Port Phillip Bay Squid Forecast
Free 7-day squid fishing forecast for Port Phillip Bay. Tap any pier or the water for bite times, tides, moon, wind, swell and water temperature.
Hour by hour
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Inku squid brief
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Sun, moon and tide
Water and weather at the best hour
What's driving the score
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Season guide
When the big squid come in
Spot guide
Spot notes
Rules
Bag limits
How the bite score works
- Light (26%). Sunrise and sunset score highest. Darker nights score better than full-moon nights, because squid feed tighter around pier lights. Overcast days help.
- Tide (20%). The 30 minutes either side of a tide change scores highest, then the top of the tide and the run-in. Fast current lowers the score.
- Wind (20%) and swell (14%). Under 10 knots and under half a metre is ideal. Squid go quiet after a strong blow stirs the water.
- Water temp (10%). 13 to 19°C scores best. Big Western Port squid move in at 13 to 15°C.
- Clarity (6%) and pressure (4%). Rain in the last 24 hours and a falling barometer drag the score down.
Squid fishing in Port Phillip Bay
Port Phillip Bay holds calamari all year, from St Kilda and Altona in the north to Queenscliff, Portsea and Lonsdale Bight near The Heads.
The south and west of the bay matter most for big squid: Lonsdale Bight, Point Nepean, Queenscliff, St Leonards and Swan Bay. The north and east hold mostly smaller squid.
Tagged squid have been found sitting on the spawning grounds for about a week before moving on, so if you find eggs or a patch of squid, fish that same ground again.
Season
Calamari are in Port Phillip all year. April to August is the steadiest pier fishing, with cooler, clearer water. The big spawners gather on the seagrass in the south and west of the bay from September to November.
Questions
When do big squid arrive in Port Phillip Bay?
The big spawners, with hoods of 35 to 48 cm, gather on the seagrass in the south and west of the bay from September to November and usually hang around until the end of November.
When is the best time of day to catch squid in Port Phillip Bay?
The 30 minutes either side of the tide change is the strongest window, especially when it lines up with sunrise or sunset. Calm, clear water and light winds help.
What is the bag limit for squid in Port Phillip Bay?
Victorian bag limit: 10 per day combined across squid, calamari, octopus and cuttlefish, with no minimum size. No fishing in Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries.
New to squidding? Read the free Inku Squidding Guide, then shop Inku squid jigs.
Squid fishing forecasts by spot