Help with how to catch squid

[fender22]

G'day! I've wanted to catch squid for ages and never seem to be there at the right time. Whenever they are thick in the water, I never seem to have my jig with me!

Can someone help as far as fundamentals.....

ie: night or day, full moon or no moon, best tide, best type of jig, retreiving action, best condition (no wind etc) etc.

Much appreciated!

[coucho]

mate night no moon is the go and light your boat and the water around it up best you can squid are attracked to light. but makesure there is a shadow zone under the boat as they like to attack from the dark. take a sea anchor and drift wind doesn't matter to much, nor do jigs to much but one that glows or has glowing eyes is good. jerky retrieve try to make your jig look like a prawn. and don't discount droping you jig straight below the boat and retrieving vertical as thats where they are likely to be lurking around the edge of the shadow of the boat. can take a while to get a few around but when they do you should be pulling em one after the other if there around.

[Horse]

My best results have come at night around the new moon run in with a spotty on the water and a moderate current run. Thirty or so Arrow Squid can be caught in an hour or so when they are running
During dalight I like the bottom of the tide on the edge of weed beds. This is great fun and they can be sight fished if the conditions are right. This yields the bigger Calamari suckers. Here are a few out of a mixed bag taken in the Rainbow

Cheers

Neil

[jtpython]

Seems to be certain different area's fish certain ways .
I have fished better during the day here near yeppoon with a in coming tide with prawn shaped jigs just flicking in a prawn imitating movemnet and persistance can always help with swarms of squid looking but not feeding then all of a sudden your working one after the other with some huge fella's at times too.

[Freeeedom]

Jtpython - that's not a squid - it's a submarine! Almost as big as one I saw a bloke catch off the jetty at Port Campbell in Victoria a few years ago. It must have been close to 10kg! Makes our little arrow squid and tigers look like whitebait!

Fender22 - one of the most reliable places for squid all year round is over the weed beds along the inside of Moreton Island. You can cast and retrieve a prawn style squid jig but make sure you also hang one under the boat about half way to the bottom. The squid are the slightly bigger 'tiger' squid , not the smaller arrows. I usually catch a whiptail (which are in plague proportions over there) and leave it swimming around under the boat as an attractor. Make sure the rod is secure, though, because it can get monstored by the odd cobia or kingfish when you least expext it. You also pick up a few cuttlefish as well over there, which I think are more tender than the squid - but man, can they pump out the ink!
Cheers Freeeedom

[fender22]

Thanks guys for all the info. I saw a bloke down at Raby bay hauling them in one night. Is there any point berlying them? I suppose it's already lit there. Maybe that's the trick, cast out side the lit zone?

Incoming tide is the best eh?

[gunna]

Does anyone know if you get squid at the Caloundra end of the Passage or the Mooloolah or Maroochy rivers ??

[timddo]

where are the weed beds at moreton. -- i usually fish 4 beacons.

[Horse]

Tim, the weed beds run most of the length of the western side. The Tigers I have caught come from Cowan north with more Arrow around the Sandhills

I agree with Freeeedom in that Cuttlefish are better on the chew. Just cut in strips

[webby]

Most of the jetties, piers that jut into the bay, usually hold squid at night.
Vicky pt is not a bad place to start.
If boating, the weed bed at Cowan, Sandhills, crab island, rainbow channel, sth of Dunwich, blakesleys,the western side of peel, and sth west rocks, or the north bays of mud.
A strong light just above the water will draw them up, cast into the darkness and retreive your jig back thrugh the lighted area.
Just let them squirt before bring them on board, or have a good bucket ready, unless you like cleaning up the mess.
regards

[RayDeR]

If boating, the weed bed at Cowan, Sandhills, crab island, rainbow channel, sth of Dunwich, blakesleys,the western side of peel, and sth west rocks, or the north bays of mud.
Aregards

G'day Webby!

Crab Island. Is that the one in the Broadwater just off Runaway Bay?Or is there another one?

Ray de R

[bondy99]

If someone is going out between now and next 3 months by boat to get squid, would there be room for me to come on board so I can get a few. I'll share costs of fuel. Thanks.

Peter

[webby]

The crab island is the one near harries bottom end of moreton.
regards