Conditions

• Wind: sW 5-15knots
• Swell: 1-1.5m SE Swell
• Water Clarity 3m
• Tide : Low tide at 00.45am, High tide at 06.15am  (0.33 -0.98)
• Time Fished: 02.30am to 07.30am
• Moon Phase: 3 days before full moon.
• Temps 7-13 Degrees C

Notes

Neglible tidal flow. Decent swell coming through but it did not break as anticipated.  No surface activity anywhere.

Report

We launched at 2.30am and headed to spot 1.  This particular spot can have good fish feeding on surface in the right conditions but today all was quiet, I put it down to the lack of tidal flow due to the small tide.  First cast with a Megabass Vision 110 and hooked a nice tailor around the 50cm mark but unfortunately the hooks pulled next to the boat.  We cast around for a while but other than a follow by a small jew nothing else was interested in minnows.  I changed to a Zipbaits vib 50-13g and picked up a flathead around 40cm, a new species for the vibs for me.  I did see a free swimming whaler shark about 1m as well.  Other than that all was quiet, we switched to plastics but nothing was interested.  We moved on to spot 2, nothing was interested there or at spot 3 either.  It was looking like a very tough day.  We moved into the Seaway for dawn, the swell was up but unfortunately not breaking where I needed it to be, a bit too much south in its direction.   We started off with 40gram raiders and soon picked up a couple of 40's tailor and started to catch small bigeye trevally.  I changed to a Vib 90-35g to try an get something a bit bigger and soon hooked up to what I thought was probably another small trevally before it took off and had the reel screaming, that lasted about 30 seconds before the line stopped and I thought I'd dropped the fish.  I still had the fish but it was a bit lighter than when he started, courtesy of a toothy critter probably a shark.  We pulled another couple of trevally before they went quiet, so we moved to a new spot and I dropped the vib to the bottom, a fish must of grabbed it on the way down as when I tightened up I was on.  A short but spirited fight soon had a 69cm Jewie at the boat, a slightly better than average fish but still not a legal one.    After this I hooked 2 more fish but dropped both, I'm pretty sure one was a tailor and the other was another jewie.  That was it for the day, we were off the water by 7.30am.

Lure of the Day: Zipbaits Vib 90-35g

Conditions

• Wind: sW 5-10knots
• Swell: 0.5m SSE Swell
• Water Clarity 4m
• Tide : Low tide at 07.15am, Hight tide at 12.30am  (0.16 -1.16)
• Time Fished: 02.30am to 07.30am
• Moon Phase: Day of First Quarter, 1 week before full moon.
• Temps 8-12 Degrees C

Notes

Decent tidal flow, and strongish SW winds made it hard to fish the end of the north wall.  Lots of boats in the seaway and broadwater, would have caught more but the volume of boats made it difficult.  Lots of surface feeding activity.

Report

Once we launched at 2.30am we headed into the seaway to check out some locations, the volume of boats in there was extremely high as well as land based fishers on both walls, so we changed our plan and headed up to Sovereign Island.  Once there we found some surface feeding tailor and using Zipbaits ZBL poppers we landed 12 tailor from 35 -45cm.  I have been testing these poppers for a short time and they seem to work extremely well on low light surface feeding fish, particularly in the natural prawn patterns.  They went off the bite after an hour or so so I tried a few new lures such as minnows, vibs and plastics but could not get another hit.  By this time dawn was upon us so we moved back to the seaway and thankfully the landbased fisherman were gone allowing us to have a quick go at fishing for Tarpon.  Using ecogear Grass Minnow M in midnight Glow I managed to hook 1 fish of 61cm which took about 10 minutes to land.  I was testing some new jigheads, 5/8thoz with a size 2/0 hook, and this seemed to be an ideal match for tarpon as it stayed connected despite several large jumps and lots of thrashing on the surface, more testing is needed though.  By the time this fish was landed the tarpon had left so we tried jigging vibs for a little while before moving around to the The Flats.  Here we found a school of 30-35cm bigeye trevally occasionally hitting the surface so after pulling a couple on 20gram twisties we changed to ZBL poppers once more.  These proved to be very popular with the trevally and enabled us to cast right into the rocks.  We landed about 10 more on poppers before they moved into deeper water.  By this time the sun was up and the boat traffic was horrendous so we decided to call it a day.

