Many Victorian anglers spend countless hours fishing in Port Phillip and Western Port Bay hoping to catch gummies, unfortunately many trips prove fruitless for shark yet successful for other species like snapper. And there-in lies the problem, we all want to keep our options open and even though snapper and gummies do sometimes inhabit the same areas, the capture of big gummies while snapper fishing is rare. In the last five years we’ve spent countless hours fishing Victorian waters and I’m yet to hook a 10kg plus gummy as an incidental encounter. Quite simply, if you don't target them, don't expect them to find you.

So, where should you look for big gummies? Well, there are countless productive channels and drop offs in the traditional home of big gummy fishing, Western Port. As of late however, there has been an increasing number of respectable to trophy sized gummies turning up in the shipping channel between Rye and Sorrento under the watchful eye of the old fort in southern Port Phillip Bay. When one area consistently yields fish between 15 and 20kg with reported captures of fish exceeding 25 kg it definitely deserves a closer look. Additionally, the height of the gummy bite runs outside of the main snapper period. Gummy fishing here kicks into gear late Jan to early Feb, hits a quite patch when the water gets a bit too warm then goes into overdrive in May when multiple captures in one night are not just a possibility, but a probability.

    When it comes to gummy shark habitat, we need to understand the nature of these fish. Obviously, gummies don't have teeth; instead they are armed with a textured bony mouth designed for crushing crustaceans, mollusc's and invertebrates. It stands to reason then if you can find the food source the fish shouldn't be far away. In the South Channel most of the fish we have caught have been between the 9 and 14 meter line which makes me think that this may be a depth which encourages the growth of their favourite foods. In Port Phillip and Western Port the water visibility is generally low and therefore light penetration at depth is restricted so in clear ocean habitats the prime feeding depth may be deeper than in the bays however, locations where the water is highly discoloured like the northern channels of Western Port may fish better at depths as shallow as 5 meters.
    What we do know from examining the stomach contents of large and small gummy sharks caught over the years is that the mainstay of their diet consists mostly of crabs. We’ve also found small crayfish tails and even one toad fish in quite a large gummy. Now there’s no way I’m not going to buy cray tails and mud crabs for bait but I do know of two affordable bait varieties worth having if you are serious about targeting bigger gummy sharks. The first is silver trevally, many tackle stores stock small silver trevally in season, Gotcha Covered is one brand available that works well as the fish are cryovaced keeping them in tip top shape so they don't go mushy when defrosted. The second needs no introduction and has received plenty of publicity in recent years; cured eel bait. Tough as leather and surprisingly clean to handle, it is an excellent bait right on top of every gummies favourite snack list. Another main advantage of using eel and trevally is that most other species do not favour these baits, even the stingray and banjo shark brigade ease up with the use of these baits. Other baits worthy of a mention are fresh salmon fillets, fresh calamari or arrow head squid and couta fillets. One piece of advice I will give about baits is don't be too concerned about using huge baits, in fact we now favour fillets no larger than about 15cm in length and keeping them narrow enough so the current doesn’t cause the bait to spin.

    Down in the South Channel the current can push at a reasonable rate making the use of sinkers up to 6 ounces a requirement at times. Most days are not so taxing and weights as small as two or three ounces will do the job nicely. You should always attempt to use a minimal amount of weight, changing sinkers as the tide flow increases and decreases. One of the handiest pieces of equipment you can take with you is a sinker slide rig that has a metal clip for interchangeable sinkers. Many brands are now available; essentially they all do the same thing although I tend to favour models featuring a larger hole for your line to pass through. On our rods we almost always use braid making it essential to use shock leaders, the larger line hole allows the leader knot to flow through without getting jammed either while getting a bite or fighting a fish. Another option is to use a down rigger while at anchor; they can be very effective when the fish are timid. By clipping your bait 25 feet or so behind the bomb weight the bait waves around freely in the current with little chance of spooking a prospective fish. Down riggers also make handy delivery devices for burley pots, if you fish alone you may want to consider using one exclusively for the burley as bigger gummies will always wrap themselves up in a burley rope if left unattended. Most down riggers offer a single handed wind-in operation leaving the other hand free to hang on to the rod.

