IN A poll of holidaymakers on favourite fishing places, those without boats would most likely choose a local pier or breakwall.
An integral part of the coastal holiday scene, these platforms are generally safe and productive venues and appeal to anglers of all ages.
You can test this by taking an evening stroll on any Victorian pier or breakwall on a warm summer evening.
Chances are you will see anglers, and on some structures they will be fishing shoulder to shoulder.
Piers and jetties are more popular than breakwalls with families. Rocky, uneven surfaces of some breakwalls don't suit a families with young anglers.
In this case, low-lying piers are a better option.
There are piers at most seaports or holiday venues. Places such as Anderson Inlet, Port Welshpool, Lakes Entrance, Marlo and Mallacoota have fishing structures.
In the west, the story is the same, with Lorne, Apollo Bay, Port Fairy, Warrnambool and Portland all offering pier or breakwall fishing.
Between the major towns are smaller centres. Those close to an estuary or harbour will have some sort of man-made structure from which to wet a line.
Examples in Port Phillip Bay are Point Lonsdale, Swan Bay, Portarlington, Mordialloc, Seaford, Frankston, Mornington, Sorrento, and Portsea. In Western Port, there are platforms at places including Flinders, Cowes, Tankerton, Stony Point, Hastings, Tooradin, Warneet, Corinella and San Remo.
Species commonly caught vary from pier to pier.
Waterfronts at Mallacoota and Lakes Entrance are producing flathead, silver trevally, bream, luderick and mullet.
In the bays, anglers are hooking silver trevally, salmon, garfish, King George whiting and pinkies.
Head west to places such as Portland and there are silver trevally, snapper, squid, King George whiting, salmon and yellowtail kingfish to be caught.
Age is the most telling feature of a platform. Piles or rocks need time for marine growth to establish. The older a structure, the more heavily encrusted it will be with shellfish, barnacles, cunjevoi and seaweed.
Eventually the submarine sections develop into reef systems that attract fish for shelter or food.
Smart anglers will make the most of the resource, gathering fresh bait such as lettuce weed, mussels, crabs and shrimp.
The psyche of many anglers is to throw their baits as far from the structure as they can. Yet the fish are often at, or in the case of piers, under, their feet.
These structures offer shelter and food for the fish, so they make a great place to fish.
Outfits for this style of fishing are basic. For smaller fish such as garfish, silver trevally and mullet, use a light rod about 2.5m long with a threadline reel suited to lines of about 3kg breaking strain.
A variety of small sinkers and swivels can be used, as well as a couple of quill floats and a selection of hooks from No. 8 through to about 2/0.
If there are salmon about, spinning can be fun. A 3kg outfit is heavy enough but don't be shy about using a 5kg outfit.
Use metal jigs such as Halco Twisty or chrome slices up to about 56g.
Bigger fish such as snapper from about 2kg and heavier are best sought on heavier tackle.
Employ a 3m surf rod and reel suited to lines of 7-9 kg breaking strain. Sinkers should be ball for standard running rigs, and star or grapnel styles for paternoster rigs. I prefer 2/0 -4/0 Suicide-pattern hooks.
It makes good sense to pack a squid jig, as these structures are regular haunts for prowling calamari. Prawn imitation jigs are easiest, as there is no need to take extra bait along.
These are cast, allowed to sink, and retrieved slowly in a stop-start motion.
If your preference is baited jigs, rig them with the tail of the bait at the prongs.
Baited jigs can be rigged under a bobby cork, cast out and left suspended in the water while the angler concentrates on rod fishing.
