Squid Lures

[woy woy col]

Hi all
Over the years that I have fished in broken bay on the run up for flathead I have caught squid I suppose you could call them a sort of by-product of the day and would never dream of weighing them in on comp day and for that matter blue swimmer as well.
But things have changed over the decades and now I have mates that go out just to fish for them.
Just before I get into my actual inquiry of all you talented fisho’s I must tell you about the day I thought I would try to fish for the bloody squid that were in plague proportion and knocking of the bait I had for flathead I could get the squid on and then if I pulled up very slowly I could see them rise with the bait and then in frustration just drop off and sink back in the depths.
Sometimes if I was lucky to get the net under I would end up only to have ink all over the floor of the boat.
So anyway I bought a lure that was called a Yo-Zuri and cost in those day’s about three schooners, I tied the thing on and dropped it over the side and in the process cutting away the excess line from the end and then as the three schooner Yo-Zuri lure disappeared down into the depth’s I realised that I had cut the wrong end of the line and that was maybe 20yrs ago this is the first time I have spoken of this matter to any one and do so in the comfort that I may never meet most of you good people.
Now to the actual question I have as I intend to have an other fish for them.

When I went to buy the squid lure I asked the bloke in the tackle shop for one he said which one!! A bit like that advertisement on milk…. I said a Yo- Zuri and he said again which one!.. my reply was I will be back in a minute came home google squid lure up and found that there was a fair number of brands Shimano, Rapala, SureCatch just to name a few and then all types and sizes with all the brands a bit like lures that I completely ignore when I walk passed them .
So at last can someone point me in the right direction on this matter of what types do you tend to user ? ...... please woywoycol

Edited January 26, 2015 by woy woy col

[GreyNurse]

Hi Col,

There's plenty of info on squidding on the 'net. I suggest you start by reading the post in the articles section. Click on this link; http://www.fishraider.com.au/fishing-articles/how-to-catch-squid.php. The only thing I will add to the article, which may be of assistance, is that larger jigs are good for big squid (calamari) and smaller jigs are generally better for small squid ( arrow squid). I'm sure other raiders have a wealth of information to post, as well. Good luck with squidding. It's great fun, and a bit cheaper than 3 schooners nowadays.

Edited January 26, 2015 by GreyNurse

[Belligero]

Hey Col,

Seeing as we fish the same waterways I might be able to give a bit of advise.

For Brisbane waters there has to be a billion squid just about everywhere you go. From the deep holes around the rip to the shallows around paddys. It seems as though they are just like jackets & pinkies and will attack anything that comes close.

Your best bet would be a 3.0 or 3.5 Yamashita (or similar) pink squid jig. You don't want the small 2.0 or 2.5 because as you know our water ways are basically a large rapid. The smaller jigs just won't get down I even struggle getting the 3.0+ down some days..

Your best bet would be have the lure on a hand line or spare rod. Keep it over the side and about midway down to the bottom and just leave it. As you drift over weedy areas the squid will see it and hopefully will jump on. The other benefit is when you pull you bait back into the boat the squid will follow it then head over to the lure once the bait has left the water. This is how I get a handful of squid per outing.

You can work the lure like you would any soft plastic however I think it's just easier to leave the jig over the side as the squid are everywhere at the moment.

Hope this helps,

Cheers

[highlander]

G'day Col,

I have heard much debate over the years in regard to what size & colour is best in squid jigs and some fishos will swear by a certain brand and others go with the cheapies. Grey nurse is partly correct in saying that big lures will catch big squid and that small lures will catch little squid and I guess that this rule of thumb applies to all fishing, no matter what you target - big bait, big fish - little bait, little fish.

All my squid fishing is done in South Oz where I target the southern calamari and a lot of the time the rule of thumb is totally ignored by the squid. Like all cephalopods, they are highly intelligent and make a worthy adversary. They can be very aggressive feeders at times and quite fickle the rest of the time and it is because of this cautious nature that there is no one particular jig (size or colour) that will guarantee a hookup.

I have 2 "go to" jigs that I usually start a session with. One is a gold 3.5 Gancraft and the other is what I call the qantas jig, a red & white 3.5 Yozuri. Both of these jigs are proven squid slayers, especially the qantas jig which in South Oz is the preferred jig by most pro squidders.

Does size matter? Not really, I have hooked very small calamari quite often on size 4.0 jigs and conversely, I have landed thumpers on size 1.6 jigs. The secret to successful squidding is technique and knowing your target. Squid are typical ambush feeders and the ideal spot to target them is over weed beds where they like to hide and if you perfect the technique of getting your jig to just skim the top of the weeds, you will get hookups.

good luck.

[highlander]

An interesting bit of info I came across recently was the growing concern in the world of marine biology that due to the huge harvest of sharks globally, (mainly for fins), squid will eventually become the top predator. In some waters off southern California & Mexico, sharks have been completely wiped out and a large species of squid (Humboldt) is now not only the top predator, but also a danger to man.

So, on that note - get out there & into them.

[woy woy col]

I would like to thank all you fisho's that replied to my questions about squid lures I am sorry I did not reply straight back but I have been getting things ready to go to Soldiers Point for a month. However I have taken all of the advice on board about buying the appropriate squid lures plus all the methods and practices. and I am now aware of the super squid.

I am sorry about wondering off the track again but if you are down at Patonga and ask the local pro's that's the fishing type they will tell you about the time that a movie was made down there about a giant squid and every one made a bit of money as extras and taking gear out to the sets on the bay.

I will send some pictures back under this original post if I am lucky enough to catch any squid

if you come up and I am not out fishing,

I may be down at the boat ramp giving advice to some poor fisho or in the caravan park telling some unlucky bloke how to reverse the caravan or maybe just asleep under a shady tree

woywoycol

Ps I will have my laptop with and be on wirless.

Edited January 30, 2015 by woy woy col

[mike2153]

Haha col your a patonga local ay? Been camping there since I was a young pup, I've now got my little spot up the end of the creek which I camp at... Best place on earth, wish the fishing was a little better but haha