Inshore, Offshore & Beach Fishing

Gummy sharks are one of Victoria’s saltwater staples, particularly in Western Port where anglers flock to get in among the action. Darren Hamilton Moore shares some timeless advice for targeting them inshore, offshore and from the beach.

Victoria is famous for its healthy population of gummy sharks and there is no better place to target them than the deep, dark, gloomy waters of Western Port.
These toothless grey torpedoes provide some of the best, aggressive, heart-pumping fights that any angler is likely to encounter from any species in these waters. There is nothing more exciting for a fisherman than seeing that undeniable head nod on the rod, before, moments later, witnessing the rod buckle and scream off with superior force.
There are a number of factors that come into play when maximising your chances of landing a great grey. Let’s face it, these days the cost of each trip out on the water is becoming increasingly expensive, so to go home with a good catch for the family will certainly make the trip worthwhile.
BAIT PREP
Bait preparation and collection is really important and can make or break a trip. You have a couple of options when sourcing your bait or choosing what to use. Fresh is always best but sometimes we don’t have that luxury or are hard pressed for time and only have a small window to get out for a fish.
Before you head out for a gummy, try and allow yourself a couple of hours to catch some fresh bait.
The best method is to use a sabiki rig. Attach it to a light rod and find yourself a good pier with plenty of structure, such as the section of jetty with the most poles in the water. This is where you are most likely to find bait schools. Baitfish will often feel safe around the heavy structure away from predatory fish and search for the best place to hide or escape if attacked. It doesn’t hurt to drive past the pier or structure where you plan to source your bait with the sounder on as this can give you a good indication as to whether there is any bait in the area.
Anchor up-tide of the structure and place a heavily weighted burley pot into the water with a good, potent mixture of tuna oil, pellets and mashed up pilchards.
This smelly, fishy mix is sure to draw out bait fish such as yellowtail yakkas, scad and slimy mackerel out from the safety of their structure in search of food. Once you have a few on board, it’s time to find a gummy shark.
If you don’t have the time to catch fresh bait, and you happen to have a few left over yakkas in your freezer, there is nothing wrong with using them as they will still attract fish. One thing you will need to be mindful of is once the fish have thawed out; they will be quite a bit softer than those that are fresh. If you want to achieve well-presented fillets or chunk baits, it is best to cut your fish while they are still semi-frozen. This way, none of your valuable bait will be wasted.
Many types of bait will catch great greys in Western Port, meaning the greatest thing is, you have options. Yakkas, pike, mullet, eel, salmon and garfish will all do the trick and only make up a short list of things that gummies will dine on.
If you were to ask any Western Port angler, they would all tell you they have their own favourite bait to target gummies with. My personal favourites include Australian salmon and the humble yellowtail yakka. If you are purchasing frozen bait from a servo or tackle shop, it is best to try and stick to species of bait that are most commonly found in and around the location you plan to fish.

▲ This gummy shark was taken offshore near Pyramid Rock, Back of Phillip Island in 25m of water.

