Fishing Equipment Summary

Permitted Recreational Equipment Marine Waters
Maximum Inland Waters
Maximum Lines Per Person 4, 2 Hooks Per Line 2 2
Bait Traps - Labelled 2 2
Hoop Nets - Labelled 2 Closed Season Applies 10 (5*)
Dip/Landing Net 1 Restricted in National Parks
Bait Net (Hauling Net) Specific Waters Only
Specific Waters Only
Yabby Pots Opera/Folding Frame 0 0 (Excluding Private Waters)
Set Lines 0 0
Recreational Mesh Net 0 0
Cast Net 0 0
* No more than 5 hoop nets can be used in some waters.

Labelling Equipment
The use of hoop nets and bait traps is permitted ONLY if each piece of equipment is tagged and labelled. The tag must remain on or above the water surface when the device is in use.

The use of all nets, other than those listed above to take fish is prohibited in all Victorian waters.

Recreational Mesh Netting
The use of recreational mesh nets has been prohibited in all Victorian waters since 1 September 2000.

Firearms:
The use of a firearm to take fish in any Victorian waters is prohibited.

Fishing Equipment Marine Waters

Lines and Hooks
'Lines' engaged in fishing, whether attached to rods or hand reels, must be attended.

'Hooks'- A gang of four hooks (i.e. linked together by the eye), a treble hook or a single hook are each classed as one hook. Lures and squid jigs are also classed as one hook.

A maximum of four lines per person are permitted in marine waters with no more than two hooks or baits attached to each line.

Bait Pumps
A hand operated suction pump with a barrel diameter not exceeding 8.5cm, may be used to extract bass yabbies, sandworms and other invertebrate species. A sieve can be used in conjunction with the pump. .

Bait Traps
Plastic or mesh bait traps must not have a funnel entrance diameter exceeding 5cm; the height of the trap must be less than 23cm. The trap must also be within the confines of 23cm wide and 50cm long. A maximum of two bait traps are permitted per person provided they are labelled. .

Recreational Hoop Nets
Rock lobster, crabs and other species may be taken with recreational hoop nets provided no hoop exceeds 77cm in diameter and the net drop is no deeper than 50cm. Regardless of whether the net consists of one or two hoops, the mesh size must be at least 10.8cm.

Catch limits, size limits and closed seasons apply to rock lobster.
A catch limit applies to crabs.

Closed season for hoop nets From the 1st September to the 15th November each year, you may not use a recreational hoop net in any marine water other than Port Phillip, Western Port, the Gippsland Lakes or any inlet of the sea.
A maximum of two labelled, recreational hoop nets may be used or possessed within 400m of any marine water.

Recreational Bait Nets (Hauling Nets)
A recreational bait net must not exceed 6m in length, hauling ropes attached to each end must also not exceed 6m.
You may use a recreational bait net to take bait in marine waters except in the following waters:
Port Phillip and Western Port; the North Arm and Cunningham Arm of Gippsland Lakes; the Toorloo Arm and Nowa Nowa Arm of Lake Tyers; within 30m of any pier or jetty; within 400m in any direction of the mouth of any creek or river; within Fisheries Reserves; within all Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries.

Dip Nets
A recreational dip net consists of an open faced net with a width and depth not exceeding 90cm, attached to a handle. A dip net may be used to take a variety of fish or invertebrate species with or without a light except within 30m of the mouth of a river or creek.

Fishing Equipment Inland Waters

Lines and Hooks
You may use up to 2 lines or baits at any one time whether attached to rods or not, with a maximum of 2 hooks on each line or bait.
You may not leave a line or rod and line unattended in any Victorian water.

'Hooks'- A gang of four hooks (i.e. linked together by the eye), a treble hook or a single hook are each classed as one hook.
Lures and jigs are also classed as one hook.

Set lines
Set lines and their snoods and other parts of set lines may not be used or possessed by recreational fishers in, on, or next to Victorian waters.

Yabby Pots
The definition of a yabby pot includes opera house nets and folding frame nets. As of 1 September 2001 the use or possession of yabby pots is prohibited in, on or next to all Victorian inland public waters.

Bait Traps
You can use no more than 2 labelled bait traps to take fish or invertebrate species.
The maximum dimensions of bait traps are the same as those specified for marine waters.

Spear Guns
The possession of a spear gun in, on, or next to any inland water is prohibited.

Recreational Hoop Nets
You may use recreational hoop nets that are labelled to take spiny freshwater crayfish and yabbies.
A maximum of 10 hoop nets may be used in inland waters except in the following waters where only 5 hoop nets are permitted: Carrol's Creek, Glenelg River system (excluding Rocklands Reservoir), Goulburn River system (excluding Lake Eildon), Kiewa River system, Latrobe River system, Mitta Mitta River system (excluding Lake Dartmouth), Ovens River system, Ryans Creek, Tarra River system, Waranga Basin, and Wodonga Creek including any tributary stream flowing into those waters and any impoundment on those waters.
Maximum dimensions of hoop nets are the same as those specified for marine waters, except that a minimum mesh size does not apply to the use of recreational hoop nets in inland waters.

Recreational Bait Nets (Hauling Net)
You may use a recreational bait net to take bait from the following inland waters only:
Curdies River between the 'Narrows' and the bridge on the Great Ocean Road at Peterborough;
Fitzroy River downstream from the boat ramp;
Glenelg River downstream from the southern boundary of the lower Glenelg National Park;
Hopkins River downstream from Rowans Lane to within 200m of the mouth of the river;
Merri River downstream from the Princes Highway, except within 400m in any direction from the footbridge at Pickering Point;
Snowy River downstream from the Government Wharf at Marlo;
Surrey River downstream from the Princes Highway;
Wimmera River downstream from the bridge on the Stawell - Marnoo Road to Lake Hindmarsh. any lake, swamp, marsh or lagoon.
Maximum dimensions of a recreational bait net are the same as those specified for marine waters.

Dip Net
You may use a dip net to take a variety of fish and invertebrate species.

Recreational Mesh Netting
The use of recreational mesh nets has been prohibited in all Victorian inland waters since 1 September 2000.

Fishing at Loch Sport, Australia.