SydneyIsSkyBlue

Hi everyone, So curiosity has got the better of me... I had the afternoon off work today and decided to take myself down south to target some squid. I stated at Gymea Baths and nabbed a smallish arrow squid with my first cast just at the turn of the tide. After about an hour, things started going quiet so I thought I'd move to a more coastal environment and again, first cast I was on to a decent calamari. This was follow by a slightly smaller calamari a few mins later and then my first ever tentacle being retrieved by my jig (whoops!). I usually dispatch the squid immediately with the ikijime method if I'm going to be taking them home but I've noticed that the last few times I've caught the arrow squid, after about 1 hour of sitting in a bucket with fresh water from wherever I'm squidding (which I tend to change every 15-20 mins) they tend to go a solid white colour and go extremely rigid - I'm guessing this is some sort of rigor mortis response? Interestingly though, both the calamari I caught didn't have that same response and they were kept in the same bucket for a few hours. The best way I can explain it is almost the texture of how squid goes if it is over cooked (rubbery?).

I chuck the tentacles in whole... when they're fried they go super crunchy. Some of the best parts!

Thought I'd share my recipe for salt & pepper squid with a bit of a twist. Ingredients needed: - 1kg squid hood + legs (I prefer to lightly score the hoods and cut into long triangular shapes) - milk - 200g tapioca flour - 1 tbsp sweet paprika - 1 tbsp Szechuan peppercorns (ground down roughly preferably with a mortar and pestle) - vegetable oil - sea salt - Chinese 5 spice powder - this is easily purchased from supermarkets. Method: 1) Clean the squid then split the squid's hood down the middle to open it up. Lightly score the squid (don't throw out the tentacles either) and then cut into strips or triangles and set aside. 2) Soak squid pieces in a bowl of milk (preferably overnight) in the fridge to allow lactic acid to tenderise. 3) Prepare your dry rub by placing the tapioca flour, sweet paprika, ground Szechuan peppercorns and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Mix to combine ingredients. 4) Remove your squid from the fridge and then drop the squid pieces into the dry rub mix (you don't want to remove the milk as this will obviously help bind the dry rub) and set aside. 5) Heat oil up gently on a medium heat and once oil is ready, quickly fry your squid pieces - be careful as these will spit like crazy. This should take around 90 seconds to cook. 6) Remove squid onto a paper-lined plate and allow excess oil to drain. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl prepare the seasoning by putting a 1:1 ratio of sea salt (preferably ground up) and Chinese five spice powder and sprinkle over your squid. A few finely chopped garlic chives/shallots and chilli doesn't go astray to add a bit of extra flavour. Recommended Dipping Sauce: I like to make my own mayo with a simple grapeseed oil and egg yolk mix, however a good store bought egg mayo would be perfectly fine as well. A little squeeze of fresh lime juice, sprinkle of salt and white pepper and sriracha chili sauce to taste. Would love to hear how people enjoy it if you decide to make it. SSIB

Thank you so much for the detail @Ozzybass and also @Hateanchors That now makes a lot more sense and may explain why I'm not getting lighter/smaller squid jigs and lures to sink as well. I guess this may be due to the braid being too buoyant? Is there a generally recommended length of leader that should be tied on to the braid?

Hi everyone, I've only recently started getting back into my fishing, was always crazy for it as a kid but never really cared for the tackle side of it all, just wanted to catch fish! But now I'm finding the time to start getting out a little bit more and thought this might be the place to come, as the community and abundance of knowledge on here is always so helpful. I'm currently in the process of sorting out a new setup for some lighter land-based fishing (squid, bream etc.) and was wondering if someone could help me in understanding the idea of braid to mono (or fluorocarbon)? I've just gone out and purchased a Stradic Ci4 2500 reel and have been doing a lot of reading into braid which seems to be the way to go for the kind of thing I'm setting up for and in particular this FG knot which seems to be the way to attach the two together. I was hoping that someone could maybe explain the reason why this is done - i.e.: why not just tie the braid straight to the terminal part of the tackle whether that be the hook or squid jig? Is it that the vibrant colour of the braid can spook the fish or is it more from a structural point of view in terms of these lines not tolerating abrasive surfaces etc. as well? Any info on this would be greatly appreciated!

Are there many squid around the weed beds at Grays Point mate?

Thanks mate!

Hi guys, Just wondering if anyone has had any experience or luck chasing squid off the groynes at Ramsgate beach? Google maps suggests it may be worth a go but would love to hear if anyone has had a go there.