Lure of the Day: Zipbaits ZBL Popper

Tailor are the most frequently caught fish in the Gold Coast Seaway, ranging from 20cm tiddlers to 80cm+ Greenbacks.  The average size is typical chopper size around 40cm.  This article will go into the best locations, tides, seasonal changes, successful lures and techniques that I've used over the years.

To start with lets talk seasonal changes.

There are only 2 seasons to Tailor fishing in the Seaway, theres the summer season and the winter season.  Tailor's behaviour differs in these 2 seasons which is why I separate the 2.  During the summer season which starts in October and goes through to March, Tailor more commonly feed close to the surface and will form large surface feeding schools, depending on the amount of bait around.  You will quite often find them close to the rocks less than 1 metre under the surface.  Summer time is popper time and you'll consistently catch your biggest fish on poppers.  The Flats, The Face, The Edge and Rock X are the best spots during the Summer Season.

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The Winter Season starts in April and goes through til August.  During winter Tailor more commonly hold closer to the bottom in deeper water and rarely feed on the surface.  During this time Vibs and plastics are the best lure to get them though you will still catch a few on metal slices.  They rarely hit poppers or shallow running minnows.  The Runway holds the most tailor during the winter season but you can still catch a few fish on The Flats and around the entire front of the north wall.

Secondly lets talk tides.

My preferred tide for tailor is a run-in tide and theres a few reasons for this.  Firstly the water is cleaner which when you are lure fishing makes a difference.  Secondly, on days when there is a big swell running it calms the front of the seaway making it possible to fish most areas safely.  Lastly tailor seem to prefer it, many times on days when I have fished the bottom of the runout and caught no fish, as soon as the tide has changed to a run-in the fish have switched on and began to feed aggressively.  Only a couple of times has it been the other way around.

Locations and techniques.

The North Wall produces more tailor than any other location in the seaway so I'll go into detail about certain areas there before covering the rest of the seaway.  Before continuing please see The North Wall up Close and Personal

The Face

While tailor can be caught around the whole north wall area there are a few spots that consistently yield fish, the first of which is 'The Face' .  This area only exists on an incoming tide and tailor love to sit just out of the current line and grab bait that swims by with the current.  Tailor can sit anywhere from 1m under the surface  right down to the bottom which is around 13m.  Metal slices work the best with 20gram twisties and 40gram raiders being my most favoured.  Cast your metal slice just beyond the current line  and to get the fish that are sitting more than a couple of metres down a countdown is required, I usually start at 4 seconds and then go to 6, then 10, but no more than 15 seconds otherwise you'll get stuck on the bottom.  Knowing what depth the fish are sitting at is important as it enables you to get to the right depth everytime.  Vibs such as the Zipbaits Vib 80-25g or the Eclipse Heavy Slight 90 work well for the tailor sitting close to the bottom, they can also be used with the cast and countdown technique.

Rock X

Is primarily a shallow minnow and popper zone but slugs can also be used with a countdown of no more than 6 seconds.  Plastics can be used if you are feeling reckless and sometime yeild some nice fish.  Sometimes you need to get real close, within 30cm of the rock.  Many of the strikes come within 1m of this rock.

The Flats

Located on the northern side of the north wall The Flats consistently has tailor in residence, but usually only at first light.  Any techniques work here, but shallow minnows and poppers are my favourite during the summer months.  During winter when the fish are holding a bit deeper, vibs such as the Zipbaits vib 90-35g work well.

The South Wall.

Due to the high amount of landbased anglers the south wall can be a tricky area to fish.  The best spots for tailor are the bay to the south, sometimes schools will hold in this area and a metal slice sunk to the bottom then retrieved back to the boat quickly will get results.  Due to the southerly orientation of this area, it is fishable in only the best conditions as any swell over 1m creates large and dangerous swells.  Around the front of the south wall in the wash zone is always worth a cast  with metal slices or poppers.

Wavebreak Island

Wavebreak Island can be broken up into 2 sections, the flats and the north wall. The north wall of Wavebreak island yields a few quality tailor mainly on metal slices or poppers cast and retrieved through the tidal flow at the very tip of the wall.  Poppers can be cast right in close to the wall in the small eddy there and hits usually come just as it enters the current zone.  The flats usually only yeild tailor at night and poppers are the best for this area, sometimes bait schools can gather here and the tailor hunt them.  Worth a cast if you are filling in time waiting for the sun to rise.

