How To Catch Gummy Sharks – Best Pro Fishing Tips

How To Catch Gummy Sharks – FAQ’s

How To Catch Gummy Sharks

Fishing For Gummy Sharks

These sharks are one of our favourite Sharks to target and they can be caught all year round. The Gummy Shark is a beautiful looking shark, typically found within the waters of Port Philip and Western Port Bays. They are a lighter colour in the bays than when they are in offshore waters. This is due to the reefs they swim around. They put up a great fight with makes for an entertaining catch, with fantastic line screaming runs and strong head shakes as they fight to the very end. They are great to eat once cleaned and filleted and will provide you with beautiful large fillets.

How To Catch Gummy Sharks – Offshore

When we fish offshore in Bass strait, searching for ‘gummies’ we will be fishing near school sharks and also floating a balloon to see if we can catch other sharks, hopefully finding a Mako shark or two in the area. Our Offshore Charter is an 8hr Charter searching for the edges of reefs where these fish search for food,

How To Catch Gummy Sharks – The Bays

In Western Port and Port Phillip bays, we run a 6hr charter, typically catching fresh bait before we start. Our specialised afternoon Gummy Shark charters are mainly in Western Port Bay with our evening charters trying to use the last light as they come into the shallows to feed in the dark. There are many different opinions, but I think that Western Port Bay is the place to catch the big gummies.

Western Port Bay has a wide variety of areas to fish. We look for gutters and run offs where the tide is running water off the banks and into the edges and gutters along the channels.

Occasionally when snapper fishing in Port Phillip Bay we do catch gummies, however we have some secret spots deep off Mornington and Mt Martha where we focus on gummies. When we are fishing the southern end of Port Phillip Bay it is crucial that we read the tides well and match this with the best location.

How to catch Gummy Sharks – Sustainable Fishing

For sustainability practices, we release any big gummies (around the 20 kg mark) as these are the female breeders. This ensures that there will be fish for generations to come. We will certainly take some great photos of you with your big catch before we release these breeding fish.

How to catch Gummy Sharks – Equipment

We provide top quality tackle and depending on your trip ,we’ll catch fresh bait with you or use the best possible bait for your trip.

The baits we prefer to catch for offshore fishing are; wrasse, barber perch or salmon. Within the bay’s we typically catch trevally, mackerel, calamari, salmon or pike. Using fresh bait makes sure they do not spin in the currents again strips and chunks.

How to catch Gummy Sharks – Strategy

Patience is the key for gummy charters. If you’re thinking we will move around a lot, we’ve found this doesn’t work. We endeavour to be in an area where we know the gummies will travel for food. They have very strong senses, so we’ve found that fresh oily baits work well in attracting their attention.

How to catch Gummy Sharks – Preparation for eating

Bleeding your shark straight away is must if you want to have the best quality for the table. We also carry ice to keep your catch cold.

School Sharks and 7 Gill sharks can also be caught while we are fishing for gummies. Both of these sharks have teeth so care needs to be taken. I prefer the taste of school sharks taste than gummies, just my opinion. 7 Gill sharks are a bit of a pest. I have tried eating them and I don’t particularly like the taste, but if you want to take one home you sure can.

Interesting fact: The 7 Gill shark is one of the few sharks that turn and bite you if you hold it by the tail.

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Fishing data obtained from Victorian Fishing Authority