So yeah, this posts embodies the category - random! But! I do live near water and from time to time I have had an urge to go for an evening fishing session…
So I know a little bit about fishing, mostly fresh water. Zero from the beach… Can anyone recommend a fishing forum?
Generally, thinking I’ll be fishing from a pier or rocks near where I live.
I could probably figure out fishing equipment, but bait, time, what to catch when and where around here, etc. All of that would be good to know.
I would also look into fishing clubs in your area. They will be worth joining as they will know where all of the good spots are and often have access to private areas.
They can also help out with the right gear for the area and for the fish that are around.
Without knowing exactly where you are here is one club…
I am actually pretty close to them. Thanks. Club didn’t occur to me. Will check them out.
Like firearms make sure you get a license before you go, esp as the weather warms up the cops come out of hibernation. I know its not the cops that get you it can be them or fisheries.
Yeh, will get one when or if I decide I’m ready…
Do you blokes need a license to go fishing???
We do for stocked freshwater (ie dams) but thats it .
Yep for fresh or saltwater. The place you are most likely to get checked is off piers as that is a good populace place and the boats often come and drop off passengers and fish before going to a ramp. You would be really unlucky to get done on a remote river bank but i have had mates get done for life jackets and stuff in remote places in just canoe access.
Ya’s have the best firearms laws. …but ya fishing laws sux!!! 
Yep, I will agree with that, oh hang on so are ours but the other way around.
To be fair they do a lot of fish stocking with the money that they get from the licenses. Think of it more like a fish farm then the value can be seen. I dont like the penalty side of it but i suppose without that why buy a license.
Yeah I can understand the stocked dams etc … but (to me) paying for a license to fish the salt is just un-Australian!!!
I used to fish Port Philip Bay quite a lot. You should be in with a good chance of a land based snapper or two over the next couple of months. Like all fishing, you need to decide what you want to target to be effective. You will still catch other stuff as by-catch but just “throwing a line out for fish” can lower your chances of catching anything.
Always plenty of flathead (little channel rats, usually) as well.
@Gwion was that from a boat or land?
Snapper would be cool. I love flathead tales, but I wasn’t aware you could catch larger ones off land.
That said, this is part of my question, I don’t know what to go for and how and where.
I heard that its pretty easy to catch crabs in St Kilda…
I’ve fished mainly land based but also from a boat a bit. You are just as likely to catch flathead close in as you are further out. There won’t be many big ones but plenty of legal eating size fishies.
Nice bream in the Patto at Carrum inlet…
Bait fishing is probably the easiest way to go but if want to be more active then you can walk around casting soft plastics.
Nah, I’ll just use baited lines to start with.
Should have asked… do you even have fishing gear???
You know you can’t just shoot them, right!?!
My dad is a fishing fanatic, at least once a week. But usually like 2-3 lol. So I’ll grab some equipment from him. I’m not exactly a n00b by the way. Being that I grew up around all that. Just haven’t done any ocean fishing.