LOCATION, LOCATION
What I love about gummy sharks is they can be targeted all-year-round. Summertime is the best time to target these fish if you want to maximise the gummies’ screaming runs and fighting ability. Naturally, in the warmer summer waters, the sharks are more energetic and active. In the wintertime, in the freezing cold water, the great greys tend to slow down.
When looking for a location to drop an anchor, there really are plenty of factors to take into account: wind, speed of the tide, flood or ebb tide and finding an interception point.
If the tide is running hard – which Western Port is renowned for – and you have an electric anchor winch and are prepared to fish with 16 oz and up, by all means fish deep. I prefer to leave the deep water fishing for what I consider, in Western Port, to be a slow flow. This would be a 1.2 to 1.6 m rise or drop in the tide. This way you can be sure your lines will be sitting comfortably on the bottom.
INTERCEPTION POINTS
Finding an interception point can mean a variety of things and can make or break your trip. If you drop your anchor and are not happy with your sit, move and drop it again. Being complacent with a location or position can mean going home empty-handed. You have options when finding locations to fish. Always look for sheltered waters where you are unlikely to be affected by the wind, causing your boat to yore or sit side on to the tide.
If fishing deep, look for a lump or reef, and fish off the back of it with your lines on the bottom of the lump where it levels out onto the seabed. Gummies won’t often swim over a high lump but instead, go around. When they do, they will most likely come across your bait – this will be your first interception point.
Western Port is covered in deep wide holes all over. These holes tend to have a slower movement of water inside of them, creating an ambush area for predatory fish.
When a gummy sits inside one of these holes, it requires minimal energy to stay in that location which allows them to ambush baitfish flowing in or out with the tide. This will be your second interception point.
If you are fishing shallower at night, in and around channels at the top end of the port, it is important to identify the deepest channel or body of water in the area you wish to fish. This may only be 5 to 12 m deep. Rest assured, on a run-out tide, any gummy sharks up on the banks feeding on crabs, small fish etc. will, as the tide falls, drain out into the feeder channels. This, in turn, will cause them to pass your location, giving you a greater chance of a hook-up. This will be your third interception point.
Finally, fishing the side of steep banks, such as Middle Bank in the Western Arm of Western Port, can allow you to hook-up some ripper gummies that follow the contour lines of the bay on their journey in or out of the port with the tide. The best position to anchor your boat is right at the bottom of a drop. Make sure you are just off the edge where the side of the drop levels out onto the bottom of the bay or, equally, where a drop off meets a wide ledge – both will work very well.
This allows you to get an even spread with your rods – both on the left and right-hand side of the boat. This method can apply to fishing deep or shallow and can be very rewarding, enabling you to cover good ground and catch some cracking sized fish.

▲ Gummy Shark taken off Somers in 9m of water on a midday run in tide.

INTO THE BLUE
Offshore fishing for gummies is one of my favourite pastimes: deep water, hard hits and blistering runs always make for an eventful day on the deep blue.
When offshore you are very likely to come across toothy critters, so it is best to upsize your leader from 60 lb to 100 or 200 pound. Always use a paternoster rig which will keep your valuable bait up off the bottom; away from the pesky pickers. Rigs with long leaders tend to snag up while on the drift and can become an annoyance. If you choose to use long leaders and a running sinker rig, this method works best when anchored up.
I prefer to drift rather than anchor up for gummies when offshore. You cover more ground and have a greater chance at an interception. Pick your days wisely though. I tend to stick to nice calm days of about 0.5 m waves or less, with long period swell. Make sure your drift is kept to a minimal speed at around 0.5 to 1.5 knots. If you find you are exceeding these speeds it is best to throw out a large sea anchor. This will stop you almost dead in your tracks. Remember, the same principals apply when offshore as fishing in the bay – find a couple of close contour lines, identify a nice drop off and try to position your boat so you drift parallel down those contour lines, keeping your fishing lines on an approximately 60 degree angle out the back of your boat. The best depth range seems to be between 20 and 45 metres.
SHORE BASED
The Mornington Peninsula beaches on the Western Port side offer some great beach fishing options for gummies. Beach fishing is a great family activity everyone can get involved in. It’s relaxing, fun and easy to set up. When targeting gummies off the beach, a couple of simple rules to follow include fishing after dark as gummies feel safe venturing into the shallower water in search of food under the cover of darkness. Try and work your beach fishing session around a high tide. Fish late at night or very early in the morning. There is no need to sit on the beach all night chasing a great grey either as the best bite window is two hours either side of the flood tide.
As stated earlier, chunk baits or fillets make for a great bait. The best rig setup for beach fishing would be a running sinker with a 30 cm dropper and a 6 to 8 oz sinker. When fishing out in boats, we tend to use 60 lb mono leaders and 8/0 circle hooks as standard. On the beach, I would recommend you downsize ever so slightly to a 40 lb leader and a 6/0 circle as you will tend to catch a lot of smaller models off the beach in the shallow water. Do not discount the chance of catching a very big fish off the beach though… it happens more often than you might think.

Darren resides on the Mornington Peninsula, in the summer of 1987 Darren started fishing with his father on Western Port. He loves fishing, surfing, spear fishing and relaxing with his family.