Altona - Millers Road Reef

The Miller road launching location is located at the end of Millers and on the Altona Esplanade. The parking is free and unlimited from a time perspective, well at least at the time of writing this blog anyway. Please remember that local governments change their parking zones frequently so check for signage. The parking arrangement can cater for those whom have a tailor requirement. 

There is a public toilet on Millers road directly across from the kayak ramp. One other thing worth mentioning here is that there is a great little local coffee shop to grab something warm to drink or eat either before you launch or after you come back in. http://www.bezirk.com.au/ 

The Altona reef is popular among kayak angers for a number of reasons:

• It now has a purpose build kayak ramp
• It gives the kayak angler easy access to a healthy reef system within a short paddle, which is home to an abundance of species
• Large snapper can be caught at this location

There are two main areas to fish in this location: The first is the main reef and the second which is commonly very overlooked, Flemings Pool. 

Flemings Pool

Flemings Pool is the to the left of the ramp and is very close to shore. On a low tide the rocks are exposed in this area so safety is paramount. When the tide comes in it covers the rock which are full of mussels and other crustations. This natural occurrence brings the snapper an salmon into the area to feed. As we know the best time to fish for snapper is at dusk and dawn, so if you can fish this area with both those two elements lining up, you will be sure to land a good sized snapper. Salmon dwell in this area on a regular basses too and can be caught all day long. Best bait in this spot is fresh squid. Having said that, pilchards are also a great option. Don't forget to berley up, I don't advise drifting close to the rocks as you may risk running aground. 

Miller Road Reef

As mentioned above there is a verity of species that dwell on the reef, the main targeted fish are snapper, salmon, & flathead. Again my advise to fishing this area is to anchor up and berley. You can drift across the reef, however, be prepared to loose a lot of tackle. If you are going to get on drift, the best method is to eliminate the use of sinkers. This way you will reduce the chances of getting snagged up on the reef and loosing your gear. Besides this is a great way of catching snapper, by using unweighted baits. I picked that tip up off a an old time angling club member of the Seaholme Angling Club. The best baits here a full pilchard on a snelled rig. Or squid rings on a flasher rig, I have had tremendous success using the Super UV Snapper Rigs prior to dawn or dusk. The Super UV rigs work exceptionally well when the water clarity is poor, due to their unbelievable visibility.  

Glow in the Dark Super UV Snapper Rigs

 For an in-depth tutorial please click the below link to our Youtube Video:

Kayak Fishing Locations - Altona Part 1