Spring is here and anglers are flocking to the Ninety-Mile Beach for the annual run of gummy sharks.

The gummies seem to have read the instruction manual, because there have already been plenty caught and the season has just started.

We normally start seeing the odd gummy shark getting caught in late August and by September, your chances of getting a gummy are very good. However, October and November are my favourite months to chase the gummies on the surf.

So far I haven’t seen any whoppers, however there have been plenty of 1m long gummy sharks caught and most of them have been caught in late evening between 7:00-10:00pm.

Golden Beach has fished well of late, however, this is partially due to the fact the Woodside has had a bit of the slimy weed hanging around stuck in the deep gutter. We get the weed immediately after strong constant easterly winds, so it pays to go after a westerly wind to be sure there is no weed.

The water around Woodside and McLoughlins looks great, so I think it will be good down that way this season.

The seven gill sharks will turn up any day now and they are usually a common occurrence when night fishing in October and November.

On the snapper front, I have heard of one land-based snapper caught down at golden beach, but the snapper catches will increase over the next few weeks. Best baits have been squid legs but there have been some thumping big salmon caught around McGaurans Beach and Seaspray so if you happen to catch one, put on a fillet as you can’t beat it for bait.

The land-based game fishing anglers have already started chasing the sharks and I have seen one decent bronzy caught so far.

Over the next month, the gummy sharks and snapper are really going to come on strong, so be sure to fish the nights where you have a late tide change for the best chance of getting a land-based gummy or snapper. Also, always have one rod with a surf popper rigged up, as poppers are a great way to always have a bait out, plus with the addition of a bit of bait, you will have a bait floating off the bottom away from the crabs.

Black magic have bought out these great new surf rigs for long distance casting and some have a bigger popper style float to hold the bait off the bottom. They should be dynamite for the Ninety-Mile when the crabs are bad.

The land-based shark guys will also start catching good numbers of bronzies as they turn up in big numbers once the water warms up in November.

• For more information, contact Will at Allways Angling in Traralgon on 5174 8544. You will get expert advice and great deals on fishing bait and tackle. Tune into Rex Hunt and Lee Rayner’s Off the Hook on 1242 to hear Will’s report on what’s going on in Gippsland.

1

Shannon Musgrove caught this early season gummy shark off the Ninety-Mile Beach. The gummy shark number will increase dramatically over the next few months.

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Clint Jones caught this nice gummy recently at Delray Beach.