    While on the subject of burley lets explore the aroma's that bigger fish will find desirable. Many years ago a far more experienced fisherman once told me that when it comes to bait and burley, if I wouldn't eat it, don't expect the fish will like it either. I’m not suggesting you should eat raw eel, but the quality of bait you use should by all rights be good enough to eat. If only fresh bait will do, similarly the burley should also be appetizing for the older, more discerning palate of a trophy sized fish. It gets harder for big gummies because they dine on only the finest seafood; crab, crays, scallops and the like so perhaps rotten fish and old, freezer burnt snapper heads shouldn't be your first choice for burley. My personal favourite is Pure Pilchard mix with a little tuna oil and it doesn't hurt to throw all of your trevally heads and frames in there after removing the fillets for bait. If you think about it, even we humans react to burley. The yummy smell of a BBQ is a good example, as is mum's lasagna. Rotten meat on the other hand just doesn't make me hungry. So why make the fish swim through a horrible stench to find your perfectly prepared, fresh bait. By trying a little harder with your burley you can reap the benefits with multiple captures in one night. One word of warning with the tuna oil, too much oil will saturate the whole area with such a strong scent that fish can become overwhelmed with the smell and find it impossible to pinpoint your bait as the whole ocean smells like food.

    Rigging is a fairly simple affair and if you’re serious about a big fish stick with hook sizes between 5/0 and 7/0. You may miss a few bites on smaller fish but remember, we are specifically targeting big gummies and don't really want to catch anything else. I am an advocate of circle hooks for this style of bait fishing and find it to be the most effective way of getting a hook-up. Rods should be set with approx one kilo of drag and left in a secure rod holder. After that it doesn't matter, you can go to sleep and wait for the old ratchet alarm clock to wake you up. By the time you get your hands on the rod the fish will be well and truly hooked. Leader strengths between 40lb and 60lb are fairly safe and should be approx 1 meter long with a swivel connecting the hook leader to the main line, the sinker clip simply slides along the main line as a running rig. Heavier leaders can spook gummies and it is believed by some that these toothless sharks can feel the stiff line when they are chewing the bait, sort of like having a straw in your mouth. Recently I have swung over to using fluorocarbon leader material in 40lb, you get the best of both worlds as line diameter stays low and abrasion resistance still potentially exceeds that of standard 60lb leader. I always used to stay clear of fluorocarbon as it was prohibitively expensive but prices have finally come down with Black Magic leading the way on well priced leader rolls.
   

Now let’s discuss some of the myths of gummy fishing. I've heard a few. Huge casts are needed in shallow water to get your baits away from the boat! Sounders must be turned off as the sound pulse emitted from the transducer frightens them away! Radios should be turned off and every one needs to be quite! Down-rigger cables humming in the current deter fish from entering the area! Light from the boat scares them off at night! Funny thing is nothing could be further from the truth. We have repeatedly caught gummies directly under the boat in 9 meters of water while the radio, sounder and mother of all flood lights is on with two down riggers are humming away nicely in the background. To add to all of this noise, often enormous container ships will cruise literally hundreds of meters away while the channel dredging goes on only a kilometer away towards the heads; all the while we are getting bites. I’m fairly sure you could catch a gummy off the Fairstar Funship if you had a fresh piece of eel and a well tied rig. To be totally honest we have often discussed the potential effectiveness of the light we use on our boat as a fish attractor, as for the noise, I think there is so much boat traffic in our bays these days the fish simply must be used to it.

    Despite all of this boat traffic don't expect to be crowded out by other boats, this channel is long and there is plenty of room for every one to have a go. Just keep in mind that strict regulations apply to anchoring in the channel itself, the most important being not to anchor in the way of passing container ships. Not only is it illegal, but a very dangerous game of chicken which you have no chance of winning. To be on the safe side try the south side of the channel in depths less than 14 meters. This should keep your boat well away from the shipping lane and in some very fishy country.

FACT BOX

GEAR

Rod - medium action 6-7” graphite construction built to be used with braided line

Reel - good quality 4500 series thread line or over head capable of using 30-40Ib braid

Line – preferably braid in 30-40Ib breaking strain

Shock leader – 40Ib Black Magic Tough Trace

Hook leader – 60Ib Black Magic fluorocarbon

Hook – 5/0-7/0 circle hook (KL in Red or Black)

Swivel – 10-15kg rolling swivel

TIDES AND TIMING

Last 2 hours of ebb or flood tide.

Preferable if the end of the tide coincides with first or last light or during the night around the moon.

GPS MARKS

38 18 868 S

144 46 196 E

38 19 307 S

144 48 383 E