All Bite & No Teeth

THISTLE Island is one of a number of small islands making up the Gambier Group, located about 19 nautical miles west of the southern toe of South Australia's Yorke Peninsula. This was a charter, fishing with Herbie Glacken out of Marion Bay.

In a day of bottom bouncing I saw King George whiting that started at 48cm long, flathead to 2kg and snapper to 5kg. Mixed in with this bag was a nice gummy shark about 12kg caught and released by Jim Harris.

The point being that of all the fish caught that day, the gummy shark raised most comment. In southern waters, this aptly named shark is a prized capture. Western Port angler Brendan Wing made a DVD about catching gummies called Great Grey Submarines, and it has sold well in Victoria due to the popularity of the species down this way.

It's autumn as I write this and word is out in Port Phillip Bay that the annual gummy shark run has started. Specimens to 24kg cleaned are being caught at the southern end of the bay along the channel edges, the Great Sands and near Mud Island. In Western Port, large gummy sharks have been caught along the Western Entrance channel, albeit not so many as in other years, but that may change. Offshore anglers fishing in about 20-30m of water are also hooking large gummy sharks to about 15kg.

Gummy sharks are spread right around southern Australia and the species has developed a strong following among beach and bay anglers who seek these toothless delicacies for the table as well as the challenge of landing a big one. In fact, many anglers have their introduction to gummy sharks when fishing for snapper. This is not really surprising, given that this shark feeds mainly on crabs and molluscs, dietary staples of snapper, and therefore forages over the same grounds.

Twenty years ago in Victoria, we were almost devoid of big gummy sharks. The change during recent years has been dramatic, and most people put the reason for the growing gummy shark population in our bays and inlets down to a state government initiative. In 1988 the Victorian government introduced a ban on shark gillnets and longlines in ocean waters within three nautical miles of the Victorian coast. The three-mile closure effectively created a sanctuary for the sharks, and the value of that is now seen in the captures being made by anglers.

My first encounter with a seriously big gummy shark, one over 20kg, took place off Gunnamatta in 1994. It was on a charter boat and one of the anglers hooked a fish that was beating him easily. We were only in about 20m of water, but this fish wouldn't budge, staying deep and even sitting on the bottom. The charter skipper decided it was a big black stingray and cut the line. This happened again shortly after, with another angler. On the third hook-up, the skipper took the rod and worked the fish, determined to put a stop to the annoying stingray. Realisation dawned only when the fish hit the surface: it wasn't a ray, it was a 23 kg gummy shark ... and there were no other hooks or traces hanging from its jaw. Let that be a lesson: never cut the line unless you see what is on the other end.

They might not have any teeth, but fishing for these sharks should not be taken lightly. A big gummy is a sportfishing challenge that will give you a run for your money. Some anglers specialise in chasing gummies in the surf while others work inshore reefs. In recent years, a new breed of gummy shark angler has emerged, with individuals specialising in chasing these toothless tasties in shallow water at night. In reality, you can catch them just about anywhere - including breakwaters and piers.

Check you have the right tackle though because, if sub standard, it will bring sub standard results and frustration. A good gummy will give you a workout when it has a hook in the jaw; latch on to a big one and you face a fair challenge that you may well lose. As mentioned earlier, a large gummy sometimes fights like a stingray by hugging the seabed. Other times they put on an urgent burst of speed, taking off like a big snapper or mulloway. The way to tell the difference is that when you have a snapper or mulloway on you will often feel the beat of the fish's tail on the line; this is missing when a gummy is on - what you will feel then is the shark rolling in the line.

I always have achieved my best results on moonlit nights, particularly in the surf. Having said that, I'm sure some anglers will debate this observation.

In the surf, as well as the moon phase, the change of tide can be rewarding. Like any large fish, gummy sharks make use of water depth to seek out new areas to feed over, and these sharks know how to make full use of the rips and eddies that go with a surf beach. Because of this, surf-caught gummies use the environment to advantage, making them a different opponent than the same species caught in the bay or offshore.

In deeper bay water, offshore and the surf, most anglers employ running paternoster rigs. In shallow bays, anglers have taken to fishing for gummy sharks under floats. The idea is to have the bait just off the bottom so that the dense crab population can't feed on it. An alternative is to use a water bomb balloon, inflate it to the size of a 10-cent piece and attach it to the leader at the front of the bait. This also works in the surf where crabs are a nuisance, although they tend to disappear when the gummies move in.

An 8-10kg outfit you would use for snapper will suffice for most of the bay fishing scenarios. If fishing offshore in the 30m of water some anglers prefer to upsize to a 15kg rig; many bay anglers use 15kg rigs as well for their improved lifting power. It's a matter of what works best for you. Regardless of outfit, the drag system needs to be silky smooth.

Large baits are employed and bait size dictates hook size. Most gummy anglers start with 6/0 -8/0 chemically sharpened offset or Suicide pattern hooks. The preferred rig is the running paternoster with a leader of 24kg hardwearing monofilament, 1.5m long. As these sharks have no teeth, wire trace is unnecessary.

Anglers who specialise in gummy sharks tell me that berley is not necessary. While all acknowledge it will attract gummies, the problem is with the other unwanted species that also arrive. Gummies have such a keen sense of smell that bait, like eel fillet, in the current is often enough. Other baits that work include fresh fish fillets, pilchard and squid.

Gummy sharks are a top table fish. The shark should be killed, bled and cleaned soon after capture to protect the flesh from the ammonia taste that comes from the gut cavity.

Steve Cooper can be heard on the Casting Off program on Radio Sport927 between 4.30am and 6.30am on Saturdays