Thanks for all the help guys! The rationale behind getting a $50 rod initially was to start cheaper to get a feel for squidding and then progress from there. Half tempted to upgrade the rod as well now that I've got the hang of it.

Hey guys, Can anyone recommend some reels (preferably very light weight) for some land-based squid jigging? I ended up grabbing the 8'6" Rovex Egi Squid Specialist Rod from Dinga but looking for the ideal reel to pair it with. Happy to spend anywhere between $100-$300. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Try Lilli Pilli baths for squid ? On Gymea Baths, does anyone know what the go is with the signage up at Gymea at the moment saying that the water may be contaminated with sewage runoff... Mentions no swimming or fishing.

Lilli Pilli, mate.

And the left over squid ink is going to be squid ink pasta tomorrow. (Sorry it's not letting me attach the photos in one post!)

This became lunch... A Greek-style squid (stuffed with rice, spinach, bread crumbs, lemon and dill) - also known as Spanakorizo and braised in stock, tomatoes, wine etc.

Well... turns out the squid do like a bit of rain ? This was today's catch over about 3 hours.

Hi guys, Thinking of heading out somewhere in Sydney for a flick on Friday or Saturday but the weather doesn't look too kind at the moment. Has anyone had any positive experiences chasing squid in wet weather or is it more likely to be a deterrent? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Has anyone had a flick at Malabar in recent weeks? Was dead a few weeks ago, wondering if it has picked up?

Was down at Gymea baths today and Sydney Water had signs up saying no swimming and fishing due to possible sewage contamination (they're currently testing the water). Has anyone else seen this? I was down there on Monday and no such signs.

Thanks guys! Had my laptop die on me last night so have only just got to some of these posts but had a top day out there! Caught a smallish arrow squid whilst jigging in around the rocks, 3 decent leather jackets and some small snapper that went back in the drink. All in all, a good day!

So the mrs has surprised me with a full day's boat hire for my birthday tomorrow out at Barrenjoey and Pittwater. Looking to chase some squid early on around Coaster's Retreat and then see what else we can come by. Has anyone got some suggestions of spots to try and what sort of fish inhabit these areas/we should be targeting (have never fished there before)? Thanks for any advice guys

Thanks for always having some advice @DerekD - appreciate it! Are there certain times during the day time which should be targeted? (I've read 2 hours after high tide)

Thanks mate! Had another go today with absolutely no luck at all and another victim to the dreaded snag. Got out to Malabar around the peak of high tide at 8am this morning and then went around to Congwong beach and Bare island - all nothing. Around midday, ended up heading down to Gymea Bay baths and was given hope when I saw squid ink splattered all over the jetty (again, no luck). I know it's a matter of timing, but I'm starting to get a bit disheartened to be honest but maybe that's a reflection on me wanting to get things to work quickly. Is there anywhere that people would be happy to recommend where squid may be hovering during the day?

Nice stuff @campr Was this land-based or with a boat mate?

Thanks for the response Derek Yep, also tried along the rocks further around Bare Island towards La Perouse and thinking about also trying the rocks at Congwong Beach next time around. It sounds like I have the general concepts down pat (fanning casts and working an area, technique etc.), it's now just a case of turning up at the right time. Will actually be heading out for an afternoon/sunset session on Friday so will see how it goes. One other thing I feel I have pinpointed is the jig colour and type. I had a look at the various Yamashita videos on Youtube this afternoon and from what I seem to understand; the rainbow, silver and gold foils are the better jigs to be using in heavy sunlight - whereas today I was using the Shimano Sephia Egixile BB jigs in a 2.5 (I later realised these jigs actually glow and may not be reflecting the sunlight to get the squids attention). I'm currently in the process of sorting out my jig arsenal with new colours and sizes to see what works.

Hey guys, Went out to see if I could nab some squid this morning at Malabar (next to the ocean pools off the rocks there) and then swung around to Bare Island later in the morning. Changed jig colours numerous times, changed the retrieval method etc. but all to no avail. I'm pretty new to squidding and still haven't managed to land a squid despite 3 trips now and was just wondering if anyone has had some experience in these areas/are they still successful spots for those who have tried using a squid jig when land based there? I'm fairly confident I have my technique right and each time I've gone it has been mid morning to noon (which I'm guessing isn't prime time for squid), any suggestions on how I can maybe land my first Southern calamari? Thanks ?