The whitespotted dogfish is a small shark that turns up as bycatch more than a target fish for most Aussie anglers. It is tough, scrappy on the line, and usually shows up when you are fishing deeper offshore ground.
In Australian waters it is found mainly in cooler southern areas, especially off Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia and southern Western Australia. It sticks to the continental shelf and slope over sand, mud and rough bottom, usually in deeper offshore water rather than estuaries or inshore beaches.
Whitespotted dogfish feed on small fish, squid, octopus and crustaceans, cruising close to the bottom and picking up easy meals. They are opportunistic and will happily move onto baits sitting near the seabed, especially where there is a bit of current pushing food along.
Tide matters most where there is enough run offshore to stir up food, with the better bite often around the change or during a steady flow rather than dead slack water. Low light can help, especially over deeper ground at dawn, dusk or on dull days, but in deep water they will still feed through the middle of the day. Light to moderate wind is usually better because it lets you hold bottom and fish cleanly, while strong wind makes deep bait fishing hard work. Smaller swell is a plus too, mainly because it helps you stay on the mark and keep your bait near the bottom where these fish feed.
A standard offshore bottom setup works fine, with a paternoster or simple running sinker rig, tough leader and fresh fish or squid baits. Use enough lead to stay hard on the bottom, and handle them carefully boatside because the dorsal spines are sharp and can sting you.
Despite being a small shark, the whitespotted dogfish has venomous dorsal spines, so it can give you a nasty reminder if you grab it carelessly.