Tailor are accessible and relatively easy to catch from the shore or boat. They are tenacious adversaries and very entertaining when in the mood for displaying their aerial gymnastics skills.

The best times to target tailor are around dawn and dusk. They feed actively during these low light periods but can be caught throughout the day your best bet being near schools of baitfish.

Pilchards rigged on gang hooks are popular with bait anglers. Lure chuckers enjoy success on metal spinning lures worked with a high-speed retrieve. Poppers are a fun lure option when worked with a mix of fast and slow retrieves.

Tailor have sharp teeth and many anglers employ wire traces to avoid being bitten off. If luring, this should be kept very short (5cm). If bait fishing with ganged hooks, don't use wire—you might lose the odd fish, but you'll attract a lot more bites with a monofilament leader and the ganged hooks will offer some protection against the teeth.

Bleeding your catch immediately, keeping the fish cool and handling with care to avoid bruising the soft flesh will result in a better taste on the table.