Species › Australia & New Zealand › Tailor (Bluefish)

Saltwater

Tailor (Bluefish)

Pomatomus saltatrix · tailor, bluefish, chopper

Water temp
61–73°F
Peak season
Jun–Sep
Best light
Dawn · Dusk
IGFA record
31 lb 12 oz (14.4 kg)
Tailor (Bluefish) (Fish4397 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library.jpg)

Photo: SEFSC Pascagoula Laboratory; Collection of Brandi Noble, NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC. · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

OverviewWhere & WhenHow to CatchGearRegulationsRecordsForecastCatches

Overview

Tailor are the Australian name for the bluefish, a greenish-blue, silver-sided predator with a jutting lower jaw and razor teeth, found in temperate seas worldwide and along most of Australia's coast outside the tropics, as well as South Africa, where it is called shad or elf. They school in surf gutters, estuary mouths and around headlands, slashing through baitfish at dawn and dusk and feeding hardest on a rising tide. Fast, aggressive and willing, they are the species that fills Australian beach-fishing competitions, with Fraser Island's annual tailor run the most famous.

Typical size1–3 lb (0.5–1.4 kg); 14–20 in
Trophy8 lb+ 'greenbacks'; 12 lb+ is exceptional
Table fareFair — good bled and eaten fresh or smoked; does not freeze well

Where & when

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The main east-coast run peaks in winter and early spring (June–September) as schools migrate north to spawn, with Fraser Island's August–September run the highlight; Western Australia fishes best in summer and autumn.

K'gari (Fraser Island) eastern beach, AustraliaWorld-famous winter tailor run along 75 miles of surfStockton Beach, AustraliaLong NSW beach with gutters that hold big greenbacksSwan River and Perth beaches, AustraliaWA's urban tailor fishery; summer lure fishing

How to catch

Ganged pilchards in the surfRig a whole pilchard on a set of three or four ganged hooks under a small sinker or float and cast into a surf gutter at dawn or dusk on the rising tide. Retrieve slowly so the bait drifts naturally; strike at the first solid pull.
High-speed metalsCast 20–40 g metal slices across gutters, headlands and feeding schools and crank fast just under the surface, pausing to let the lure flutter. Use a short wire or heavy mono trace to beat the teeth.

Gear

Rod10–13' light surf rod rated 2–4 oz, or 7' medium spin for lures
Reel4000–6000 spinning or Alvey sidecast
Line15–25 lb braid or mono; 30–40 lb mono or light wire trace

Lures

metal slicessurface poppersshallow hardbody minnows

Baits

pilchards (whole, ganged)garfishwhitebaitfish strips

Regulations

Australian states set minimum sizes and bag limits for tailor, with Queensland imposing seasonal area closures on K'gari during the spawning run; a recreational license is required in NSW and Western Australia. Check the state agency's current rules.

Records

IGFA all-tackle world record: 31 lb 12 oz (14.4 kg) — Hatteras, North Carolina, USA, 1972 (James M. Hussey). State and regional records are kept by each fish & wildlife agency.

Frequently asked

Is tailor the same as bluefish?

Yes. Tailor is the Australian name for Pomatomus saltatrix, the same species East Coast Americans call bluefish and South Africans call shad or elf. The world record comes from North Carolina, but Australian beach anglers catch them in the same way: pilchards or fast metal lures in the surf at first and last light.

Bite forecast — Tailor (Bluefish)

Recent catches

Posted by anglers on the live map, filtered to Tailor (Bluefish).

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