Where and when to catch Bronze Whaler in Victoria: the VIC season, the spots in our guide that hold them, and where to find VIC's current size and bag limits.
Large fish baits — whole tailor, salmon, mullet or eel, fish heads, salmon and tuna frames, stingray flaps
Lures
N/A — bronze whalers are a bait-fished species
Technique
From the beach or rocks, drift or cast a large bait out past the gutters, often floated under a balloon on an onshore breeze, and wait — bronzie fishing is a patient, big-bait game often worked at night. Set the drag heavy and be ready for a long run. From a boat, a berley trail and floated baits bring them up. When the fish is at the leader, control it carefully; never bring a green shark onto the sand or into the boat. Most anglers tag and release.
Best Time
Caught year-round, with the warmer months (and the autumn salmon run, which draws sharks into the surf) the most productive in the south. A berley or bait trail concentrates fish, and anglers favour onshore wind and swell; dusk and dawn are the windows the score shows.
Identification
Also known asBronzie, copper shark, narrowtooth shark, cocktail shark (small fish)
Size & Growth
Beach and headland bronzies commonly run 1.5–2.5 m; a three-metre fish is a big one and the heaviest animals push past 200 kg. They are slow-growing, late-maturing and produce small litters of live young, which is a poor combination under fishing pressure and part of why a maximum size limit applies in the West and South Coast bioregions — the big breeding animals have to go back. Length is usually eyeballed on the sand rather than measured, so if a fish looks anywhere near the limit, treat it as over it and release it in the wash instead of dragging it up for a photo.