The rest of the seaway.

During the summer months on a run-in tide always keep an eye out for birds signalling a school of tailor feeding on the surface.  These schools go up and down very quickly and can pop up anywhere so you need to be on the ball to get a lure in there quick.  Sometimes the fish in these surface feeding schools can be quite large up to 55cm.  Best lure for this is the 20gram twistie which perfectly matches the frogmouth pilchards the Tailor are feeding on.

Lures

While any lure will catch tailor while they are in the mood I do have a few favourites I prefer to use. My top 5 tailor lures are as follows :

Halco 20gram twistie - During the summer run of fish when they are feeding on frogmouth pilchards this lure is an exact profile match, mainly used for prospecting and surface feeding schools.

Megabass Vision 110 in SeguroIwashi Stardust is my top lure for prospecting the edges and places like The Graveyard, and Rock X.  Will outfish any other lure when a school of tailor can be found sitting shallow close to the rocks.

Zipbaits Vib 90-35g in Hologram Iwashi is the top lure for winter tailor or when they are sitting deep. Useful on The Flats, The Face, The Eddy and The Runway. Can be Jigged or cast and retrieved, tailor seem to prefer it with a fast erratic retrieve.

Tackle House Contact Feed popper 120 in Sardine Slit HG- This lure is only new but its success so far on winter tailor(which are very hard to get on poppers) has been exceptional, can be used anywhere but Rock X, The Graveyard, The Edge and The Flats are the best place for poppers.  I can't wait to try it out on the summer run of big Tailor.

Spanyid 65 gram Raider - For when you need distance or just need a fast reaction lure the 65gram raider is the one to use.  Useful on The Flats, The Face and with long casts right along the front of the north wall.  Can also be sunk down deep with a countdown technique, keep it under 10 seconds though.

See Also Seaway Tailor Video

Conditions

• Wind: sW 5-10knots NW 5-15kts
• Swell: 1m SE Swell
• Water Clarity 7m
• Tide : Low tide at 08.58am, High Tide at 02.37am  (0.31 -1.06)
• Time Fished: 02.30am to 07.30am
• Moon Phase: 1 day after last quarter.
• Occasional drops of rain, Temps 13-18 Degrees C

Notes

Negligible run in the tide, little swell and clear water.  No fish around the north wall after first light.

Report

Went for another fish down the Broadwater and Seaway today, first spot we fished we managed a couple of hits on poppers but nothing else, so we moved on.  Was lots of pike or barracuda hanging around the boat at one stage, they'd make ideal livies for big Jewfish.

Next spot we found the tarpon, I was testing dropshotting plastics to try and increase the retention rate and it worked though needs a bit of modification to be really successful.  While it retained most of the fish it hooked, the hookup rate was poor, I'm thinking a smaller plastic should do the job.  I have some grass minnow S, that i will be trying next time.   We landed 8 tarpon, lost 5 at the boat, and had about 10 jump off.  Best tarpon landed went 58cm with most around the mid 50's, we did lose a few 60cm+  fish at the boat including one monster that looked like it might of nudged 70cm. Tracked the movements of the tarpon over the morning, interesting that they moved from shallow water into deeper water as first light appeared before disappearing.  Also trialed Berkely Gulp minnows in Smelt colour which worked just as good as the Ecogear grass minnows  we had been using.

They went off the bite just on first light so we moved to into the seaway and didn't take long to get a nice jewie of 65cm and a small bigeye trev both on Eclipse Heavy Slight in Glo Mullet.  Dawn was upon us and the Zipbaits vib 80-25g claimed another new species, a 42cm Luderick, hooked in the mouth too but that was all.  With calm conditions and clear water the seaway is not fishing very well for us after sun up so we called it a day.  A solid mornings fishing overall and some interesting tarpon habits to add to the knowledge bank.

