Catching Sharks Landbased

Gummy Sharks, Mako Sharks, Thresher Sharks, Elephant Sharks, Banjo Sharks, Port Jackson Sharks, Seven Gill Sharks, and more
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Wolly Bugger
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Catching Sharks Landbased

Post by Wolly Bugger » Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:03 pm

(work in progress, please feel free to add)

To be blunt, you are not going to catch a gummy shark, unless you are prepared to put in the hours. If you want some one to wipe your bum and spoon feed you, go and see your mum.

Where?

Sharks can be caught anywhere there is salt water. I have seen gummies caught off of Mordiallic and Mornington piers. Landbased hotspots appear to be more on Western Port Bay.

Have a look at my Western Port Guide.
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When

There are people who support the belief that high tide and full moon improves the chances of catching a gummy. However I have caught gummies on the new moon and low tide.

So in reality different areas have different patterns of fishing.


Baits

Opinions differ about bait being fresh or not, so much depends on an anglers experience.
Squid, Trevally, Salmon, Cured Eel, Pilchard, Whiting heads.

Hooks

3/0 to 7/0, circle or what ever your preference is.


Line


Leader between 20 lb to 80 lbs.


Rod

It can be cane, fibreglass or carbon fibre.
Length? that is up to you.

Sinkers

Again up to you, they can be pyramid, grapple, teardrop.
From 2oz to as heavy as you can cast.

Rig

The guru mainly uses a running rig.
Paternoster also works as well as the pulley rig.

Berley

That is up to you. sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Shark species

Different shark species mean different fishing methods. Gummy's and School sharks have a reputation for being shy of wire, all sharks detect electrical currents given off by objects.

Gummy's do not require a wire leader, where other shark species do require a wire leader or perhaps extremely heavy monofilament tough trace.

Also different shark species have different prey targets, so the bait needs to be presented where they feed.

Gummy's, Seven Gillas tend to be bottom feeders
Bronze, tend to feed higher in the water column.


Perhaps the best tip is to get to know an area to the point that you can walk around blindfolded. Get to know that particular areas moods, fish all tides and at different times, try for different species. For example if you want to fish Merricks, go there at different times of the day, different tides, from low to high, and different areas along the beach, even put waders on and wade out, to find where the weed beds are, plus the gutters, or reefs.

Fish for shark and whiting and squid and snapper and elephants and flathead. Learn when and where a particular species is likely to be caught there. This can only be gained through years of learned experience. Talking to the locals can give you valuable knowledge.

An old pro can say fish here, at this particular time, and you will catch ....?


(any in appropriate posts will be deleted)

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raco09
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Re: Catching Sharks Landbased

Post by raco09 » Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:11 pm

All the points above and maybe some luck... :set1_fishing:
To fish or not to fish...NOT TO FISH ??Yea...like that's even an option !

slinga
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Re: Catching Sharks Landbased

Post by slinga » Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:22 pm

New moon and Full moon are virtually the same. Except for slight sizes in tides. And there is a big bright moon in the sky.
Linc- "slimeys are great fun to catch, like hooking a giant vibrator with a propeller onto the end of your rod! Well done"

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Longshot
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Re: Catching Sharks Landbased

Post by Longshot » Thu Aug 08, 2013 3:16 pm

Excellent post, can you sticky it somewhere? Completely over every 3rd post being
"Where can I catch a LandBased Shark"
Nothing beats the experience of going out and doing it on your own. There is no
"Go here and Cast there = Shark"
I tried for over a Year in WP and Gippsland before breaking the duck at Venus Bay, Low tide,Middle of the afternoon when I least expected it.

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TrevKing
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Re: Catching Sharks Landbased

Post by TrevKing » Thu Aug 08, 2013 3:26 pm

Longshot wrote:Excellent post, can you sticky it somewhere? Completely over every 3rd post being
"Where can I catch a LandBased Shark"
Nothing beats the experience of going out and doing it on your own. There is no
"Go here and Cast there = Shark"
x2 AGREE.

All LB shark questions should be asked in this thread!
Thanks Wolly for writing this.
2015 Goals -
-First Squid
-Trout on SP
-First Murray Cod
-Rainbow over 40cm
-Redfin over 40cm

Krisstiglic
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Re: Catching Sharks Landbased

Post by Krisstiglic » Thu Aug 08, 2013 4:10 pm

Sometimes people ask questions for a bit of info.

