F_W_2015_02_

Squid are truly bizarre

creatures. This one

is a tropical or tiger

squid. Other varieties

encountered by

anglers include the

southern calamari and

the arrow squid.

OPPOSITE PAGE:

Squid of ten go white

af ter capture. They

can change colours at

the blink of an eye.

fishingworld.com.au | February 2015 | 53

and late afternoon can be an advantage when
targeting squid but only for the fact that the
wind is usually at a minimum during these
times. In my experience too much chop on the
water can turn squid off the bite. Glassy, cool,
clean water dotted with rocks, weed and sand
patches are good places to start. These areas
hold plenty of food items such as prawns,
small baitfish and crabs. Most protected
points and headlands, particularly in
harbours, feature these types of bottom
terrain. The humble local jetty can also be a
squid hotspot. I don't know how many times
I've seen big squid just milling around the
weed covered poles methodically swaying back
and forth with the water movement.
It’s well worth taking five or 10 minutes just
observing any area before you start fishing.
Spotting squid in shallow reef areas can be
extremely hard but a good tip is to try and look

for the shadows their bodies make. If you see a

few dark patches that move ever so slightly,

keep watching as it may very well be a school of

squid just hovering in the water. Although

initially hard to see, once you get an idea of

what to look for you may be able to sight cast at

these jig-loving aliens. If you spot one you’ll

more often than not find more. Squid spend a

great deal of time in schools and if they’re in an

aggressive mood will compete actively for your

jig. It’s also possible to catch one after another

when they’re like this so I think being

responsible and only keeping what you need is a

recommended practice.

Tackle Tac tics

The Japanese are absolutely fanatical about

eging and have a great deal of dedicated tackle

including thousands of coloured jigs in a

range of sizes depending on what depth of

water you’re fishing. Typical sizing examples

of squid jigs, or egi, are 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.2, 2.5

and so forth. Jigs can go as big and heavy as

4.5 and up. What this basically equates to is

the rate at which they fall in the water

column. Obviously if you’re fishing shallow

ground you would choose a smaller size and

the opposite for deeper. For the most part

squid will take lures near or off the bottom.

They will almost never hit a lure that is

moving upwards in the water column so the

“fall” or “sink time” is extremely important to

maximise the jig’s effectiveness. It’s a good

idea to do a test run and cast out and count

down the seconds it takes for the jig to hit the

bottom. You really want that lure just slowly

drifting through the water column towards

the seaf loor. Every now and again a couple of

good f licks of the rod is also great to initially

get a squid’s attention. Provided you then let