Elephant fish are a strange-looking shark relative with a long trunk-like snout, but they are great fun on light gear and good on the chew. They are a proper southern species, and when they turn up in numbers, plenty of land-based and boat anglers get stuck into them.
In Australia you mainly find elephant fish in cooler southern waters, especially around Victoria, Tasmania and parts of South Australia. They like sandy bays, inshore flats, channels and coastal areas rather than rough reef country, and they often show up in fairly shallow water not far from shore.
They feed mostly along the bottom, using that odd snout to sniff out shellfish, worms, small crabs and other little critters buried in the sand. They are not speed hunters, just steady cruisers that grub around and pick up easy food off the bottom.
Tide changes usually help, especially the run-in or run-out when food gets stirred up over sand and mud. Low light around dawn, dusk and even at night can improve the bite, particularly in shallow water where they feel safer. Light to moderate wind is often fine if it adds a bit of movement without making the water too dirty, but strong wind can make presentation harder and shut things down. Smaller, cleaner swell is usually better from beaches and open bays, while a big messy swell can push them off or make them harder to target properly.
A light to medium surf or estuary setup with a simple running sinker or paternoster rig does the job well. Fresh baits like pipis, squid strips, mussel, prawns and small fish pieces are the go, fished hard on the bottom with enough lead to hold in place. Keep hooks fairly small and sharp because they are bottom feeders, not big smash-and-grab predators.
Despite the name, elephant fish are not true sharks or rays but a chimera, which makes them one of the oddest fish you will hook in southern Australia.