Swan Bay

[Ken75]

I hear of gummy sharks, small snapper and large flathead have been taken in Swan Bay ? Can anyone confirm this and are there any boating hazards there (rocks) as I hear it is very shallow to run a boat in there ? Am I best just to anchor just outside Swan Bay with equal success??

[Trailblaze_6.1]

Hiya Ken,

Gummy sharks are caught around the mouth of the bay close to the red channel markers at night and b4 sunrise. I would only fish there on a full moon phase & on the change of tide as the tide is very strong there and weed covers the line & bait when tide is running. I personally prefer other spots close by around St Leonards or Indented Heads as i found swan bay bit hit and miss for gummies but then again weather might nnot be good to go deep so it is a good safe haven for gummies when weather is crap. Most i've got there is 2 in 1 session.

Large flathead are taken along the edges of the channel of swan bay. The snapper you do get, are pinkies and struggle to get sized ones and if you do get them, it will be in early hours of morning b4 sunrise, beter off deep for sized pinkies off St Leonards. Bit of burley will get nice sized salmon coming through the swan bay channel on pilchard baits. You also have the options just outside the mouth of catching a few leatherjackets and garfish especially with the aid of burley. I stress importance of burley there as the tide is fast! Plenty of squid just outside mouth also.

Inside the bay is quite shallow and i think is marine park last time i checked, but could be wrong.

[craigmack]

Only the Swan Bay channel is ok to fish, the rest is a marine park. The mouth is ok.

I find the fishing in this area average at best but I mainly chase whiting, they are usually too small. There are a million better snapper locations and as for gummies, I think they can be ok but I don't fish for them.

No reefs that I know about but stick to the channel and you'd be fine.

Trailblaze- I don't burley in the current at all. How do you keep it next to you??
_________________
Cheers
Craig
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You won't catch fish in your lounge room!

[chugger]

fishing for gummies is better off further back in swan bay away from entrance channel is marked with yellow markers approxmately 300 metres wide to boat ramp need to watch tides for launching as bottom around boat ramp & pier is very soft no rocks best bait i use is toadies (big ones with large teeth) clean same way as cleaning leatherjacket then use fillets best tide is runoff have fished there from 1947 had a moored boat there also till rest of bay made marine park fished for flathead last wednesday for 7 ranging from 1/2 kg to 1-1/2 kg good fishing
Chugger

[Trailblaze_6.1]

[chugger]

forgot to mention you can fish in marked channel from the entrance to the boat ramp this area is not in marine park
Chugger

[stace]

In the past there has beeen days when half the queenscliffe rec boating fleet has been crammed into the Swan bay channel near Duck Is North.
When the whiting have been going off usually late Autumn.Hasn.t been as popular the last few years, maybe the netters hit it too hard.
Still plenty of decent gummys along the channel edge and good flattys in the mouth.Thers is a liitle known channel hard up against the island that can yield gummys at night but the weed gives you the shits especially on the out goin tide. Berley is Ok but remember your fishing in the PP bay nursery.

[jb2020]

swan bay is also known for some decent tailor at times - I've caught one about 1.5kg several years ago just soaking a bait on the bottom

[chugger]

Stace how can you say that you are fishing in PPB nursery when you are outside the boundary of the marine park the pro's are allowed to net there I have seen them with nets right across the mouth taking everything have passed over them in my boat lucky because i was aware & have had a displacement hull
Chugger

[Trailblaze_6.1]