Tailor
Fast, aggressive and armed with a mouthful of teeth, tailor are one of Sydney's classic surf and harbour predators. They hit a lure hard and fight all the way to the net, and a fresh one, cooked on the day, is hard to beat on the plate.
About tailor
Streamlined and silvery-blue with powerful jaws and a set of sharp teeth, tailor earned the nickname “choppers” for good reason. They hunt in aggressive schools, slashing through bait balls in the surf, along the rock ledges and through the harbour, and they will happily smash a lure worked at pace.
Tailor are found off Sydney’s beaches and around the harbour, and they run best from spring into autumn. Willing, aggressive and quick to bite, they are a reliable and exciting target for anglers of any level, and a fresh tailor cooked on the day is genuinely good eating.
Tailor at a glance
| Name | Tailor |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Chopper |
| Scientific name | Pomatomus saltatrix |
| Best season in NSW | Sep–Apr |
| Habitat | Surf/Harbour |
| Where found in NSW | Sydney beaches |
| Size and bag limits | 30cm min, bag 10 |
| Average size | 30–60cm |
| Max size | 1m |
| Fishing method | Spinning |
| Best bait / lure | Metal lures |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Eating quality | Good |
| Taste | Strong oily |
| Recipe ideas | Smoked |
Spinning and ganged baits
Tailor respond to speed and flash, and a couple of proven approaches will keep you connected.
The proven methods
Tailor love speed and flash. Cast metal lures and spin them back briskly through the wash and along the drop-offs, or troll and fish pilchards on ganged hooks where they are schooling. When they are up and feeding the strikes are savage. Watch your leader though, those teeth make short work of light line. All the gear is on board.
How Wahoo puts you on them
Tailor move with the bait and the tide, and local knowledge puts you in the right spot at the right time. George Aslanian has spent more than 30 years learning the beaches, washes and harbour edges where the choppers feed, and we will get you casting into them. Keep a fresh one for the table, they are superb cooked on the day. Ready to go? Book a Sydney sport fishing charter.
Other Sport & pelagic fish
Australian Salmon
Australian salmon (Arripis trutta), also called kahawai: hard-running schools in the Sydney surf and harbour. Season, size, methods and eating quality, plus how to catch them.
Bonito
Australian bonito (Sarda australis): a fast, hard-hitting coastal speedster around Sydney Harbour entrances. Season, size, methods and eating quality, plus how to catch them.
Silver Trevally
Silver trevally (Pseudocaranx georgianus): hard-pulling schooling fish on Sydney Harbour and coastal reefs, year-round. Season, size and bag limits, methods and eating quality.
Yellowtail Kingfish
Sydney's premier sportfish. Brutal, fast and famous for busting anglers off in the reef, the yellowtail kingfish holds right around Sydney Harbour and along the coast, and going toe to toe with a big model is a genuine rite of passage.
Keen to chase some tailor?
Tell us your dates and crew and we will get you casting for Sydney's hard-hitting tailor, all gear supplied, every level welcome. Browse the full species guide, or mix it up on our sport and jigging charters.