Working out the conditions…
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Conditions guide only — not a guarantee of catch. Always check the forecast before you go.
Reedy’s tips
Built on my own rules, not guesswork — which is why it says less than it could. Conditions only; whether you can get out is your call and your boat. — Brett
Barometer — 7 day forecast
LoadingScroll sideways for the hour by hour. The arrow on each reading is the change since the one before it. Source: Open-Meteo · Melbourne time.
Biggest tides coming up
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Powered by —The ten biggest tides coming up for Port Phillip and Western Port. You’ll generally get better fishing on the bigger tides.
A fishing conditions dashboard, not a weather site
Every marine forecast tells you the wind and the tide. This one is built for anglers fishing Port Phillip Bay and Western Port, so it weighs those things the way they actually matter here — and it scores every hour of the next seven days to tell you which window is worth taking the boat out for.
It works as a fishing app on your phone without going near an app store. Add it to your home screen and it opens full screen at the ramp, keeps your last reading when you lose signal, and costs nothing.
How to read it
The score
One number out of 100, weighted on tide movement, wind, pressure and time of day. It’s a guide, not gospel — a 55 with a big tide and no wind can fish better than a 75 in a chop.
Wind
“Wind now” is live from BOM coastal stations. Under 10 knots is comfortable in most trailer boats. The 24-hour chart shows where it’s heading, including gusts.
Tide
Running in or running out, when the next change is, and how much water is moving. Bigger movement generally means a better bite, especially in Western Port.
Pressure
High is what you want in the southern hemisphere. If you’ve read that a low barometer fires fish up, that’s northern hemisphere and freshwater advice — it doesn’t translate to our bays.
When to go — what actually matters
Pressure: high is what you want
In the southern hemisphere, high pressure is the one to chase. A 1030 beats a 1020, and a 1020 beats a 1010. If you’ve read that a falling barometer switches fish on, that’s northern hemisphere and freshwater advice and it doesn’t carry across to Port Phillip or Western Port.
Rising, steady or falling matters far less than people claim. If the pressure is sitting high, they’ll usually still bite — particularly through snapper season.
Tide: everything in Western Port
Western Port moves a lot of water. Two to three metres of range through the channels, and the fishing changes completely with it. The biggest movement days are worth planning your week around, which is what the tide cards above are for.
Port Phillip has a much smaller range — often under a metre — so tide matters but doesn’t dominate. Wind and pressure carry more weight over there.
Wind: the one that ends the day
Under 10 knots is comfortable in most trailer boats. Ten to fifteen is fishable but you’ll feel it. Above fifteen and most people should stay home, especially in Port Phillip where a southerly stands the bay up in a hurry and the run home gets long.
Watch the direction as much as the speed. Wind against tide makes a short, ugly chop that’s worse than the numbers suggest.
Light: early and late
First and last light are still the best windows for snapper, but don’t write off the middle of the day — in season they’ll bite any time, and plenty of good fish come in at midday when the pressure is right.
Water temperature
Use it for the trend, not the exact number. Snapper start moving into the bays as the water climbs through the low teens, and the run really gets going once it’s sitting mid-teens and rising. A degree either way on a model reading matters less than which direction it’s heading.
Questions
What barometer reading is best for snapper?
Down here, high. A 1030 beats a 1020 and a 1020 beats a 1010. Rising, steady or falling matters far less than people say — if the pressure is high they'll usually still bite, especially through snapper season.
How much wind is too much?
Under 10 knots is comfortable in most trailer boats. Ten to fifteen is doable but uncomfortable, and above fifteen most people stay home — particularly in Port Phillip where a southerly stands the bay up quickly.
Does tide matter more in one bay?
Western Port, by a long way. The tidal range is far bigger and the water moves hard through the channels. Port Phillip has a smaller range, so tide matters but wind and pressure carry more weight there.
What water temperature do snapper come in at?
They start moving into the bays as the water climbs through the low teens, and the season really fires once it's mid-teens and rising. Treat the reading as a trend rather than an exact number on your mark — which direction it's heading matters more than the figure itself.
How often does this page update?
It refreshes every ten minutes while it's open, and again whenever you come back to it. Wind now comes from BOM coastal stations, which report roughly every half hour.
Where does the data come from?
Wind now is live from Bureau of Meteorology coastal stations. Forecast wind, pressure and water temperature come from Open-Meteo. Tides come from WorldTides and the Bureau's tide tables. Moon times are calculated on the page.
More from Reedy’s Rigs
- Snapper Fishing Port Phillip & Westernport — rigs, baits, tides and both bays.
- Melbourne Snapper — when they arrive and where to fish month by month.
- Boat Fuel Calculator — what the run to your spot actually costs.
- Two Bays Snapper Challenge 2026 — nine days, both bays, boat package first prize.