Lilli Pilli Baths & Wharf Fishing Guide & Forecast

The best fishing at Lilli Pilli Baths and Wharf is the two hours around high tide at dawn or dusk, when clean water and bait move into Port Hacking and bream, snapper, dusky flathead and salmon come on. The timber wharf and baths wall fish all year, with a sheltered, family-friendly setup on the southern shore.

Lilli Pilli Baths and Wharf sits on the southern shore of Port Hacking. The timber wharf reaches into the deeper channel, while the netted baths create a sheltered edge where bait gathers. Yellowfin bream, snapper, dusky flathead and Australian salmon are all on the list. The grassed reserve behind the water also makes this an easy spot for a family session.

Best Tides and Times at Lilli Pilli

The run-in tide pushes clean ocean water through Port Hacking and brings fish onto the wharf. Target bream and snapper in the two hours around high tide. Dusky flathead suit the run-out, when bait leaves the flats and crosses the channel edge. Dawn and dusk usually beat midday. A light north-east wind is ideal, while a strong southerly makes the wharf uncomfortable. Check the Lilli Pilli conditions page before you leave.

Target Species at Lilli Pilli Baths and Wharf

Yellowfin Bream

Bream hold tight to the wharf pylons, the baths wall and the shade under the structure. Use 6 to 8lb fluorocarbon, a peeled prawn or live nipper, and either a light running sinker or an unweighted drift. A berley trail of breadcrumbs and pilchard pieces helps bring them in. They are here year-round.

Snapper

School snapper, or pinkies, work the deeper channel off the wharf end. Fish a squid strip or pilchard fillet on the bottom with a running sinker. Dawn and dusk around the tide change are the useful windows. Larger snapper move in after dark, particularly in warmer months. A 12lb leader and fresh bait are enough.

Australian Salmon

Salmon school through Port Hacking in the cooler months, chasing bait schools into the channel. Cast metal slugs in 20 to 40 grams from the wharf end and retrieve fast. Salmon are visible when a school is working. Look for surface activity and birds. They are strong fighters on light estuary gear and the most exciting action the wharf offers.

Dusky Flathead

Flathead sit on the sandy bottom near the wharf pylons and in the shallows along the baths. Soft plastics in 3 to 4 inches, natural colours, worked slowly along the bottom with a twitch-pause retrieve. The run-out tide pulls bait off the flats and the flathead wait in ambush at the drop-off. A live nipper under a running sinker works just as well. Flathead are a year-round standby and a reliable target when the other species are slow.

Baths and Wharf Access

Access is from Lilli Pilli Point Road, with parking at the reserve. Fish the wharf for deeper water, snapper and salmon. Work the baths edge and shoreline for bream and flathead. The reserve has grass, shade and toilets, so the non-fishing parts of a family session are covered too.

Rig Setup and Bait for Port Hacking

Light estuary gear covers every target. A 7 foot spin rod, 2500 size reel, 6 to 8lb braid with 8 to 12lb fluorocarbon leader. A running sinker rig with a size 4 to 1/0 hook for bait on the bottom. An unweighted rig or a light float for bream along the baths wall. Berley pot off the wharf side brings the fish in and holds them. Best baits are peeled prawn, squid strips, pilchard fillets and live nippers. Soft plastics in 3 inch paddle tails or grubs in natural colours for flathead. Metal slugs in 20 to 40 grams for salmon.

Lilli Pilli works when the family day and the fishing session need to share the same patch of water. Fish the wharf on the run-in tide, work the baths wall for bream, and keep dusk free for snapper.