Fraser's fabulous tailor by Gary Howard

If you were to ask me where I'd like to go fishing tomorrow, Fraser Island would instantly pop into my mind. It's given me a lifetime of good memories and good fishing and hopefully many more to come. I'm sure countless other anglers and their families would feel the same way I do - Fraser is just one of those unique places and it's virtually on Brisbane's back door.

At this time of the year there's an annual run of tailor along the northern beaches, in particular Fraser Island. This run is held high in the minds of beach fishos, some of whom consider it to be the Mecca of tailor fishing. Still, these seasonal runs (like all fish) vary from year to year. Generally the season starts in late July as the first run of fish move through. Most anglers pass up on the first run, which is often short. The few schools can move in and out pretty quickly.

The two best months are definitely August and September, with anglers planning their trips around either the full or new moon. It just depends when they fall in the month. There are several reasons for this. Most fish are more active around these moon phases, feeding and spawning. Food and sex: powerful motivators and natural instincts for fish! Bigger tides occur too, so more movement of water and food result in a better bite for anglers.

I've seen a spawn take place only once, and that was while I was standing on Indian Head looking a school of tailor the size of a football field just to the north. In the calm waters the agitation of the tailor was clear and the dark brown/black colour of the school changed to a lighter colour as thousands of tailor released their milt. It was quite an awesome sight to behold.

Fishing the moons you sometimes find there is a good daytime bite around the top of the tide, but usually early morning, afternoon and night are the best times to fish. When I say 'early morning' I mean before the first hint of light starts to sneak over the horizon. The bite continues until about 8am. Sure, you will still get a few fish if you are a late riser, but you'll miss the best of it. If you are going to have a fish during the day, try changing to a metal lure and casting right out to the white water at the back of the gutter. Tailor take refuge during the light of the day in this zone.

The afternoon bite starts about 4pm and is at its best as the sun disappears behind the dunes with their shadows casting over the water. When darkness falls (around 6pm) the main run is pretty well done and the bite drops off.

Tailor do feed well at night though, and this is when those big greenbacks of 3-5kg move in. To catch them you need to find the right gutter and be patient.

CHOPPER TAILOR

Before we get too excited about the big ones, let's first have a look a catching a few of the more common schooling fish, or 'choppers', which these days average around 1kg. For this, a rod from 12-13'6" is about right, loaded with 6-8kg line on either an Alvey side cast or a spinning reel. Using a long rod is less about casting distance and more about keeping the line out of the wash and sweep. It avoids unnecessary drag, which will see your line wash up onto the beach quicker or down the gutter with the sweep.

The same applies for the line strength that you use, which is a bit of a compromise. Go too heavy and you have the wind resistance on your cast and that drag in the water due to the extra thickness of the line. Go too light to get better casting distance and you can often snap off while trying to cast a reasonable weight and pilchard out to the back of the gutter. Additionally, all the striking at the fish when they hit is tough on knots and light line, with plenty of break-offs happening on the strike. If you are reasonably skilled, 6kg line is good for those smaller, chopper-sized fish. It's hard fishing, so good gear and good knots are essential.

The terminal tackle is pretty basic and straightforward, though a few refinements will help you be more successful. I like to run about a 60cm length of 40lb fluorocarbon leader. It ties well, has good knot strength and doesn't nick or fray easily.