Need help with squid fishing tactic

[sydangler]

Following my reply before yep just leave the rods in the rod holders or hand line tied off work to. Then work another jig with a rod.

As for colours pink orange and red are my favourites. But also look behind the main colour to the base. Red base or glow in low light gold or silver in bright light.

But remember rules are made to be broken so now ur getting a guide thanks to everyone on here try these ideas and Ull soon come up with ur own.

Edited January 24, 2013 by sydangler

[tricks]

Hey champ

Mate Im no expert but seem to do alright at times. If you'd like to go for a squid sometime I'm more then happy to go and maybe show you a few things. Biggest piece of advice I can give is don't get to into the hype of Japanese techniques. I see people whipping rods around with no idea cause they seen some footage on YouTube. Stick to the basics for now. Slow retrieves with a lift and let it sink. If squid are around they will take it. Squid are not as smart as people think. They are on this planet to eat and breed then die. Life span of around 12 months

[jimpee]

There is a time and place for Japanese techniques. When the squid are very timid you kinda need to wake them up with rapid movement of the jigs. I have outfished people on wharves many times with Japanese techniques. I always start with a slow retrieve, then fast. If they both don't work then I start using the Japanese techniques so its good to learn.

[koi]

what would be a good brand to buy ? also can you catch squid in roseville ?

[dhype]

what would be a good brand to buy ? also can you catch squid in roseville ?

There sure is squid at roseville.. but only arrow squid. I use 1.8 or 2.0 yozuri in pink or brown.. caught sh1tloads there

Fish the pontoon next to the boat ramp... cast into the edge of the light and you will get a few

Cheers

Trung

[koi]

There sure is squid at roseville.. but only arrow squid. I use 1.8 or 2.0 yozuri in pink or brown.. caught sh1tloads there

Fish the pontoon next to the boat ramp... cast into the edge of the light and you will get a few

Cheers

Trung

Thanks DHYPE ! just getting into the squid jigging

[craigbutcher]

Yeh great advice there guys. I make sure I do a squid session both offshore or in the harbour each week, and spend a whole session just chasing squid. By spending a morning or arvo etc just chasing squid, with only squid jigs in your boat (no other lures etc), you learn how to find them when they are not where they usually are.

It's funny that spots that produced 10 good squid per session say 3 months ago are now not producing squid at the moment. And spots that I didnt land any squid at 3 months ago have been producing.

TIPS;

- Clear water, best with the income tide. Rain and outgoing tides can be the enemy of EGI FISHING.

- Good squid jigs, YAMASHITA or YO ZURI, The jigs need slowly woft, not sink!

- Let the jigs woft slowly around the grounds (I drift with 2 rods out). I dont EGI style jig with voilent rips too much, I just let the boat produce the action by subtle lifts (tháts just me, though others are different).

- When you catch 1 squid, hold it for a few seconds around where you caught it and let your mate cast in behind it. There will often be a mate behind.

- Move around if not hits with 20mins. SQUID are transient, they are not always on the same grounds from day to day.

BUTCH

[adfrew]

I'm no expert and only just learning myself. But I strongly recommend using the search function on the forums for Squid and I hit these beauties a while ago. I was enlightened when I discovered that the squid strike on the sink motion of the jig, so to try and prolong this time by 1. using a lighter jig and 2. just waiting as long as you can between actions (of course you have to keep it out of the kelp). But these insights really helped me and as everyone has said the better Jigs tend to sink in a balanced way and this makes it more attractive to the squid. Good Luck and like everything once you break into you won't look back.

http://www.fishraide...catch-squid.php

http://www.fishraide...e-squidding.php

http://www.fishraide...ney-harbour.php

[Blood Knot]

Hi Guys,

I am desperate to get a decent king or jew in Sydney Harbour and cant master the most important parts - catching live squid!

I am tryed many times in and around Manly cove, Balmoral etc with no luck.

I have tryed casting the lures and retreiving, drifting and jigging lure all with no luck. I have tryed all tyres and size lures.

Who can point me in the right direction? It would be very much appriciated.

Not a fishing report - moved to chat

Blood Knot

[DerekD]

Saw your request for squiding advice and I thought i'd throw my bit in. I prepared the following for another member and have copied and pasted two separate responses so it may not flow as well when you read it. I can’t be bothered retyping it but the individual advice still stands.

First thing is don't despair. If it is winter from past experience I have to work hard for my squid at times but at the same time when I catch them they are often bigger. In Summer they feed more aggressively but I pick up more smaller ones.

I do almost all of my squiding with braided lines and if I am in an area where I am likely to snag up on weed I go to 10 or 15lb braid so I can pull squid jig loose. The braid also gives me a feel for what is happening on the other end of the line.

