Fishing for Tailor with Metal Lures

There is no doubt that the tailor is one of the most sought after local recreational fish species. Each winter and spring there is a swing in anglers’ attention to the tailor as they undertake their annual spawning migration up the east coast to the northern end of Fraser Island.

Most anglers targeting tailor a couple of decades ago used garfish for bait. The availability of WA or blue pilchards changed anglers’ habits and these soft, oily baitfish became the basis of most tailor techniques. Pilchards are still popular today, but decreasing numbers available for harvest and their increasing use as a food fish are making them both more expensive and a less attractive option for environmentally conscious anglers.

Why spin for tailor

There is, fortunately, another technique for angling tailor that doesn’t rely on the harvest of any baitfish. Spinning for tailor has had a strong following amongst sporting anglers for at least forty years. It is possibly the most practical form of tailor fishing and it is certainly very effective.

Practical, because you don’t have to carry huge amounts of bait, and lures don’t need to be kept on ice or away from thieving gulls. It is a very wise practice to carry a few tailor lures when chasing other species like bream, dart or mulloway, so you can take advantage of an unexpected school of tailor.

Effective, because unlike bait there is no delay between landing a fish and making the next cast into a feeding school. If a fish throws the hook while being played, the lure resumes fishing immediately. No wasted time retrieving to re-bait.

Which Lazer to use for tailor

Spinning for tailor doesn’t differ greatly from bait fishing for them. Retrieve speeds are faster, but apart from that spinning can be used to good effect in the same areas and conditions where anglers fish bait. The most effective lure type for tailor spinning is the humble metal jig, and of the plethora of metal lures on the market none is more successful than the Queensland made Lazer.

While fishing the surf beaches of Bribie Island this winter, local lure tossers have been very successful with Lazers from 25 to 50 grams and, although it surprises many, have consistently outfished anglers using WA pilchards. Anglers fishing breakwalls often use heavy 35 and 50 gram Lazers to reach distant schools of tailor.

Where and how to cast

The locations for spinning are the same as for bait fishing: close gutters in the surf, rocky headlands and breakwalls are all prime tailor spots. Simply cast across the gutter and make a medium paced retrieve. If you see fish following the lure without taking, increasing the retrieve speed should make the difference.

When searching for fish, spread your casts across the reachable water so no two fall in the same spot. Covering the water this way is a far more effective search pattern than working the same area repeatedly. Working your casts around the clock face applies to both beach and rock fishing.

Casting Lazers for tailor from the rocks or beach will produce plenty of action. Give it a try this season and see for yourself.