lures for tailor

[PNG1M]

Hi all,

I did a bit of a search for info on tailor lures. Read some interesting posts dating back to around this time last year.

I was wondering what the most popular metal lures would be for spinning for tailor in the surf.

Anyone out there got some favourites?

Brands that stood out in my search included:

Halco Twisters (silver)
Raiders
Lazer lures (blue & white)
Prickly Petes
Gillies Pillies
Slider lures - they had a good write up but not sure if they're still available

The weight range seems to be between the 40g - 70g sizes.

Does the above list sum it all up, or are there other suggestions??

I don't own any metal lures at present as my current collection is mostly HBs for barra n bass.

I hope to get a decent cross section of maybe a dozen or so (tried & tested) metal spinning lures, aimed towards tailor.

All suggestions and/or advice welcome...

[aussiefool]

Mate when it comes to lures for Tailor or any other fish for that matter ,there is a gazillion on the market.The list you have made up is good for what is out there so now all you have to do is pick one or two and give them a go.The size will matter depending on the size of the bait that's being fed on. The rob and type line you use will also be a factor aswell. For me I use a 40 gm Knight Raider as I can cast it better and for longer than a 65gm one. Now you have to pick a colour, yes it can make a difference if the fish are a bit shy and not on the chew.

How this helps and not make it more confusing. If it dose then just go and buy any lures that take your eye and try them

Aussiefool
Andrew

[deepfried]

Hi mate,
Hols just around the corner hey. I have had success and on most of the lures you have mentioned. Sliders i havent used but have used a similar setup that a mates dad makes and they work a treat. You can make your own using a barrel sinker or long bean sinker and they will work. Never heard of prickly petes. My favourites are Sniper 60gm, Gillies baitfish 40 & 60gm, Raider 40 & 65gm, Halco 40 & 55gm or the best of all because they are cheap are the ones i make myself with a mold i got from Barlows Tackle in the US because they end costing stuff all. Others that are very good are the River 2 Sea and Maria slugs but they are too dear. They will hit just about anything. I prefer white, blue, green, pink and plain old silver. The lead slugs i use when i am on a ledge or similar and wont knock the paint off them, if on a wall or some where that the lure is going to bash into rocks on the way back in i use the chrome lures.

I pretty much only used Halco poppers in 110 and 130, blue and silver or the white red colours. For hard bodies the best by a long shot for me is Yo Zuri Crystal mag minnow but they are dear as poison and hard to find in Aus. I like HBs that dive from 1' to about 5' and are about 140mm long. Hardest thing though is to find them with a decent weight to get them out a bit. Reidy's have a good b52 model.

[Horse]

I use Raider 65gms most of the time but like the 40gm and 60gm R2S Sea Rocks as they cast like a bullet. Tailor are normally not too fussy and the main thing is being able to reach the fish.

[PNG1M]

Thanks chasps,

I'll get a selection based on what you guys reckon plus whatever tickles my fancy from what's displayed at the tackle shop.

Deepfried, I was interested that you mentioned using some HB lures. Since I have loads of them I'm sure there must be a few worth a try - as long as I can get a decent cast happening.

There are a few I have that are quite bright & shiny & glittery & compact (eg some reflective Yo Zuris plus others) that might work.

I'll be casting direct from the beach into the surf and was wondering if HBs would be worth a try and how they'd pull through the waves & wash.

I thought maybe their action would be messed around & they'd end up being dragged in belly up and turning circles.

Nothing ventured nothing gained I spose so I'll give 'em a burl.

[deepfried]

I really like HBs in certain conditions. 3 of my 4 biggest Tailor have fallen to HBs. As for fishing with them from the beach i dont think you will get out into the gutter unless it is right at your feet. I would normally use them from walls and rocky headlands at last light and into the night. The other time i like them is when the water is a bit dirty as the slower retrieve and rattle makes it a bit easier for the Tailor to home in onto them. You should have a few barra lures that work well. I look for lenghts up to 14cm or so and like them a bit heavier ( around 25gm + ) for getting out past the strike zone so i can retrieve through it. Some times distance isnt important if the fish are holding at your feet which happens a lot around here. The best colours i have found have been blues and whites to match pillies and grey / white, the more reflective the better. The Yo zuri i use are awesome and out fish everything else i have used. I got mine from Hawaii Fishing Lures but they are now available in Aust if you ask your local to order them in. They are about $35 though.
I use a few retrieves depending on contitions and how they are feeding. If they are shy i will crank them in fast with a lot of big twitches and short pauses. As i get close to the rocks i slow up a bit and twitch the lure a lot more until i have to pull it out, basicaly trying to make as much noise and action as possible to the rocks and leaving it there to get get hit. In dirty water i will use a slow retrieve with a lot of smaller twitches, if that doesnt work i will make the twiches bigger. If they are feeding well a slow retrieve all the way to the rocks works. They often like to hit lures on a pause or just after even metals and poppers. With metals if i get a hit or two that dont hook up during a retrieve i will let the lure drop for a couple of seconds and they will often hit it as it is falling, basicaly imitating how they prey on bait fish. They knock the tail of and then turn to finish the fish. I am sure you would have a few that that would suit, you just need to find the right areas and conditions to use them.
cheers
Scott

