The Barwon Heads area offers probably the most diverse fishing experiences in the Geelong region. The town was built on its good fishing and hunting. As its name suggests Barwon Heads is the head of the Barwon River that stretches to the Otways rain forests.
The Barwon River at Barwon Heads is salt water, as it comes from the salty lake Connewarre, which becomes freshwater up stream near Leopold and stretches south westerly through the Geelong region to the Otways.
Mullaways are the prized catch of this region of the Barwon, these huge fish are usually caught during the winter upstream about a kilometre or two from the bridge. Downstream of the bridge the Barwon Heads jetty is a popular spot for catching whiting, snapper and mullet.
Fishing is also very popular out to sea, with many fisherman heading out out from the Heads catch various species of shark including blue sharks, mako sharks and thrasher sharks. Large snapper,ugly frog faces flathead, the fierce barracoutta and pike are also popular as are salmon and squid.
The beautiful sandy beaches to the South West of the Bluff offer fishermen good catches of salmon, silver trevally and good size luderick.
There is a good boat ramp at Barwon Heads but it is on the lake side of the Bridge and may be too low for larger vessels. The river is also tidal so it is important to check that your boat will fit under the Barwon Heads Bridge, many a vessel has gone under the bridge but not been able to return when the tide has changed. Barwon Heads offers quite a few places to purchase bait, fishing licenses and fishing gear.
Recently the state government has opened a new multi use fishing facility at Barwon Heads which is hoped will improve access to the river for shore based anglers fishing for whiting, mullet and trevally. The facility consists of a 18 metre T shaped platform jetty with a 200 metre long boardwalk and trail linking the carpark. The new facility helps protect the sensitive salt marsh and mangrove habitats while giving the public a new fishing spot.
There are several charter operators working out of Barwon Heads for anyone wanting jump on board a fishing vessel either in the estuaries or in the open ocean, and try their luck at catching dinner.
The Barwon Heads Bluff is now part of a marine sanctuary. Remember to check with authorities before fishing as some areas are restricted, licences are required to fish in some areas, and there are bag and size limits to many species.
