Squid Doughnut

[kiwicraig]

OK - so a Squid Doughnut does not sound all that appealing and I have to say that it's not my favourite. 

One of the challenges with improving as a fisherman is foregoing the more reliable techniques that you have spent hours on and can usually produce a feed with to spend time on somethign you are not good at. 

I am not very good at targeting squid - but I have made it my goal for the summer to focus on these tasty morsels and improve that.  I've read everything I can find on squid fishing and I decided to spend a whole session today trying to put a few different things into practice.  I rigged up 4 rods with different coloured jigs in the 2.5-3.5 range and planned a few places that I have read about producing squid and a few others that I think fit the descriptions I have read on where to find squid.  Some of these places I have caught squid before, though usually by accident (hooked on a bait rigged for other species) or small numbers.

My thinking today was that it is early summer so squid should be coming inshore to spawn.  The time I had to fish was in the middle of the day and stradling the top of the tide.  There has not been a lot of rain so I figured they may come a little way into Brisbane Water as the water is clear and not very brackish.  For this reason the first place I tried was the ocean side of Rip Bridge on the Hardy Bay side. I drifted along the shore in about 5 - 8m of water casting  over the weed beds.  I counted down and then tried a few different retrieve styles.  These included just a slow wind, mixing in gentle lifts with pauses and the more aggressive douple lifts.  I tried 6-12 casts with each jig and experimented.  Hooked a little weed so I know I was getting the jig down to the right level, but did not get a touch at all on the jig. 

I moved on to my next spot.  I was going to try the weed beds by half tide rocks, but there was a lot of boat traffic there today and it did not seem like a good idea to drift there, so I moved out to the Ladders, which is the first big bay past Lobster Beach on the way to box head.  I had high hopes for this bay as it seems to tick most of the boxes for a squid holding spot (from what I have read). Mix of reef, sand and weed.  Known bait ground.  It is even one of the spots I have picked up a couple of squid in the past. 

The wind was coming up and whiping round the bay so it made drifting a bit challenging.  I dropped the anchor so that the wind would push me towards the rocks and weed beds and put a lot of casts out in a fan around the back of the boat with all 4 jigs.  I snagged up one of them (stupidly I had put one of my more expensive jigs onto one of my lighter rods.  Guess which one I snagged!)

After a while I decided that if there were squid there they were not interested so I moved on to the next spot.  I drifted down the north side of Lion Island.  Again the bottom ranged from 6-8m and was a mix of weed beds, sandy bottom and the odd bit of reef.  The wind was blowing me on a pretty good line, though possibly a bit fast.  I need to invest in a sea anchor.  I again tried my remaining 3 jigs with a variety of retrieves, but could not scare up a touch.

I then tried a bit closer into the rocks between Pearl Beach and the point that leads to Patonga.  Yet more casts and I think I got a touch here - but the wind was blowing me a bit too close into shore and I it was time for me to head back so I headed in empty handed.

Clearly going to need to do a bit more trial and error - but if there are any squidding guns out that that have a few more tips I'd be happy to hear them.

 

[hhakan]

from personal experience i find areas like this will produce more when there is no light just be shore to have your UV light on hand and always have the jigs glowing. i don't know if its my own voodoo but i can never consistently catch squid on a full moon

[Guest Guest123456789]

Try box head the deep water ocean side of the reef just past where the surfers sit in the line up, I caught a couple there. Watch out for the kelp and be careful not to drift into the wave zone.

Edited December 5, 2016 by Guest123456789
Typo

[Seahawk]

Good work getting out there and having a go. You have the right idea. Gotta move around until you find them. 

I fish all this area alot and have never found consitant squid spots in brisbane waters but they are definetly up there. ( alot of follow ups soft plasticing for flatties.)

I find the shallow weeds in mackeral beach ,pittwater  can be very productive 

Tips

Clear water, early morning best, light fluro carbon leader

Youre on the right track kiwicraig. keep persisting with what you are doing and the squid will show up. 

Tight lines

 

[kiwicraig]

Thanks for the replies. At least nobody has come back and said "you've got it all wrong" which was always a possibility...

I will persist and do what I can to maximize my chances. If I can find an area holding squid then I can experiment a bit with technique.

Thanks @Seahawk for the mackerel beach tip. I have heard that pittwater is good but did not know where to go in there.

[Raymondo]

Im not familiar with the areas around Sydney, but I recommend any where there is a jetty with lights illuminating the water. Fish from dusk into the night. I've never had any luck fishing areas that have fresh water runoff. Remember you can still burley to attract bait fish the squid will come round for a look. 

[The Incredible Hull]

Hey Craig,

Try using jigs size of 2.0 and 2.5. I usually only target them at night and my top 3 colors (in order) are white, orange, pink.

Squid bite on the drop\sink of the jig, so I tend to do 1 big lift, as big as I can, to give it lots of time to drop and the squid to hit it.

Also glow jigs make a massive difference (night fishing of course), I have one of those small UV torches, and some egi max which also increases the hit rate.

Good luck.

Dave

[Mike89]

Sounds like you had a nice day out on the water anywho!

In my experience targeting squid can often produce donuts, even when moving around.

Keep at it, seems like you have the right idea. Some good tips from others too.

I'm pretty inexperienced squidding myself but have found a few good spots that produce. They tend to be on for a few weeks and then off for a few weeks. I haven't had much success in daylight hours.

[dazamcstaga]

Ive found them to be hit and miss, But if you use good jigs like Yamashita you will get them if they are there, My last session was the best i have ever had getting heaps and even dropped a few, I didn't even have to rip the jig they all took it on the drop and in the middle of the day

Edited December 8, 2016 by dazamcstaga

[kiwicraig]

Nice work!  I'll keep trying.  I'll try the big lift technique and a few night sessions for sure.  Just once I'd like to have a session like a fishing show   

[eli]

@kiwicraig I actually had your exact goal last summer, and I started with exactly your routine, including every spot you mentioned. After starting in the morning in low light and trying the whole day, I became frustrated, gave up and headed back into Brisbane Waters to flick for flathead near Rileys Island; 2 casts in with a 5 inch zman - I hook and land a squid .

Like some people have mentioned I've never found any consistency in Brisbane Waters, buddies across at Pitterwater have much better spots. I think it might have something to do with how consistently dirty the water can be around box head, and also how tidal the system is. I would wait until the height of summer when all the smaller arrows fire up for Brisbane Waters squidding. I've found them around the rip at night, and heard around the marina booker bay side can produce too.

Would love to know from other Central Coast guys what they have found, but the spots you've mentioned are all I've heard of. Never heard anyone say they have the place worked out for squidding, would love to nail it too!

Goodluck!

[The Incredible Hull]

Here's another motivational photo for you. Those are average 30cm hoods.

[kiwicraig]

Thanks all. That is good info as well @eli if I want to work on my technique then I am probably better off heading over to Pittwater. Once I am confident in that then the approach for Brisbane Water might be more about keeping Rod with a squid jig handy for those times when squid are following plastics or baits. It happens often enough that I thought they were always there, but I am starting to wonder if perhaps they come and go more than I thought.

[eli]

Yeah its a weird one, the coves and headlands from half tide rocks to box head all look like prime squid grounds when the water is clear that is, but I never have much luck, always end up grabbing Yakkas instead. Good luck @kiwicraig