Q 4 Tailor bait fishos

[Seamus]

I've always used pillies/ running sinker rig, and always done the variable speed wind when fishing for tailor. Just starting to go down the salted flesh strip side now, and have read here and there of lobbing the strip out in a nice quiet part of the gutter and letting it sit there. The idea being that a strip bait means XO tailor which don't generally shoal with the smaller, more prolific choppers. Sounds a lot like the solitary life of a jew fisherman to me, standing around for hours at night on an empty beach.

To me, this poses a couple of questions

1/ I thought tailor where basically a surface/mid water feeder which went for live bait (or something cunningly designed to look like it by a savvy fisho ) so why would a tailor be sniffing around on the bottom ?

and

2/ aren't you going to get a higher by catch of things like bream, jew and shark?

Is it the theory that the juices/oils of the mullet/bonito will berley the tailor down to it? Are you supposed to have a fair length of leader on it so it wafts around in the turbulance?

I would be interested in the thoughts of you blokes on this. Do you do a slow retrieve or let it sit? When using strips, what rig have you got - a couple of 5's or a gang of 4's?

Thanks in advance
Seamus

[robvee]

I've always used pillies/ running sinker rig, and always done the variable speed wind when fishing for tailor. Just starting to go down the salted flesh strip side now, and have read here and there of lobbing the strip out in a nice quiet part of the gutter and letting it sit there. The idea being that a strip bait means XO tailor which don't generally shoal with the smaller, more prolific choppers. Sounds a lot like the solitary life of a jew fisherman to me, standing around for hours at night on an empty beach.

To me, this poses a couple of questions

1/ I thought tailor where basically a surface/mid water feeder which went for live bait (or something cunningly designed to look like it by a savvy fisho ) so why would a tailor be sniffing around on the bottom ?

and

2/ aren't you going to get a higher by catch of things like bream, jew and shark?

Is it the theory that the juices/oils of the mullet/bonito will berley the tailor down to it? Are you supposed to have a fair length of leader on it so it wafts around in the turbulance?

I would be interested in the thoughts of you blokes on this. Do you do a slow retrieve or let it sit? When using strips, what rig have you got - a couple of 5's or a gang of 4's?

Thanks in advance
Seamus

I use a different setup to most guys.
running sinker ; 60-80cm Trace with 80lb steel for the last 10cm ; single 5/0 or 6/0 ; Half a pillie tied on with cotton ; cast out far and let it sit.
The theory is that the lighter bait on a long trace is free to drift about and attract the tailor. My catch rate is pretty good, and I'm seldom outfished by guys using the traditional gang hook/retrieve method.
Having said that .... my PB Tailor was caught with the same rig - but on the FAST retrieve as I was reeling in to check my bait
See ya

[gr hilly]

i like to use a tennis ball as a float a1 mtr trace swivel a small ball sinker tennis ball small ball sinker and another swivel it works very well great over reef or rocks.
Hilly

[BLOOEY]

G'day Seamus, I've always liked using large gar for the bigger tailor but fairly recently using flesh baits on 2,7/0's for them. Was out last night from 4pm-1am chasing jew on the beach with freshly caught tailor fillets and managed some nice tailor on a single 10/0 with 40cm of 60lb hard leader to a 9ball sinker. The biggest tailor definately seem to come on the larger flesh baits for some reason, maybe the bigger tailor are lazier or have seen alot of their mates fall victim to the humble pilly. A higher bycatch of jew would be fine by me , not a touch from one last night wobbegong central! Ben

[goat boy]

during daylight hours on the beach I use pilchards. I like a bit of sweep and weigh it down enough so it can move slowly through the gutter. I use 2/0s with a 1/0 trailing as this way regularly produces by catch of bream, big dart and flathead (yep and rays too occassionaly). By night I use a heavy mono or wire trace, 2 ganged hooks and a slab bait thats sized to sit on the 2 hooks. I salt the bait where I can (although if I've been catching choppers in the daylight I'll use slabs of them the same night) as its tougher and outlasts the pickers easier. I don't use a running sinker, just a sinker above a swivel and sometimes between 2 swivels.

[BLOOEY]

Just another thought. Seeing the larger tailor seem to like eating tailor slabs perhaps they shadow the schools of smaller choppers and predate on them. A smaller fish (pilly) may just not be worth their while or they are focused on larger prey. Ben

[Seamus]

Thanks boys, some really interesting ideas there.

GB - Have often thought a stinger in the gut of the pillie would do alright on the bream, so might have a play with that one.

But it would seem the general thought is upsize the terminal tackle and let it sit and waft around. So far I was happy with the gang of 4 o's and a 5 ball, but that just got the standard choppers that every other man and his dog were pulling in as well. (Mind you based on my last outing to Palmy the other morning I would have been happy with that )

Will go shopping this week but for Christ's sake don't tell my missus.

Good one.
Seamus

[jackash]

Mate for the bigger tailor, and smaller ones for that matter, i've never had any problem with lobbing out a big bait with a reasonable sinker and letting it sit.

My preferred rig is similar to some of the ones above, 8-10 balls sinker depending on the current, double swivel to about 60-70 of trace (be that mono straight through or a short length of wire attached) and then 2 ganged 7/0's. Just keep your line tight so you feel the weight when they hit!

Generally use a slab of tailor on this rig.

[nigelr]

I fish the surf at night and either target jew with squid or tailor with flesh strips.
I'll target jew with a single 7/0 or 8/0 circle hook.
If I find tailor are about while using this rig I'll switch to my tailor rig of 3x5/0 gang hooks on 40cms of 250lb trace, swivel, 40cms of 250lb trace with a running 4oz star or spoon sinker, swivel, 6-7 metres of 30lb cast leader, and 8 or 10 kg main line. I like a light main line because of decreased drag through the surf, and better casting distance.
I like the heavy trace because it doesn't tangle during the cast, and at night the fish don't seem to care how heavy the trace is. I've been bitten off easy as on 80lb.....and I don't like wire myself. I use gang hooks because they produce a higher hookup rate for me. As jackash says make sure you keep your line tight, when big tailor hit they hit hard and fast, and if you aren't concentrating, they will take you by suprise! I always fish with my drag right down, been snapped off too many times by big hits.
I have had rare times where greenbacks seem to be in schools, especially when there are mullet schools about, but generally IMHO they are a lot more solitary than the smaller fish. They love tailor fillets as well, so I have no doubt they will feed on choppers, given the chance. Bonito and mac tuna are my favourite strip baits for them, but mullet and tailor work very well also. I far prefer salted baits.
One thing I find pays dividends for me is to cast out as far as possible, preferably into the wash on the outside of a gutter. Often on slow nights I will get only one or two bites, right on the tide change. Punctual bu$$ers!
Cheers and enjoy, the bigger tailor are a beast of a fish and great to target and catch, and from spearfishing I can tell you the chance of decent jew being about increases exponentially if there are tailor present. Tailor are also a fish which IMHO are better eating the bigger they get.

[Seamus]

Thanks lads, appreciate the efforts.

Seamus

[Juzo]

so are you blokes using Alvey's or eggbeaters?

[robvee]

wrong on both counts .......... Overhead ;-)

[Juzo]

should have looked closer at your photo...but couldn't see past all the Tailor ,
think I'll try your rig out next time!