First check your sink rate on your jig. Mine are usually a foot a second. Three seconds is about one metre. Thus if I am fishing water I think is about 10m deep I count to 30 or a litle more. I use a medium paced lift (with about 1 - 2 m of rod movement) to get it off the bottom, wind the slack in and then count to 4 and repeat the lift. You can find demonstrations on the internet but the Japanese use a more vigorous movement - the theory being that it gets their attention and revs them up.

Years ago I watched a squid trying to take one of my lures in the shallows and I had an epiphany. While it was a big squid it was hesitant in taking the jig and whenever it had it and I moved the jig it let go. I tried a short (say 20 - 30cm at rod tip) but fast stroke to set the squid jig and that squid was mine. Now if I feel the squid jig move off without the hard taps that a fish gives it I assume squid and use that short sharp stroke to set the jig. Had a friend who was struggling but once I explained the concept he got rather good at it.

Squid jig choice. The Japanese have been using squid jigs for over three hundred years. They have put a lot of effort into design. I used to love Yo-Zuri's but lost a few because of the built in swivel failing over time due to casting. These days I primarily use Yamashita (fixed steel ring on nose) but I also have cheaper ones which still catch me squid. My go to would be a pink or orange in the 2.5 size. But I have a 2.2 fast sinker in pink which I love and is very battered now. I also have them in 3 and 3.5 for improved casting distances. Over time get a few in different sizes and colours. I like the glow in the dark bodies because if I hit them with a torch it makes it so much easier for the squid to find them at night.

When winding in keep steady pressure on them but allow a bit of flex in the rod and your hand movements. Do not jerk the rod as you can pull the jig. They tire easily so you will get them in sooner or later. I lose very few squid on braid and that is only if they are barely hooked.

A few more things to think about. If you were the schoolyard bully would you want to pick on the captain of the football team or the timid first year. I often do really well on smaller jigs (1.8 and 2.2) as everything wants to pick on them. Even the cuttlefish and as they have smaller tenticles I find it takes a smaller jig to hook up on them.

I do a lot of soft plastics fishing on 4lb fireline (actually breaks at 10lb) and whenever I head down to the water I throw a squid jig for a little time to see if I can pick up a squid or two with minimal effort. On the lighter line and gear they cast a little further. Just be careful trying to lift a bigger squid out of the water as you don't want to snap a line. I fan my casts out. Squid have good eyes and can swim surprisingly quickly. If I do about 6 to 10 casts in an area and don't get a hit I will change colour and size of a jig. If they don't hit that I assume they are not there or not playing (same result). I then go somewhere else or do something else for a while. Look for a combination of sand, weed and structure when selecting where to fish. I'll sometimes go to the local baths (we can fish at Clifton Gardens) and lower the squid jig straight down to the bottom. Lift it up, walk 1 meter then lower it again and continue till I cover the length of the baths. I might then try some casting. If when dropping it down you feel some resistance but then pull it up to find nothing it is often a cuttlefish. Check the tines and if you see the smallest drop of white goo on any of the tines then a cephlapod of some type has had a go at it. Cast back to the same area as they can hang around. When you feel resistance you WILL have to set the jig with that short punch discussed earlier. If it is a cuttlefish be prepared for a lot of ink. I swear they have three times as much ink as any squid I have caught. Apart from the hard shell inside their back you can strip them like squid. You have the head as one bait and can get at least 4 baits (probably 8 depending on size of strips) from the body. Your hands will be covered in ink but at the same time a cuttlefish head got me an 80cm king once. You can also put a 5/0 or similar hook at the tip of the hood and parallel to the shell. They stay alive longer than squid.

If (and more likely when) you catch a squid then remember exactly where you cast. Southern Calamari often travel in twos or threes. Arrow squid in groups sometimes more than 10 (8 from 8 casts is my record). Keep an eye behind the squid as you wind in as it may be followed by other squid. To keep them I have a bag of ziplocks with me and put them straight into the bag and then into the freezer. These frozen squid have caught me quite a few kings and jewfish (biggest being 104cm).

Yamashita do a fast sinking 2.2 jig with black eyes. The same model with blue eyes is a slow sinking variation. I like the fast sinker as they allow me to cover the water column a bit more quickly. I often catch squid when I have left the jig on the bottom a bit longer than planned (schoolyard bully sneaking up on unsuspecting victim). You could get a slow sinking jig in your outfit for running over the top of weedbeds and along the shoreline.

In theory prawn scent is a good idea but I don't like the idea of it accidently spilling into my bag and they may stain jigs over time but if it gets you a few more squid then why not. I do quite well at it as it is so I don't bother. Your call.

Also give the early mornings a shot just as it starts to get light. I have caught them most hours of the day but dawn and dusk seem particularly rewarding from shore.

Edited January 31, 2013 by DerekD