Central Coast Fisherman Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 (edited) G'day everyone, I've been consistently catching kings and bonnies off the rocks since December last year spinning metal lures. Once hooked I have barely lost any kings or bonnies and I reckon my conversion rate of fish landed once hooked has been around 95%. However over the last few weeks the kings and bonnies have seemed to have thinned out and the tailor seem to be moving in. However I'm having difficulties in my conversion rate of tailor landed once hooked. I reckon at the moment my conversion rate is only around 50% at best with most fish jumping, shaking there heads and spitting the lure. Very frustrating to say the least. Yesterday evening I went for a quick spin for the last 30 minutes before dark and the tailor were on from my very first cast. I managed to hook 4 however only landed 2 and had plenty more hits that didn't hook up. I am using the exact same metal lures that I have been using the catch the kings and bonnies so I'm not sure whats going wrong. I use metals from 20g to 65g however the lure I seem to catch the most fish on are the 40g surecatch knights. These lures have fairly big treble hooks. I also tried a 50g metal lure from a different brand with smaller treble hooks but had the same issue. Am I doing something wrong? Can anyone give me any tips for increasing my hookup rate and landing conversion rate on tailor? Yesterday I lost the biggest tailor I have ever seen as it spat the lure as I was about to lift it out of the water. I thought I had hooked a king as it didn't jump and had some serious weight to it. I reckon it was around 60cm and was devastated when it spat the hook!! Cheers, Phil Edited March 20, 2019 by Central Coast Fisherman Typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankS Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 Phil. Make sure your hooks are super sharp and increase the barb slightly ( open it up more ) this can be done with a sharp chisel . Makes it harder to get them off the hook but that's what you want at this stage. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelm Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 Tailor also have a very soft mouth compared to Kingfish and Bonito, add to that they jump, and a heavy metal lure can simply "fall out" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindmullet Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 Change the trebles and see if that helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Hornet Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 Swap your treble hook for a single, decoy jigging singles are popular. You might miss the odd hookup but that doesn't really matter as a pack of tailor will keep hitting the lure until one eventually finds the hook. Same goes for salmon. If you're keen enough try rigging like this. The lure is a 35g surecatch bishop with a couple of 4/0 mustad big guns. I tie my own assists on 100lb assist cord but you can buy them ready made. Since going to this configuration my conversion rate has improved dramatically, even over the single decoys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickmarlin62 Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 I use pliers and bend the point of the hooks in if they are parralel to the shank turn them in cause tailor will throw them with their headshakes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolongeramember Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 Definitely try changing the treble to a single. Make sure it’s not too small either. You want it significantly bigger than one of the hooks on the treble. I use a single for metals on tailor and the hook ups per strike I reckon are the same but the landing rate and ease of hook removal are definitely better. I think the reason they stay pinned better is because a treble has 3 small hooks which only grab a small amount each, a lot of the time with only one. A single has one large hook that grabs a much bigger chunk when it goes in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevwing Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 (edited) Lower your drag and fight it with patience. Still hook it up but take your time with it. I have lost a number of tailor from fighting it too quickly or bringing it in too quickly. They have a much softer mouth in comparison to kingies and bonito Edited March 20, 2019 by Kevwing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lungfai76 Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 Like other have suggested, single hook over trebles. Longer fight/landing is way better than hook up rate/spit the hook rate 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest123456789 Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 You can also try attaching an assist hook to the front of lure which will hook the fish if it strikes from the side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthman Posted March 20, 2019 Share Posted March 20, 2019 Also, make sure you keep the rod tip down and pointed towards 10 o'clock or 2 o'clock (imagine you are standing in the middle of a clock face on the ground) - when the tailor go to jump, gently point (not strike) towards 9 o'clock or 3 o'clock depending on which side you start at - this brings in any slack that would give rise to spitting the hook. Also agree with the single hooks and less drag - they don't dive so I wouldn't be too worried about getting cut off on rocks or objects below. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now