fussy arsed squid

[BenDover]

Hi guys,
Need a bit of help from the pro's on catching squid. Lately i have just been cruising around in my boat fishing and cumming across squid freely swimming around passed my boat. I got out my tackle box and i have like 4 different coloured and sized prawn jigs for squid. But not 1 of them worked. kept trying for about 3 hours before pulling the plug. Does anyone know where and when is best for them. Anyone out there catching them?
cheers BD

[bo_sawyer]

sundale bridge, full moon, big tide

hope this helps.

[NeilD]

In many cases you need the right jig. I like Yozuri but there are probably better. Use a light leader and pull the jig away from the Squid in little sharp movements. They will chase and get exited then BANG

Failing that get an old pronged spike type and stick a pilly on it. Never fails

Neil

[land-lubber]

The pilly idea is good, failing that, ive found the smaller the better with the jigs, esp if they are feeding on small baitfish. down to 5cm can do the trick. if they spook easy, flck the jig up current of them and just let it drift back past them, even letting it sink a bit. this often gets them going. hope that helps
cheers

[BenDover]

Thanx guys, I think ill try the prong idea (only problem with the pilly idea at the pin or the rivers is that there are heaps of tailor around at the moment, and i have caught fish before on a praw jig).

i have all kinds of jigs already green, pink and orange and a small 1 with a pearl belly. I cast it out but not too far, let it sink a bit then slow but sharp bumps and wind in between to take up the slack. But the squid just swim right past me . ( cheeky buggers)

ive seen people catch them before. But i cant get them hooked up. I was even thinking of just using bait and the only bait i had left was squid, Do they eat their own kind? Or do they only eat live or imittation live baits? Interesting...
I have heard that the squid you buy from the shops for bait is small californian squid. And that fresh or self caught squid is way better. In texture and strength and scent. Even if you freeze it fresh it stays that way.
Any idea's???

[Scalem]

I spent ages at the Victoria Point jetty ( where you catch the ferry over to Coochie Mudlo island) trying to get this squid to take my Yozuri Jig. The buggar would come in close then swim off to a safe distance. Along comes another chap with his Lure, almost exactly what I was using. "Do you mind if I give it a try" he says. I know someone who had calamari for tea, and it wasn't me. The difference was that when he saw the squid circling the lure, he let the line completely limp, which speared the lure straight to the bottom. Was obviously the right thing to do, the squid moved in for the kill the same way a fish often hits a soft plastic on the drop.

I don't know if that helps, you guys know more than me, but next chance I get to try for squid, that's how I will approach it.

Scalem

[bo_sawyer]

scalem, thats exactly right

ive caught most of my squid from doing this, winding in fairly fast in the deep part of the water, then once it gets shallower and i can see the squid following it, i stop winding, and he'll have a go at it, if they dont its just a matter of doing the same thing again!

[DICER]

I have also noticed that sometimes they don't take my prawn jig. This is usually when I get out my 15 yr old jig that looks like a small squid and is purple in colour with a green fluorescent ring. These are the ones you can rig in a daisy chain fashion, one after the other. This old lure never fails, but now I'm begining to wonder also if it is the "drop" mentioned above, because this jig is not aerodynamic.

[BenDover]

Really dicer, so they do eat their own kind? The Squid i have seen chasing after my lure or atleast looking at it arent small so i think i have the right size jigs. Every species ive learnt to target and get really good at catching, Snapper, Tuna etc... Arent even close to being as hard as squid . I have made it my quest now. Thanx for all the advice ill get to the bottom of this. Might even go down to the weed banks tonight. And hopfully have a good post for monday.
Cheers BD

[karana]

Great thread this and perhaps I need to get out and do some squidding again. I was always taught to drop as far as you like then up 2' and down 2' and keep repeating. No squid change the depth.

Used to work very well.

[kahla_creek]

Speargun or hand spear around the snags while spotlighting from the boat or walk the shallows with a handspear and a decent torch around the mangroves works well for me.

Rob

[wayne_cook]

Hi BD try this.On your jig use a rubber band attaching a small fillit of pillie just a bit.
Make room in the esky and pressto dodiddly for tea.This does work when they are finnicky.Have u caught that first snapper yet.

[Scalem]

Just talking about this got me motivated last night after work, having a look at the tide times. A 9.00pm high tide seemed perfect, and the Victoria Point jetty is only 15 -20mins away.

1st cast I hook one using the technique described. It was only about 3 inches long, but I thought I was in for a good session. Isn't that the pitts about anything using a rod and reel, you get something in your 1st cast, then nothing for the rest of the night.... I lost interest pretty quick, I underestimated how cold the SE wind was and should have put a jacket on before I left home, but it was still fun.

Scalem

[Jackinthebox]

Talking to a young bloke down the tweed the other night from Adelaide said they catch about 40 squid per sesh without getting too excited.

Granted, they have a lot of squidlies down there, this was the technique they used...

Cast out a pilly suspended about a metre under a float in the shallow reefy/weedy areas and let it sit.
Once the float starts getting pulled under, start casting out the jigs and bring back past the float.

Brrbear, That pilly fillet/rubber band idea sounds like a goody, must remember that one next time.

[fishn-ads]

BD, is it Day or Night in the boat?

We use to do the pilly thing of the old Redcliffe jetty when the squid were timid. No need for a rubber band though, just drag the brabs across the pilly picking up a bit of meat. I think it give them something to smell as well as see.

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