Victoria lures land-based winter anglers by Jarrod Day

Land-based fishing can be tough anywhere in Victoria, however Western Port has more positives in comparison to other waterways. It has the potential to yield big fish like those boating anglers catch.
In Western Port, a combination of location, when to fish and technique all play a part in being successful. If you can combine these factors on any given trip, you're in with a good chance at success.
FLINDERS
Flinders is the number one pier to fish for calamari from within the Port. Sure, there are whiting, pike, snook, trevally and gummy sharks available but given its location in the Port, it is a calamari-producing Mecca. Located near the southernmost entrance to Western Port, Flinders is always clean with oceanic water. The pier extends 320m from the shore, with its end depth around 4m on high tide and 2m on low tide.
The pier is such a good calamari fishery due to the extensive seaweed bed, in which calamari from offshore enter the Port during September and October to spawn. It is a year-round fishery, but catching calamari relies on fishing the prime times. Regardless of spawning calamari, a rising tide is preferred throughout the entire year, with focus on the lead up to the new and full moons. Targeting calamari doesn't change much from location to location, however versatile anglers will reap the rewards.
While squid jigs are effective, keep in mind that calamari caught from this pier are often larger in size, so a size 3.0 and 3.5 jig will be better for attracting them to the lure. If you're going to prop yourself in one spot, you can also cast out a baited jig. Baits such as silver whiting or pilchard can be threaded onto it and suspended approximately 1.5m under a float. Once cast, the bait will float with the current over the weed beds without snagging up, hopefully attracting calamari to it. While the bait is floating with the current, it is good practice to continue to cast about a squid jig.
When calamari are actively feeding, it is common to catch them using both techniques.
BALNARRING
When it comes to gummy sharks, Western Port has quite limited land-based access to reliable grounds. Despite this, prime land-based fishing areas do exist from Point Leo through to Balnarring. Most of this area is quite shallow from shore, mostly 2-3m within casting range, and if you look closely at Google Maps you'll be able to see the sand channels amongst the weed beds. It is these sand channels that gummies navigate along in search of food. Having prior knowledge of the area by doing a little research will enable you to cast into the right areas.
Gummy sharks are opportunistic feeders, meaning they will take a variety of baits and often swim off the bottom into higher water columns to take bait. Fresh calamari rings and fillet baits from trevally, salmon and yellowtail scad will get results.
When setting a gummy rig, running sinker rigs are often more effective than a paternoster. A running sinker rig consists of using a 50lb braided mainline to which a 2m length of 60lb leader is connected, and a metre length of 80lb leader containing a smaller hook set of 5/0 octopus style hooks, connected via a swivel.
Catching gummy sharks does require some knowledge of when they will be at their most active and, while they can be caught year-round, it is more favourable to fish three days before and after the full moons. During these times, the tides are larger, allowing the gummies to get closer to shore to search for food.