Squid help

[Sven Graham]

Hi all, just wondering if anyone can give me tips on catching squid in the harbour....I have seriously lost count of the number of times I have tried.

Have tried balmoral and middle head over kelp beds at night, dawn and daylight....I've tried counting till I get to bottom and then wind in jigging the line at the same time

Also have tried jigging under spit bridge night, dawn and daylight

Have tried with a glow stick above the jigs, have tried spraying stuff on I bought at the local fish shop

Any tips really appreciated

Cheers

[LungFai]

How fast are you winding in?

What type of jigs are you performing?

My style is lowered rod tip then short sharp jerks upwards, wind in slack and let the lure fall, let rest for a 5-10 or so and repeat. If that fails i do an ultra slow retrieve with sideways jigging, and if that fails i do a bottom to parallel to 60 degree slow lift retrieve/drop.

If all that fails i grab my spiked Yakka, put it under a float (3-5 meters) and go to sleep.

[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. Heard once that 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. if you aer fishing from a boat then cast towards the shore and follow the drop off when you retrieve. Remember that most of the spots mentioned as being good for squid are hit by others getting the same advice.

[Howdoweplaythis]

i've had a bit of success at balmoral. a lot of it came after a lot of unsuccessful attempts.

I've found that even if you do everything right, sometimes the squid just aren't biting and it's hard to tell whether it's something you're doing wrong or whether theyre just not biting. I find that they're generally put off by wind. Try high tide at night. Also if you haven't already, get yourself a good quality jig. Not the cheapo ones. they make a big diff. I'm using the yamashita OH Q Live in pink 2.5g with good success, but any quality one should be good.

Lastly, persist. Took me ages to get into my first squid and i'm still not great at it, but i will get them occasionally. Learning every day. Was extremely frustrating at first and i lost a lot of jigs and squid too! But paid off eventually.

[Sven Graham]

How fast are you winding in?

What type of jigs are you performing?

To the first question I would say reasonably slowly

And the jig, well have a light carbon fibre rod about 6'and probably twitch the end of it about 60cm

[Sven Graham]

Thanks heaps for the advice, will try again.....what are thoughts on the glow stick?

[Howdoweplaythis]

i have gotten most of my squid on quite an aggressive retrieve. give that a go. I've used the retrieve shown on youtube. It looks kinda silly but it has worked for me.

[LungFai]

To the first question I would say reasonably slowly

And the jig, well have a light carbon fibre rod about 6'and probably twitch the end of it about 60cm

Twitch upwards or downwards? Do you pause in between and let the lure settle or do you keep winding? Try the different methods posted so far and you'll hit a squid eventually, if they are there

Thanks heaps for the advice, will try again.....what are thoughts on the glow stick?

Glow sticks are an expensive attractant (single usage, or double if you freeze it after the first use), i prefer to leave them as my night time float fishing visual aid. Pick up some glow beads which you can re-charge by leaving in the sun or with a UV torch, or get squid jig that has a glow body.

As for brand name lures, they work well. But there are times when the 20 cent bought in Vietnam on the spur of the moment squid jig will out perform the commercial grade Yo-zuri or Yamashitas In Japan the 100 Yen squid Jig is the go to lure for most anglers, cheap, works, and you don't get the Ohh Fook feeling when the line goes *ping*

[wizza]

hi guys I have rubbed afresh prawn over the jig for little effect but fresh pillie works well when they are hesitating cheers wizza

[SargeRX8]

Hey don't diss the cheap 2 dollar jigs. Ive pulled out some fat ones on the cheapest jigs. Its a shame I lost a nice squid due to the barbs coming out of the thing it self.

Also a good thing to note in that video, notice when he flicks back he does not turn his hand, but uses the jerking motion of the rod to take in the line. This is a general principle which you should follow when squiding. Don't turn the reel, crank it with the jerking motion and just hold the handle with the other hand.

Edited April 29, 2013 by SargeRX8