[PNG1M]

fyi, here are a couple of links relating to the topic:

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&feature=related (http://&feature=related)

(Hmmm, looks like the links are buggered...they were just Yutubes anyway):-[

One thing I noticed was the variation in rod & reel size. Another video I saw was a bloke spinning for Aussie salmon using metal lures. He was using a pip squeak eggbeater reel and a flimsy rod. He was only catching fish at around the 1kg mark from a shallow looking surf gutter close in.

If rod size is flexible I think I'll also have a 6' baitcast rod option on standby with my TE Conquest 300. That should cast a slug a mile depending on the conditions.
Worth a try... it might be good for the lighter metals.

[Slider]

I will hopefully know more today on a batch of Sliders - 40g, 45g and 55g that are well overdue. I do have some 65g.

There's no doubt that metals with attached hooks do drop a lot of tailor and particularly the larger fish. Dropping tailor (particularly greenbacks) when they're in the gutter, spooks the rest of the school and can, and usually does stop a hot bite in its tracks - especially in calm condns. Releasing tailor after capture or dropping the fish once past the shore break doesn't spook the school. But while they're in the gutter, great care should be taken.
Allowing the weight of the lure to detach from the hooks when the fish leaps and headshakes, removes the leverage that the fish has with attached hook lures, to throw hooks. The barrel sinker painted white works a treat.
Metals that have a lead content such as Sliders and Prickly Petes which are lead and white metal, cast further and are less prone to excessive bounce when retrieving on the surface at high speed in choppy condns. However, lighter lures such as Raiders which are stainless, can be advantageous in calmer conditions when surface disturbance is desired and onshore breezes not too strong.
Always replace trebles on all metals when spinning for tailor with opposite facing single hooks appropriate for lure size - 3/0s on 35g lures to 5/0s or 6/0s on 85g lures. Large hooks on small lures restricts casting distance and small hooks on large lures reduces hook - up ratio.

There's a heap of info on tailor spinning in the archives - a thread 'Spinning for tailor' started by MJC 85 was prob the most detailed.

Lindsay

[reidy]

Raiders for me, Size depends on what their chasing.Like the greens or blues.
Cheers
Reidy

[Slider]

Sliders in 40, 45 and 55 gram will be available in 2 -3 weeks. I can take orders via pm or email ldines@bigpond.net.au

Lindsay

[DigitalSI]

I have to say my favourite of all time are the Halco Twisty's 40, 55, & 70gm. Two weeks ago on Fraser I out fished my best mate and 3 randoms 18 Tailor to 0 within 2 hours. I was the only person using the Halco Twisty's in Silver. My best mate was using the Raiders. I hooked up a few using the Laser lures over the four day stay but definately the stand out were the Halco Twisty's.

[bondy99]

I've not been successful on lures for tailor as yet but was thinking of attaching stingers to them.

Peter

[deepfried]

I've not been successful on lures for tailor as yet but was thinking of attaching stingers to them.


Hey bondy,
Stingers really help in holding a fish but cut down on distance. Sliders post above mentions double singles, they really work well too and you dont loose a lot of distance. I use a stinger most times, i think they just pip double singles in fish holding but only just but double are a lot easier to remove. I use a 4/0 or 5/0 gama siwash (spp ?) on another split ring attached the treble split ring. The siwash is a salt water fly hook and they are awesome but dear.

[Horse]

I've not been successful on lures for tailor as yet but was thinking of attaching stingers to them.

Peter

Mate

Don't even think about it. If you are talking about the stingers used on deepwater jigs then I tried one on a 65gm Raider as a way of holding bigger Tailor. It just wound itself around the leader and was a pain in the butt :P

[deepfried]

If you are talking about the stingers used on deepwater jigs then I tried one on a 65gm Raider as a way of holding bigger Tailor. It just wound itself around the leader and was a pain in the butt

Hey Horse,
What you tried with assist hooks can be done but i dont think its worth it for tailor. You can hold the assist hook onto the metal with one or two wraps of leccy tape down near th bottom of the lure, this way it is held to the lure during casting but brakes away during hookup. You also need a longer leader on the assist hook so it hangs behind the lure. Would be a pain though i think. I think what bondy is talking about is a single hanging behind the treble, well i hope so anyway.

