tooradin

Top 10 Species

Landbased

• TOORADIN BOARDWALK & FOOTBRIDGE: Positioned along the main inlet near town, this public walking platform offers easy shore casting over tidal mudflats. Deploy light spin rods with running sinker rigs baited with live nippers or peeled prawns on small hooks. Flood tides bring black bream, yellow-eye mullet, and juvenile flathead through the channel.
• TOORADIN CREEK BANK: Wading or walking the grassy banks upstream of the highway provides access to quiet bream holes. Cast unweighted peeled prawns or small soft plastic paddle tails into shaded overhanging mangroves. Early morning high tides produce quality black bream and estuary perch during spring months.
• BRIDGE POOL HOLE: The deep scour hole located directly under the South Gippsland Highway bridge holds fish through all tide cycles. Lower weighted paternoster rigs baited with fresh squid strips or live shrimp directly into the moving current. Black bream and silver trevally feed here during tidal transitions.
• INLET CHANNEL MOUTH: Accessing the muddy point near the airfield gives casters a shot at fish entering the inlet from Western Port. Deploy medium surf rods with running sinkers and pilchard chunks out into the deeper channel. Rising tides bring flathead, salmon, and seasonal elephant fish within casting range.
• MEMORIAL PARK FORESHORE: The manicured park edge near the boat ramp provides comfortable bank access for families and casual fishos. Set light light-tackle rigs carrying small long-shank hooks baited with dough or pipis under a float. Yellow-eye mullet and garfish swarm this area during calm high tide conditions.

Offshore

• TOORADIN OUTER CHANNEL: The main marked drainage channel running south toward the open bay holds three to four meters of depth at high water. Anchor securely along the channel mud edges on an incoming tide and set a pilchard burley trail. Soaking whole squid or pilchard fillets yields gummy sharks and school snapper.
• BLIND BIGHT JUNCTION: Where the Tooradin drain meets the Rutherford Inlet channel creates strong tidal swirls and deep feeding pockets. Drift small two-inch grub soft plastics or live nippers along the channel drop-offs for flathead and bream. Fishing the first two hours of the flood tide delivers peak strike rates.
• NORTHERN MUD DRAIN: Shallow secondary channels cut through the mudflats north of Chinaman Island, filling rapidly on flood tides. Small boats and kayaks position up-current and cast small soft plastic swimbaits along the shallow mud edges. Quality dusky flathead and king george whiting forage in these warm shallow waters.
• HASTINGS CHANNEL FEED: Anchoring where the deep water intersects the northern arm mudflats provides prime predator action. Set heavy running sinker setups with fresh squid frames or salmon heads during late afternoon flood tides. Large gummy sharks and autumn elephant fish move out of the bay depths to feed here.
• TOORADIN MOUTH SPIT: The shallow gravel spit guarding the inlet entrance concentrates baitfish as water drains from the upper mangroves. Position your boat in two meters depth and cast light spin gear baited with fresh prawns into the current seam. Flathead, whiting, and silver trevally feed aggressively along this edge.

Hot Spots

• TOORADIN BOARDWALK: Premier shore access spot delivering consistent black bream and mullet on flood tides.
• CREEK MOUTH BEND: Deep channel turn producing dusky flathead and bream for lure casters.
• OUTER CHANNEL MARKER: Marked channel edge yielding seasonal elephant fish and gummy sharks.
• HIGHWAY BRIDGE DEEP: Scour hole offering sheltered fishing for bream and silver trevally.
• MEMORIAL PARK BANK: Family-friendly shore spot ideal for yellow-eye mullet and garfish.

Local Bait Tips

• SALTWATER NIPPERS: Pumped from muddy intertidal sandbanks around Tooradin channel using a hand-operated suction pump. Victorian regulations restrict harvest to a strict limit of 100 nippers per person daily.
• BEACH WORMS: Harvested along low tide sand margins using a scent bag to draw worms to the surface before manual collection. Victorian regulations enforce a maximum daily limit of 0.5 litres of worms per person.
• PIPIS: Collected along sandy high-water edges by hand. Victorian regulations enforce a maximum daily limit of 5 litres of whole pipis per person, collected strictly without tools or shovels.

Boat Ramps

• Tooradin Boat Ramp:

  Located in the Tooradin Foreshore Reserve off the South Gippsland Highway, this facility provides direct launching access into Sawtells Inlet. The ramp infrastructure consists of a three-lane concrete ramp constructed with a herringbone surface pattern to provide enhanced vehicle traction, capable of launching boats up to 8 metres in length. For staging and boarding, the site features two floating pontoons alongside the adjacent Tooradin Jetty. Navigational and tidal hazards are significant; Sawtells Inlet is extremely shallow and highly tide-dependent, making the ramp short and historically prone to low-tide shoaling where launching vehicles risk backing off the physical end of the concrete slab into a steep underwater drop-off.

Bait and Tackle

• TACKLE WORLD CRANBOURNE: 203 S Gippsland Hwy, Cranbourne VIC 3977 | Phone: (03) 5996 6500
• COMPLEAT ANGLER DANDENONG: 241-243 Princes Highway, Dandenong VIC 3175 | Phone: (03) 9794 9397

Basecamp & Accom

• Tooradin Caravan Park: 1845 S Gippsland Hwy, Tooradin VIC 3980 - Ph: (03) 5998 3334
• Tooradin Sports Club Motel: 80 S Gippsland Hwy, Tooradin VIC 3980 - Ph: (03) 5998 3226

Emergency & Safety

• Emergency Services: Dial 000
• Marine Rescue: Coast Guard Western Port (VF4), Western Port Marina, Hastings VIC 3915 - Ph: (03) 5979 3322
• Radio & Safety: VHF Ch 16/67. Watch tidal heights carefully; ramp channel dries out completely at low tide.