Fishing around Frankston

By Mark Bolger.

For many years now, many anglers have thought very little of Frankston. Scared away from fishing the area, these 'know it all' anglers don't know what they have been missing out on! Frankston has a lot to offer anglers as you'll find out through this article!

SPECIES
So what type of fish are you likely to catch? Well, that all depends on whereabouts in the district that you fish. See below for more details. Basically, most fishermen will encounter flathead, salmon, snapper, mullet, bream, garfish and whiting. On the odd occasion, you will catch 'beardies' (rock cod) and gurnard, especially around "Wooley's Reef" (See Below).

AREAS TO FISH
Here is a list of some of the better spots.

SEAFORD
Seaford has a reputation as being a strange fishing area. It is excellent for flathead due to the mainly sandy bottom. However, it is the pier, and around 'Mile Bridge' that are the most surprising areas to catch fish! All anglers that have fished on Seaford Pier will know of the water's dirty appearance. Surprisingly, some very nice snapper get caught in this water, as close as under the pier! Generally, any angler can pick up flathead and garfish off this pier.

MILE BRIDGE
This area is where the mouth of the Kannanook Creek is. Due to the creek slowly becoming cleaner over the years, some good bream are being taken near the mouth. Best baits are prawn and local shrimp. Also, some large flathead are being caught from the mouth of the creek as well.
      If you are targeting snapper, quite often they will come in very close to this creek, due to the grounds of scallop beds situated just 50 metres out from the front of the mouth.

LONG ISLAND
Long Island is the long, white sandy beach in between Frankston and Seaford. Good catches of flathead and snapper can be had in a boat by leaving the anchor up and just drifting with the tide. I normally start out in 8 meters of water, directly in between Seaford and Frankston pier, and slowly drift towards Frankston Pier.

FRANKSTON PIER
Frankston Pier, situated just 5 minutes from the Frankston CDB, has a lot to offer the junior angler or the more experienced angler. For the junior, there is the real chance of catching a flathead on whitebait, or a salmon. For the more experienced angler, there is the opportunity to catch a nice large garfish on a fresh prawn.
      Frankston Pier is similar to Seaford Pier - often you will hear about out-of-the-ordinary catches, such as barracouta, or squid! Squid are foreign to Frankston, due to the lack of suitable habitat.

A nice catch of Frankston garfish.

WOOLEY'S REEF
Wooley's Reef is a unique spot, due to the sheer change in depth and habitat. 'The Reef' as it is known locally, was formed many years ago by a large earthquake, and today is still situated on the Tyabb - Selwyn fault line.
      Wooley's Reef is known to most local fishermen as one of the best snapper and whiting fishing spots on the Peninsula. This is due to the extensive abalone and mussel beds, as well as the seagrass which adorns this lovely reef. Large clumps of 'Neptune's Necklace' and other seaweeds also grow on the reef. Salmon are also a common capture, especially when trolling lures over the shallow areas of the reefs. Caution must always be taken when fishing around the reef, as at it's shallowest it is 2 meters deep!

DAVEY'S BAY
Davey's Bay is probably the best spot for salmon fishing around Frankston. Due to the sandy bottom, which is occasionally broken by seagrass or rock, salmon love to congregate in this area, and chase the more than abundant schools of baitfish in the area. This bay is also a top spot for whiting.

MORNINGTON PIER
Mornington Pier is a good spot for all different types of fish. There are usually good bags of garfish, squid, salmon and flathead taken off this lively pier. More uncommon catches include parrotfish, barracouta, snapper and crabs, although these have all been taken occasionally in the past. Unfortunately, large numbers of the 'Northern Pacific Sea Star' have invaded the areas around Mornington pier, and they are a regular catch by anglers.

MORNINGTON - MT. ELIZA BEACHES
It is no secret to local fisherman that beaches around Mornington and Mt. Eliza provide great whiting fishing over summer. Any beach will get you a whiting. I normally fish "Fisherman's Beach" at Mornington.
      When beach fishing, I choose a day when I think there will be less swimmers in the water. This is for two reasons - for their safety, and if there are fewer swimmers, there will be a better chance of catching as fish due to less noise and splashing in the water. It doesn't really matter if it's a rough day, as whiting don't mind a bit of slop on the water.
      Before I 'beach fish', I walk to the top of the hill that surrounds "Fisherman's Beach" and I look to see where the large weed beds are. If I can place my bait as close to these as possible, it is more than likely that I can entice a nice whiting onto my line.
      Normally, I prefer to slowly motor a boat to "Fisherman's Beach" and fish from within the boat. I can get out further, and I don't have to worry about swimmers scaring away fish, or playing with my line.

PELICAN POINT
Pelican Point, to the south of Mornington, is a top spot to troll for salmon using lures. I find that late November is the best time to fish around this area. Consistent catches of fish up to 3kg are had around this time of year. Best lures are 'Wonder Wobblers' and 'Silver Wedges'. There is also a chance to pick up a barracouta in this area.

Oliver's Hill as it once was. Click for larger image.

A LITTLE FRANKSTON FISHING HISTORY
Soon after the town of Melbourne was settled, the Frankston area became sparsely populated with around 230 inhabitants.
      "Frankston: an outline of the district's early history" (Gwenyth Steel) says: "The fishing industry in Frankston particularly began with Thomas McComb, and it has continued down to the present generation - first Bruce, then Don McComb were proprietors of a boat hiring business situated on Kannanook Creek between Davey and Playne Streets until the 1960's." (Page 16)
      "In 1854 the inhabitants of Frankston were mainly fishermen who lived in tents and humpies on the foreshore, or woodcutters." (Page 25)
      "About 1852 a small settlement had formed in the sheltered cove at the foot of 'Old Man Davey's Hill', and the mouth of Sweetwater Creek; (Today it is known as Oliver's Hill) fishing and timber - cutting were the two main activities. Fish were plentiful and there was a good market in Melbourne; if not taken by boat the catch was transported to the city in a spring cart drawn by three horses; there were often 60 baskets to a load and the freight was 3/6 per load. In 1867 the Frankston Fish Company was established for the purpose of supplying Melbourne with fish from Frankston and the surrounding districts. Messrs, Thomas, and James Wren, fish dealers of Melbourne had been running a fish cart to Frankston. When they retired in 1867, they sold out to the Frankston Fish Company. Auction sales of fish were held in Melbourne market every morning to supply dealers from all parts of the city and suburbs. The Frankston Fish Company consisted of Henry Prosser, James Croskell, John Dixon Box, Phillip Renouf and Thomas Ritchie, trading under the name of Croskell, Ritchie and Company. The firm's Melbourne office was in the fish market. The fishing industry declined, but right up to the 1940's local fishermen had their stands at street corners where they sold fish fresh from the sea to the townspeople." (Page 28)

Frankston and District has a lot to offer an angler, so next time you are thinking of having a fish, why not give this area a try? There are several tackle outlets, boat hire moorings, and take-away shops and restaurants to make a great day of it!