[Slider]

A single hanging behind the treble will throw the balance of the lure out which will cause it to tumble on the cast - especially in breezes that are other than from directly behind. Releasing fish would also be a bugger and damage the fish more than is desirable in most instances. I would suggest opposite facing singles are a better option - see attached pic of 40g Slider.

[bondy99]

Hey Horse,
What you tried with assist hooks can be done but i dont think its worth it for tailor. You can hold the assist hook onto the metal with one or two wraps of leccy tape down near th bottom of the lure, this way it is held to the lure during casting but brakes away during hookup. You also need a longer leader on the assist hook so it hangs behind the lure. Would be a pain though i think. I think what bondy is talking about is a single hanging behind the treble, well i hope so anyway.


G'day Deepfried,

Yes mate, I am talking about a single hanging behind the treble attached to a swivel, maybe I should use two ganged hooks do you think, or just keep with the single option?

Cheers, Peter

[bondy99]

A single hanging behind the treble will throw the balance of the lure out which will cause it to tumble on the cast - especially in breezes that are other than from directly behind. Releasing fish would also be a bugger and damage the fish more than is desirable in most instances. I would suggest opposite facing singles are a better option - see attached pic of 40g Slider.


Thanks for the info slider

[deepfried]

Hi Peter
I wouldnt use two hooks ganged together if that is what you mean. When i use a stinger i dont use a swivel either. I just attach the hook to a split ring and that split ring goes onto the one the treble is on. Its a bit of a compromise but helps minimise casting problems. Try the double singles with no treble as well, it works well. I use both methods but if i am fishing for a feed and from the rocks around here and distance isnt a priority i use the stinger and treble. If i am fishing for fun and releasing fish i drop the stinger or use double singles but normaly i am fishing for a feed. Slider is right with his lures, that concept rarely drops fish regardless of what hooks are used. I have made a few myself using barrel and large bean sinkers and they work. Might be worth giving them a go.
Scott

[PNG1M]

I wonder if this would be worth a try:

At the hook end of the metal lure you start with a split ring and join a solid ring onto it.

Then you get a couple of straight shank 'open eyed' hooks of the ganging style (but don't gang them). Or if necessary slightly open the eyes of your preferred 'closed eye' hooks with a centre punch.

Use two different length/size hooks eg a 4/0 and a 2/0.
Have them opposite facing and attach them to the solid ring.

Or, try a two hooks of the same size but one a long shank & the other a short shank.

Why two different hook lengths?

I dunno...the mention of a stinger hook in earlier posts just made me think of it, tasol..!

I thought maybe with the split ring & solid ring combination it would reduce availability of leverage for the fish to dislodge the hook.

The solid ring would dispel the chance of hooks forcing through the split & coming off, as they might do if connected direct to a split ring.

What the heck, I might try it anyway!

[Slider]

One advantage of opposite facing singles of the same size is that they can 'lock' on to the tailors jaw - one hook through the jaw from one direction and the other through from the opposite direction. A tailor hooked this way, and it happens often, has much more difficulty throwing attached hook lures. The 2 singles also often find separate purchase points which the tailor find difficult to throw.

You would have casting probs also PNG due to the imbalance the different sized hooks create - different aerodynamics and weight.

It's not just the leverage that allows tailor to throw hooks, but also the angles that the hooks are taken to when the lure is being thrown around. During headshake, an attached hook lure will travel the full extremity from one side of the fish's head to the other. This reduces the length and 'grasp' of the hook gape that has hold and creates angles that allow the hook to come out the path that it went in. When sliders slide up the leader during headshake, this assists tension on the hooks during headshake and dramatically reduces the changing angles of the hooks. It is the combination of this factor and the lack of leverage that makes sliders so effective. Throw on opposite facing singles of a suitable size and dropping tailor becomes a rare event. Of course, a good hook up doesn't occur every time and especially with small choppers and largish hooks.
To assist in preventing 'bad' hook angles, it is wise to keep the fish directly in front of you when playing it. Tailor have a habit of leaping and headshaking directly towards shore out of the front of little waves in the swash. If the angler is to the north or south of the fish when it does this, then an angle for the hooks to be thrown is automatically created and lots and lots of fish are dropped in this situation. Walking back up the beach when playing a fish also helps when fish are in the swash by keeping a length of line out that can cushion (stretch and contract) leaps and lunges. Maintaining a firm, but not too firm tension on the fish is vitally important.

Lindsay