Mulies, which way up?

 Bait casting is a no brainer, but what about in the surf. I've alwaysed put the head on the top hook, always catch fish, most of the time. On fishing WA a couple of weeks ago they were baitin with the head on the bottom. Went for a fish down injidup today and changed every cast, head at the top, then head at the bottom. Would have been 20-30knot cross wind so I could bearly feel the bites, so all I did was feed the fish, caught sweet FA. Anyway, back to the point, what has the better hookup rate, head at the top or the bottom?

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Jason P's picture

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Date Joined: 16/02/13

 From what I know a lot of

Sun, 2014-01-26 20:36

 From what I know a lot of fish tend to bit the head first but if your after tailor the go for the tail, being why they are called Tailor.

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deepwater's picture

Posts: 1921

Date Joined: 09/05/07

+ 1

Mon, 2014-01-27 05:19

 I agree with JasonP ,head at the bottom for mullaway and head a top for all of the rest

 

 

            jeff

Posts: 604

Date Joined: 02/01/11

Would it also not be a factor

Mon, 2014-01-27 09:26

Would it also not be a factor at which way the fish (tailor) is heading from. Is the assumption that the fish is aiming from the deep to the shore.
When in the water the bait is moving all over the place due to the surge etc.
I have had them hooked on each of the hooks (3 gang) at various times.

choc's picture

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 I think with Tailor, if you

Mon, 2014-01-27 09:44

 I think with Tailor, if you had the tail at the top you increase the chance of it biting through your leader when he bites the tail.

I put the head at the bottom for both mulloway and pinkies.

Belly88's picture

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Date Joined: 08/02/12

Mulies

Mon, 2014-01-27 12:39

I've caught heaps of mullys now and never once put a mulie on head down.. Mulies should always be head up in my opinion for one reason only, they sit better on the gangs that way.. A fish of any sort will eat a mulie no matter which way it faces I wouldn't stress about that at all..

Belly

Posts: 524

Date Joined: 31/01/13

 +1Doesnt make the slightest

Mon, 2014-01-27 13:07

 +1

Doesnt make the slightest bit of difference as far as your catch goes. Head up tail down sits on the hooks better & casts better, in the end that's what will catch you more fish.

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sherbert's picture

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Do bait fish swim backwards

Mon, 2014-01-27 17:38

All the time, [NO]  So why put it on assup  

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psion's picture

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Date Joined: 15/05/12

Hey Sherby

Tue, 2014-01-28 13:16

Get off the forum and unpack those rods, mate.

 

 

chrisd's picture

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Date Joined: 05/07/09

Doesn't matter

Tue, 2014-01-28 15:42

Trust me, either way catches fish mate, leastways they never complained about it before.

 

crasny1's picture

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With me it depends on target

Tue, 2014-01-28 16:30

Tailor no brainer -- Head up.

With demersal Im not sure it makes a huge difference, but in the Pilbara it certainly was almost a no brainer. Head down because the demersal target numero uno is coral trout, and they attack a bait head first. I have fished 2 bait rigs side by side, and the head down gets all demersals like reds, spangos etc, but so does the head up. However when you start talking Ctrout no question head down.

I agree with sherbs that fish swim in one direction, but with a BB outfit the bait "drifts" so head down IMO looks like a dead fish falling in the water column.

But I also dont use a gang for demersal, prefering a snell rig. The mulie doesnt look so stiff as it wafts down. With tailor a gang is needed to prevent bite offs, but then the bait is slowly wound in. Tail down then would then just look stupid to the fish chasing!!!

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Paul H's picture

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Date Joined: 18/01/07

depends on method of fishing

Wed, 2014-01-29 11:30

depends on method of fishing - Head up on a ganged rig with top hook through the eye but tail up otherwise when drifting one down a burley trail - i.e. head chopped off and thrown over for berley single snelled hook in and back out on the same side near the belly and then half hitch the line around the tail.

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axey45's picture

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Date Joined: 26/11/13

 I recon head down for bait

Wed, 2014-01-29 12:33

 I recon head down for bait casting, get more distance eg weight at the end, head, for trolling retreviel head up.

unhurry's picture

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Date Joined: 23/10/12

pardon my ignorance but

Wed, 2014-01-29 12:43

where does the second snelled hook lie ? 

axey45's picture

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 Thats if ya using snelled or

Wed, 2014-01-29 13:22

 Thats if ya using snelled or ganged, snelled second in gut with 2 half hitches around tail.

bushbeaver's picture

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Date Joined: 08/07/13

For Tailor I use a double

Wed, 2014-01-29 12:55

For Tailor I use a double hook rig, usually 3/0. 

Bottom hook attached to a 2-4 inch length of 19lb single strand wire trace, the top hook slides along the wire and the other end of the trace is attached to a barrel swivel.  Wire length will depend on the size of the pillie.

To rig a pillie I cut along the backbone maybe 1-1.5cm deep (i.e. stay above the rib cage), then insert the bottom hook from inside the incision, with the tip of the hook coming out the side of the pillie, near the head.  The top hook is inserted about halfway down the body, just behind the body cavity.  Swivel should be just above the tail.  The rig gets bound up with Bait mate.  The wire and hooks are mostly concealed within the bait.   It sits nice and straight on the hooks this way (even after a hefty cast), with the tips of the hooks exposed on the side of the bait, head down. 

I've noticed that most bites are in the middle/body section of the bait. 

This makes me wonder whether a Tailor would normally bite a baitfish in half first before coming back for the pieces- and in the case of a pilchard bait, the end you are left with when you miss the bite, would just depend on which end a hook was attached?