Bait: Fresh Squid

[maxor2008]

Hi all,

Does anyone know where I can buy some fresh squid (preferably snap frozen)? I'd like to go squiding myself, but it looks like I wont have the time + I aint too good at it!

Cheers,

Mick

[Victor78]

Any of the bigger Seafood shops normally sell small fresh snap frozen food grade squid in bulk packs mate

[myocard]

Ian's shop at Brooklyn.

[Guest Aussie007]

call around a few tackle shops the best frozen squid i have found in a box is california squid its 90-95% white cant beat it it works just as well as fresh squid altho it doesnt have any ink thats the only downside wherei buy it from it cost $15 a box there is about 10-12 squid per box

[cut_loose]

Whatever you do, Make sure you keep the squid in the shade and keep it on ice/cold. They go off easy otherwise

[crunch]

call around a few tackle shops the best frozen squid i have found in a box is california squid its 90-95% white cant beat it it works just as well as fresh squid altho it doesnt have any ink thats the only downside wherei buy it from it cost $15 a box there is about 10-12 squid per box

Larger ones are sold as "1lb Squid" - Tweed river bait co I think. Better tackle shops should have it. But keep any squid out of the cold and it won't last long!!

[Jono Hammond]

Squid from the fish shops is generally imported from overseas and SHOULD NOT be used for bait as it can introduce diseases into the Aussie fish, GO FISH - out wonderful sponsers sell the best coffin bay squid which is always really fresh.

[baldy]

i pay about $22/kg for freshly caught frozen squid, if ur interested pm and i give you the details

[Jewhunter]

The question is do you want to go fishing or do you want to catch fish?

If you want to just go fishing then buy your squid. I don't care how good it is, it's frozen. Go Fish Petes' would be the best frozen squid.

If you want to really catch fish then make the time, learn how to do it, (there are plenty of great articles in these forums!) & catch your own.

When I was fishing jew hard I only ever got the odd soapie on bought squid.

Nailed plenty of crackers on self caught. I'm sure the kingy gurus will tell you the same thing.

Cheers,

Grant.

[maxor2008]

Thanks for the info guys - its all great help!

Grant, I agree with you 100%. I would love to catch my own squid (for bait or even my own consumption)...but at the moment, my squidding skills need refining and Im kinda looking for a quick solution...

Say I do catch my own squid, is it only good to use it then and there or is freezing it and using it a few weeks later just as good? I know the answer seems obvious...but I wanted to get an idea of what "fresh" really means in a bait sense.

[Jewhunter]

Thanks for the info guys - its all great help!

Grant, I agree with you 100%. I would love to catch my own squid (for bait or even my own consumption)...but at the moment, my squidding skills need refining and Im kinda looking for a quick solution...

Say I do catch my own squid, is it only good to use it then and there or is freezing it and using it a few weeks later just as good? I know the answer seems obvious...but I wanted to get an idea of what "fresh" really means in a bait sense.

Mate I've caught good fish on unfrozen 2 day old self caught squid.

The golden rules are to never let them touch fresh water. Never have them directly on ice & never let them get freezer burn.

I used to catch them, drop them straight into a cliplock bag & put them onto an ice brick in the esky I had with me. I loved it when they inked in the bag.

If I froze them I would expel all the air out of the bag, make sure the cliplock was completely sealed & snap freeze them. They catch alot of fish when looked after properly.

The only way to make sure they are looked after the right way is to do it yourself.

Good luck mate & I hope you get plenty of squid & fish on them.

Now is a great time to squid in Sydney.

Cheers,

Grant.

[Evets]

The golden rules are to never let them touch fresh water. Never have them directly on ice & never let them get freezer burn.

X 2

[Penguin]

If useing self caught squid, add a tiny bit of sea water into your clip lock bag just as

you put your fresh squid into it, it also helps to make sure your hands are wet with

sea water also when handling live/fresh squid.

cheers

[prawn*]

interesting thread,ive never had any luck and like a challenge when i go out in my boat i try not to take any bait with me except half a loaf of bread thats all and make do with it i makes u better at finding the bait, so i only take squid jig and bread for sabiki rig 99% i get atleast about 10 squid and 10 yakkas i believe fresh is the only way for qaulity fish sure u can catch soapies on prawns but u wont be catching 20+kg jews on nothing but fresh baits,

moral of the story make the effort to catch bait for better fish

[Guest Aussie007]

interesting thread,ive never had any luck and like a challenge when i go out in my boat i try not to take any bait with me except half a loaf of bread thats all and make do with it i makes u better at finding the bait, so i only take squid jig and bread for sabiki rig 99% i get atleast about 10 squid and 10 yakkas i believe fresh is the only way for qaulity fish sure u can catch soapies on prawns but u wont be catching 20+kg jews on nothing but fresh baits,

moral of the story make the effort to catch bait for better fish

lol i have only just started going fishing with this theory (no bait) last trip i took a loaf of bread to the port hacking i was hopping for live poddy mullet and at best some nice fresh squid when i arrived i put out some burley and sat back than seen some nice 50-60cm salmon come up to my boat smashing the poddys all around my boat i couldnt catch a thing other than small snappers so next time i think im ganna take a bag of pillis just in case lol

[jack]

i beg to differ with most of your opinions.

i will never waste my freshly caught squid on any fish except kings, and thats only if they are alive, i prefer to eat them as they are way more tasty than any fish caught in my opinion.

95% of the jew i catch are on purchased slimeys non frozen, and frozen squid caught and sealed correctly and let me tell you, you will get jew over 20 kg doing so.

good luck mate