25th June 2010

The Japanese make some great lures and finding them in Australia can be a frustrating experience, usually retail shops carry only a small range and only have them once never to be seen again, they also have a tendency to overcharge something chronic.  Over the last couple of years Japanese tackle shops have seen this demand and are now catering for international anglers over the Internet.  This guide will go into detail and review each of the online tackle stores that I know about judging each one on ease of use, payment methods, delivery times and range of stock.  If you have experience with other online tackle stores please let us know in the comments below.

Firstly a word of warning about online purchasing.  Online purchasing carries an element of risk as it relies on the honesty of the online retailer and there are alot of scammers out there willing to take your money and run.  The old saying that 'If it is too good to be true then it usually is' most definitely applies to purchasing over the internet.   That said most online tackle stores are honest and realise that repeat business is the path to success so they will dispatch your order promptly and communicate well.  Wherever possible pay by credit card or Paypal as both methods carry buyer protection.  Never spend what you can't afford to lose and always when purchasing via a new website make only a small order first to test dispatch times and communication.

Next, Delivery is something you need to take into account when purchasing.  Unless you have the patience of a saint, EMS or FEDEX is the only way to go.  These 2 options usually cost around US$15 and have a delivery time of 4-7 days.  Standard Air Mail can take 2-4 weeks.  Beacuse of this delivery charge you are better off buying 4 or more lures at once to offset the cost.

Price, on average you will pay between $20-25 each for lures shipped in from Japan, but this obviously depends on the strength of the Aussie Dollar.  Always use a currency converter before you complete checkout to know exactly how much you are spending.  XE.com is a good one to use.  When  paying by Paypal, they always have a exchange rate a couple of cents lower than the standard rate so it will cost you a little bit more.

Now on to the websites...

Samurai Tackle

Samurai Tackle has a good store with a decent range of Vibs, Minnows and Poppers and a good range of quality trebles to choose from, as with many of the others its plastics range is limited though it does score points  for having an excellent range of Ecogear Grass Minnows.  Quite a few items are out of stock though, and sometimes items are listed that are not in stock. They do let you know when this happens and give you a choice of another or refund.  The only payment method accepted is Paypal for international buyers.  Dispatch time is very good, usually within 24-48 hours, delivery time by EMS is 5-7 days.  Navigation is good with lures divided by type then brand, and brand searchable from the front page. Sale prices are in US Dollars only.

Plat

Plat often gets lures that noone else has, for example its the only one that has had the Daiwa Over There Range of sinking pencils.  Most lures are not restocked though after they are sold out so you need to subscribe to the newsletter to find out when he gets them in.  You can pay by Credit card or Paypal but the methods of doing this are a bit convoluted, he really should simplify it.  Dispatch time is good, within 48 hours, delivery time by EMS is 5-7 days.  Navigation is difficult with lures sorted by area of use( which is very subjective) then by brand. Sale Prices can be converted to Japanese Yen or US Dollars.

Ebay Tackle Stores

There are plenty of Ebay tackle stores but I'm only going to review the ones I've dealt with.  Ebay has a feedback system that allows buyers to rate the seller, this is a powerful tool for a buyer to decide whether or not the seller is worth dealing with.  The standard online warnings(see above) still apply though.

Shimreels (Ebay)

Shimreels is located in Vietnam and has an excellent Ebay store with over 8000 items in stock and the only store I have found which stocks a good range of Zipbaits Vib58-13g.  Feedback is okay considering the sales he has.  Communication is okay, but can take a day or 2 to get back to you. Payment is by Paypal only.  Items are Buy It Now only, no auctions.  Navigation is good, with categories by type and then brand.  Dispatch is within 24-48hrs and delivery time is 4-7 days by FEDEX. Sale prices are in $US only.

Sayaka 603 (Ebay)

Sayaka 603 has a good store with a fantastic range of Megabass lures, which many of the other stores only carry in limited quantities.  Feedback is okay considering the amount of sales he has.  Paypal is the only accepted payment method.  Dispatch time is okay with items posted within 2-4 days from date of purchase.  Delivery time by EMS is 5-7 days.  Because his range is limited navigation is easy via the brand categories.  He auctions lures constantly which enables you to pick up lures very cheap at times, though it requires a bit of patience.  Set an amount and only bid in the last 15 seconds of the auction, if the auction goes over your amount, ignore it and move to the next lure you are intereted in.  Communication is okay but not great.  Sale Prices are in $US only.