Corio Bay

This is one of my favorite parts of the bay . Situated on the western

side of Port Phillip Bay , Corio Bay is overlooked by the city of Geelong .

There are numerous shipping terminals around here and you definitely have to keep your wits about you especially when fishing the Inner Harbour .

I will run through all the areas that i have caught fish and what type

you may expect to catch .

GPS 38 07.075 s 144 21.757 e	This mark is around 50 mtrs out the front of St Helens boat ramp ,it helps when thigs are black out there .but with the aid of the channel markers you should not need this one except at times of very heavy fog .
GPS . 38 03.604 s 144 23.751 e	Shell refinery mark ,about 500 mtrs out the front of the refinery ,about another 500 mtrs to the east you have the Oyster beds mark .
GPS . 38 03.119 s 144 23.751 e	This is the Nth Shore erea ,50 mtrs out from the rocks ,also puts you in the erea of Corio Quay and the Bulk Grain Piers .
GPS 38 06.184 s 144 27.350 e	Nine ft Bank Mark ,one of the best spots in the bay .It is advisable when heading to this mark to go up the main channel to just past Alcoa then turning to to it .

1. Inner Harbour .

Area 1 is straight out from the St Helens ramp and starts from the channel edge to out near the reef area

that divides the inner and outer harbors . Here you may expect to catch Snapper both big and small , flathead

are also in this erea . The bottom is muddy and so there are no real Whiting marks here.

Fishing along the main channel is ok and you will find some good reefy , shelly ereas along

here using your sounder . Try not to use to much berley as it will attract those blasted Banjos .

2 .Shell Refinery .

Turning left out of the boatramp going towards the Shell refinery you pass Corio Quay and

the North Shore rocks . This is a good spot to fish for Snapper but beware of the ships . When up to the

refinery pier fishing out the front of here is a good place to have a go at some Snapper both in and out of season . There is a water cooling inlet and outlet just past the pier and the water that gets pumped out after being used for cooling sometimes get fairly warm and closer into shore pinkies often congregate at sunup and sunset .

The bottom around here is muddy .

3 . Limeburners Bay .

This area is only 200 mtrs to the nth east . Here you can catch Whiting ,big Flathead and some

very good Snapper . The bottom changes from mud to sand on the east side of the small channel here .

I find difting for whiting (sand whiting) here works well with some decent sized fish being taken, but they

are very boney . There is a small ramp here but is only good for anything around 4 mtrs at high tide and

at low tide you could just about forget it .

4. The Paddock .

between Avalon & Point Wilson

Out here start off by using a bit of berley to get things going and then settle in to have a fish for

just about anything . Snapper , Gummy , Flathead , Whiting are to name just a few . Lets just say be ready

for the unexpected . One rod out with ganged hooks and wire trace will not go astray .

5 . Point Wilson

This has to be one of the prime Whiting spots in the hole of Port Phillip Bay .There are heaps of spots

around here and all you really have to do is move around untill you find them and once you get them lightly

berley to keep them interested . Also just out from the pier is a good place to have a go for Snapper .

6. Turning Buoy .

Out near Clifton Springs

This is to Snapper what the last spot is to Whiting . One of the best spots for Snapper thats

going around . Fishing near the edge of the channel with your baits spread to go into the dropoff and

onto the flats on the side of the channel is a good way to get started . Also as with most Snapper spots

there can be some pesky flathead but be patient . When you anchor make sure you don't swing into the

channel or believe me you will cop a big surprise . There are a few leatherjacket taken when really

close to the markers but not to often .

7.The Chair .

Here we can get Snapper , Flathead , Whiting and Leatherjacket .

There is alot of weedy / sandy bottom here and is good for Whiting nearer the shore .There is

some reefy areas as well .This is a large area to cover with most of it being productive . On the way

back to the ramp give the Alcoa Pier a go in winter/spring for Salmon that collect there .

Now here is something to be carefull of ,almost every day you will get a grain or

oil tanker coming into the Harbour from one direction and tugs from the other .In the picture on the left you can see these tugs moving along the channel with St Helens in the background .

The area directly in front of the St Helens boat ramp is meant to be a no anchor zone as this is where the ships are turned ready to dock and drop anchor ,the zone extends for 500 mtrs .

The picture on the right is the ship that is to be guided in .If you have never been near one of these things up close it can be a bit unerving the first time so give them a very wide berth . Also in the inner harbour be carefull when fishing near the channel as the wake from some of these ships can go as high as half to 1 meter high as it hits the shallower water on either side .At times you can feel the propellers choping the water through the hull of your boat on calmer days .