Species Guide – Tailor     

With the cooler months approaching Tailor will really start to come on the chew off our many beautiful beaches in South East Queensland and into Southern New South Wales. These fish are very accessible to people without a boat and are very regularly caught in big numbers from the beach. 

If you are on the hunt for Tailor, finding the right spot is essential for getting good results and probably the best spot to look for is a gutter system. The best gutters are the ones that have an "in" and an "out" side to them this provides good current flow through the gutter, and also concentrates the bait to the corners of the gutter where the back eddy’s create a calm place for the bait fish to hide. Other places to look for when finding a spot to fish are submerged rocks, wave action and headlands. All of these places have something in common, there is something to breakup the current and the waves, all of these places often hold bait with tailor not far behind, waiting for a feed.

When chasing Tailor there are a couple of different ways to target them. One is bait fishing, by rigging whole Pilchards or Gar on ganged hooks. When selecting the right hooks to use, try and match the hook size to the bait size you will be using, usually three hooks around the 4/0 to 6/0 in size will cover most sizes of Pilchard and Gar you will use. When it comes to leader, between 30-40lb fluorocarbon is sufficient and will land even the biggest Tailor. When selecting the sinker you will be using, try to pick the smallest size possible but one that is still big enough to get a good casting distance. The slower the bait sinks and moves in the water the more bites you will get and the more fish that will be landed.

Another way to target these fish is to spin metal lures for them. This is an easy way to fish for Tailor as you cover a lot of water while casting and retrieving the lure. The method to use is to cast the lure as far as possible and wind it back at a rapid pace. Make sure you spray your casts around to cover as much water as possible, this will give you a better chance of hooking and landing a Tailor. Again when selecting a leader around 30-40lb fluorocarbon is best suited with the lure tied straight to the leader.

The best time to target these fish is early morning or late afternoon and into the night. This is when you will get the better quality fish as they tend to be more active in those low light periods. You will still catch fish throughout the day but they don’t tend to be the same quality fish as you would get in those low light periods.