How to catch squid – the chef’s delight

Walk on any pier in Victoria and you’ll see the black marks spread from end to end that tell you anglers have caught squid there. If you’ve caught a squid before you know they squirt a black ink as a defence mechanism.

 Funny thing is….most people like eating calamari but most anglers don’t really focus on catching them….it’s more a holiday activity or the odd spare time thing.

 What you miss out on if you don’t know how to target these things is…. some great food and another fishing option when other fish aren’t biting.

 

Scientists tell us squid are pretty smart. Anglers tell us that, at times, squid will chase anything….and I mean anything.

 

The easiest set up for squid is a standard light spin rod and reel.  I use a 3-5kg soft action rod (blend of graphite and fibreglass) rod and a 2500 series reel with 3 or 4 kg line  and a selection of squid jigs. These jigs are much better than standard single hooks  and are simple to use. Just like any type of spin fishing it’s’ best if you have a number of different colours and sizes.

 

The great thing about squid is you can catch them from piers and jetties. The best ones have patches of sea grass or weedy areas within casting distance.

 

Timing is important…squid seem to be most active during low light levels so early morning, evening and night are good times. If you can combine this with and incoming tide then you might be onto a “blinder” of a session.

 

Squid have a short life cycle and grow fast so they need to eat plentythis is why they will attach anything when their feeding hard.

Squid tend to school so if you catch one there’ll probably be more around….so you have to strike while the irons hot and keep casting your jig to get as many in as possible before they move on.

 

Squid jigs come in a variety of sizes and colours and its worth having a selection. It’s funny how one colour and size will catch nothing and another will be a killer…and what worked one day may not work another…

… so have a few different ones to choose from.

 

You can buy cheap jigs at tackle stores and they catch plenty of squid. The more expensive models, especially those from Japan, do seem to catch more fish. So it all comes down to price and what you think catching a squid is worth.

 

The alternative to a squid jig is a squid spike which is just a metal spike with hooks at one end. You push a fresh fish on the spike and that becomes your jig. These work well also and if you use a tasty fish like a small whiting the squid will go hard at it. This is an “old school” method. My father in law used one for years and caught a lot of squid…and at times it could out fish artificial jigs because it uses a real fish with all the fishy smells and real flesh. This sometimes gets the bigger specimens. So….sometimes the new ways aren’t better than the old ways!

 

You can present a jig in a couple of ways. The cast and lift method is used by most anglers ….and it works. Some use a rod and some use a pole …either way – lift and drop method catches plenty of squid.  You’ll hook more squid with a few quick lifts through the water column and then dropping it back…they seem to like this erratic movement and I’ve found many hit the jig as it sinks back.

 

The other way to get action is using a float with your jig attached below. This works real well when you cast it over sea grass or structure with the jig suspended just above. By lifting your rod the float is moved which makes the jig move….and gets the attention of the squid. 

 

The important thing is to get your jig as close to weed or structure as possible….this is where the squid are! You might just have to deal with getting snagged a few times in the process!

 

Piers and Jetties are great placed to fish. You can fish right beside the pylons and it’s amazing the number of squid that hide right next to these as they  hunt for the crabs that live on them and the small fish and shrimp that shelter near them.

 

Once you hook a squid use a gentle and steady retrieve to get them in. I’ve lost fish in the past where I got excited and wound in too fast which tore the jig away from the squid.

 

Squid ink is a real strange thing. They squirt it to avoid getting eaten by predators, it can be used as a sauce on your pasta  and it stains every piece of clothing it touches …permanently!

 

I’ve thrown out (actually my wife has) some favourite fishing jackets and shirts that got the dreaded “squid marks” after I didn’t wait long enough before lifting squid out of the water. I wore the stained clothes as a badge of honour…my wife just isn’t into fishing like I am…so she chucked em out!

 

So the moral of the story is to wait till the squid ejects it’s ink before lifting it out of the water.

 

Like most fish – squid will sometimes attack anything and at other times they’ll only chase jigs of a certain size and colour….and colour seems to be most important.

 

At times I’ve fished with a favourite jig and got no action at all then changed colour and caught good numbers. So jigs are just like lures….one colour won’t catch fish all the time so  always keep a number of different colours and you’ll have more options when you fish.

 

So, if you want a fish that’s easy to catch, tastes great and doesn’t take expensive gear to hook… then squid might be the go.

 

 

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