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TrevKing
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Re: Catching Sharks Landbased

Post by TrevKing » Thu Aug 08, 2013 4:22 pm

Krisstiglic wrote:Sometimes people ask questions for a bit of info.
Nobody minds if you ask questions, it just gets on some peoples nerves when the same thing is asked over and over again.
The key to successful fishing is to gain your own knowledge by getting out for a fish and trying things out. :)
2015 Goals -
-First Squid
-Trout on SP
-First Murray Cod
-Rainbow over 40cm
-Redfin over 40cm

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Fish-Hunter
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Re: Catching Sharks Landbased

Post by Fish-Hunter » Thu Aug 08, 2013 5:21 pm

I can remember when it was common to catch a Gummy shark while fishing Snapper in the bay , Landbased is another story completely. Plenty of patience is required & the ability to go fishless many times over before you see any results.

Krisstiglic
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Re: Catching Sharks Landbased

Post by Krisstiglic » Thu Aug 08, 2013 6:51 pm

Yeh but a bit of guidance never hurts . You can honestly say you've never asked for someone's advice fishing if you say no your bull shitn

slinga
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Re: Catching Sharks Landbased

Post by slinga » Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:40 pm

Hmm.......

Here's a few things that I think aid your chances of catching a Gummy landbased.

Please note: I don't guarantee a Gummy from the points I make.


1. Equipment: Rod- 10ft+ 8-15kg
Reel- Somewhere in the range of 6000 upwards. An 8 or 10000 size reel is ideal in my opinion. A 14,18, or 20000 size reel would be more difficult to use due to it's weight and casting ability.

2. Line: Mono- Any 20lb+ midrange line would do. I would choose 25lb if I was fishing with mono.
Braid- 30lb braid would be my recommendation. I use braid myself as I find it easier to cast, better bite detection, no stretch, and a much greater line capacity.
Leader- 40lb leader is sufficient. If fishing in reefy areas, 60 or 80lb may be a better choice. I use Jinkai leader personally. Fluorocarbon is unnecessary in my opinion.

3. Rig: Running sinker- I use this rig with an ezirig for my sinker. I have found it the most effective so far. Ultimate bite detection as the sinker is basically not connected to your mainline.
Pulley Rig- I have used this in the past and have had success. Good casting ability. However, not as effective as the running sinker imo and there are more knots to the rig.

Wind-on leader/Shock leader- I tie about 8-10ft of Shock leader directly to my braid via a Bimini twist. The reason for this is I want to keep the reef and the rear end of a fish well away from my braid. It also doesn't inhibit my casting distance at all.

4. Hooks: Gamakatsu 4-8/0 Octopus Circles. I use Gamakatsu hooks because they are ultra sharp, super strong, and don't rust easily. Also, good value for money. Single 6/0 is my preference.
Black Magic circles- Nice hooks but rust easily.
Owner- Awesome hooks. Too expensive for me/no need for that thicker gauge.

5. Bait: A Gummy will almost eat anything. We have run through all of the common baits before so I am going to list a few of my favourites.
Squid/Trevally/Yakkas/Salmon.

Fresh is best as the saying goes. I used to buy baits from the market but nowadays if I can't catch my own bait I don't go fishing.

6. Bait presentation: Single hook hang baits work best for me. For squid, I cut strips about 50-100mm wide pinning the hook through the smaller end of the strip allowing it to woft around in the current. For fleshy baits, I cut chunks straight down the fish about 15-20mm wide. This tends to keep the flat fish away a bit more. I pin the hook through the top end of the chunk not the belly end.

7. Location: There are so many places you can catch Gummies around Melbourne. Find a beach with clear water and a sandy bottom. Any structure nearby is always handy too. If the bottom is stirred up and the water is dirty, don't bother if you ask me.

8. Wind: I don't fish when it's really windy. I seem to catch more Gummies on glassy nights than windy ones.

9. Tide: I generally find I catch Gummies on the smaller tides. You will find these are around during the days leading up to the full/new moon.
Incoming tide- I find if I can get the start of the flood tide around sunset this is very productive.
Outgoing tide- I find the whole of the EBB tide productive. I have caught 80% of my Gummies on the outgoing tide.

10. Patience: If you expect to catch Gummies from day 1, expect to be disappointed. I have spent many fishless nights on the beach. If you are not prepared to put in the time and effort, don't bother going.



That'll do for now...

Mick
Linc- "slimeys are great fun to catch, like hooking a giant vibrator with a propeller onto the end of your rod! Well done"

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