Ferguson Street Pier Fishing – Awesome At 7.5 Km From CBD

Ferguson Street Pier is close to the city of Melbourne, which means it can get a bit crowded during the peak season of warmer summer weather.

However, during the week and cooler weather, it can be a great spot to attract fewer people.

It is a great pier for targeting flathead and bream on soft plastics!

I’ve seen a lot of kids targeting mullet and garfish over the years.

Ferguson Street Pier Fishing Overview

Ferguson Street Pier is close to the city of Melbourne, which means it can get a bit crowded during the peak season of warmer summer weather.

However, during the week and cooler weather, it can be a great spot to attract fewer people.

It is a great pier for targeting flathead and bream on soft plastics!

I’ve seen a lot of kids targeting mullet and garfish over the years.

But don’t be fooled by kids catching mullet and gars.

Some sizeable snapper and even gummy sharks are caught from this pier!

Squid and garfish enthusiasts can often be seen at this Pier too.

Catches also include good numbers of black bream and a healthy flathead population.

Plus – schools of Australian Salmon move in and bust up from time to time.

Ferguson Street Pier Fishing – Fish Species

Fish Species	Quick Info
Australian Salmon Arripis trutta	Common for schools to move through, chopping up the water before moving on. Can be common during cooler months. Bait: Bluebait, Chicken Breast, Flathead Fillets, Mullet Fillets, Mussels, Pilchards, Pipis, Prawns, Sandworms, Squid Hoods, Squid Tentacles, Whitebait, Whiting Fillets
Snapper Mugilidae sp	Much more prevalent during warmer months. This name applies to juvenile specimens of Snapper. Bait: Bluebait, Chicken Breast, Flathead Fillets, Mullet Fillets, Mussels, Pilchards, Pipis, Prawns, Sandworms, Squid Hoods, Squid Tentacles, Whitebait, Whiting Fillets
Pinky Snapper (Juvenile Snapper) Mugilidae sp	Much more prevalent during warmer months. This name applies to juvenile specimens of Snapper. Bait: Bluebait, Chicken Breast, Flathead Fillets, Mullet Fillets, Mussels, Pilchards, Pipis, Prawns, Sandworms, Squid Hoods, Squid Tentacles, Whitebait, Whiting Fillets
Garfish Hemiramphidae sp	Bait: Maggots, Whitebait or Bluebait Pieces, Bread Doung, Pipies, Prawn, Squid pieces, Sand worm.
Flathead Platycephalus sp	But much more prevalent during warmer months.. Bait: Bluebait, Chicken Breast, Flathead Fillets, Mullet Fillets, Mussels, Pilchards, Pipis, Prawns, Sandworms, Squid Tentacles, Whitebait, Whiting Fillets
Mullet Mugilidae sp	Can sometimes be the only game in town during cooler weather. Bait: luebait, Chicken Breast, Earthworms, Mussels, Pilchards, Pipis, Prawns, Squid Tentacles
Southern Black Bream Acanthopagrus butcheri	Can become less active during Winter. Activity picking up in late August. Active during warmer months. Bait: Bluebait, Chicken Breast, Crabs, Earthworms, Mussels, Pilchards, Pipis, Prawns, Sandworms, Whitebait
Calamari Sepioteuthis australis	Known commonly as Squid or Calamari. Best fished when waters are clear with little turbulence. Top times can be during June to September. Bait: Fish mounted on squid bait jigs

Ferguson Street Pier Fishing Bait & Tackle Choices

I’d recommend no more than a 9foot spinning rod.

Keep your mainline and leader a little lighter – no more than 10lb in my opinion (3 to 6lb for Garfish and Mullet.)

Perhaps with a slightly heavier leader for larger species like flathead, pinkies and snapper.

As far as baits go – Port Phillip Bay staples like Pillies (pilchards), squid and even chicken are common choices.

While including prawns, fresh or frozen, always makes sense.

I’d choose either a paternoster or a running sinker rig when fishing Ferguson Street Pier.

I’d tend to keep the hook size down, too. A smaller flathead or a whiting rig would be ideal.

With soft plastics, paddle tails are a common choice. Accounting for some nice flathead fairly regularly.

My choice would be a motor oil colour. These seem to work well in so many spots when land-based fishing around Melbourne.

As always I can’t emphasize the use of berley highly enough. Enough to attract the fish to you, reducing casting distances as a result.

On top of that – try some of the excellent rub-on scents that are available. Both on lures and bait!

Note that only two fishing lines are permitted per angler.

Ferguson St Pier Review Summary

Gotta love the bream when fishing at Ferguson Street Pier in Williamstown.

Certainly worth a visit for that alone.

There are usually pinkies during the warmer months.

As well as squid and flathead throughout the year.