Port Phillip’s South Channel gummies

Many Victorian anglers spend countless hours fishing in Port Phillip and Western Port hoping to catch gummy sharks. Unfortunately many trips prove fruitless for sharks yet successful for other species like snapper… and therein 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.

WHERE?

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. Lately, however, there has been an increasing number of big 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 15kg and 20kg, with reported captures of fish exceeding 25kg, it definitely deserves a closer look...