# Tailor as live bait



## grant ashwell (Apr 24, 2007)

When using tailor as a bridled live bait, they very quickly begin spinning even when very slow trolling. The line can get into a horrible mess of twists in a short time. For such a lively fish they appear lethargic and spent after about 5 minutes and then begin rotating.The slimy and yakka etc seem to go forever.
Any ideas on rigging to make them more durable on the troll? I do not want to use a weight to keep them upright. I hook through the back for drifting and have no issues with their behaviour doing this. Perhaps this is standard behaviour for this fish --I would be interested to hear how they go for you.

Grant


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## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

Hi Grant, I am an extremely novice user of livies, but an observation is that yakkas and slimies are much more round in profile compared to tailor, which are quite thin and high bodied with slab sides. Could it be that the shape of a tailor is like the spinning blade on a celta (and therefore spins a lot), whereas yakkas and slimies are more like the shape of a metal slug (which doesn't spin much)?


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

Swivel Grant?

trev ('don't go past the bins')


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## Ado (Mar 31, 2008)

I'm another novice talking from my hat, but ....

My understanding is that, for all their aggression and bravado, Tailor die as soon as you look at them kinda funny. Put them in a bucket with yakkas and they'll be upside down and flaring their gills before the yakkas even cough. I don't think the way you rig them will make any difference. You may be better butterflying them from tail to gills and removing the spine so that they at least look like they're swimming.


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

Ado said:


> You may be better butterflying them from tail to gills and removing the spine so that they at least look like they're swimming.


If you sharpen a metal pipe, you enter the wrist before the tail, snap the spine to get access over the end of the bone by pushing tail to a right angle, then push the pipe forward along the spine so it cores the fish right up to the gills. Do it slowly, as if it comes off the spine you can core your own hand.

We used to keep the sharp end a bit jagged so we could rotate it like a saw blade when hitting any tough bone, I had a s/s pipe and a square timber handle araldited at one end of the pipe so it could be turned easily, the tube was open at both ends so the bone could be pushed out easily.

Gives you a very smooth body that is now quite flexible.


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## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

Hook through the nostrils and fixed trailing hook through anal fin (not too tight), swivel. Troll at about walking pace. Haven't had any problems with line tangle and have let them swim away after a couple of hours trolling.......pity they increased the size to 35cm's in QLD as there a little too big for bait where I fish.
Good bait cause they tend to panic and swim around a lot when a predator is around, other live bait seems to stay still and hope nothing sees them.


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## Thegaff (Apr 19, 2011)

When ever im fishing with live bait the stay still and do nothing aproach seems to work out in my baits favour more oftern then not.


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## Wrassemagnet (Oct 17, 2007)

ArWeTherYet said:


> Hook through the nostrils and fixed trailing hook through anal fin (not too tight), swivel. Troll at about walking pace. Haven't had any problems with line tangle and have let them swim away after a couple of hours trolling.......pity they increased the size to 35cm's in QLD as there a little too big for bait where I fish.
> Good bait cause they tend to panic and swim around a lot when a predator is around, other live bait seems to stay still and hope nothing sees them.


I use a two j hook rig as well and like AWTY I find the tailor hardier when pinned through the nostrils rather than bridled through the front of the eye socket, unlike slimies or yakkas which last better bridled. Second hook in front of dorsal fin. I use a swivel too. I also add a small ball sinker running down to a soft glow bead (Im mainly using tailor at night for jewies) above the nose hook. I find they spin whenever I troll faster than about 4kph but because I like to drift them with the current in complete silence this doesn't bother me. Hope this helps.


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## matto1 (Jun 23, 2012)

i hate bait, just saying 

seriously though i can NEVER get livies right, i have found however a swivel and light weight helps


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