For a few people who have worked out how to target these creatures from the shore, a feed is never far away, providing you follow a few simple rules. They use their long, sucker-covered feeder tentacles (sometimes called “candles”) to capture prey, drawing it towards their mouth. Whatever is the cause many anglers find that successfully landing squid can be more difficult than hooking them in the first place. The other advantage of shore based squid fishing is that you can do it all year round if you like, although some locations will be un-fishable during winter storms, especially the rock locations. So where do you start if you want to bag a feed of squid from the shore? More information on the squid and cuttlefish species found in UK waters can be found by following the links on this page. Try to avoid fishing the deeper water around rocks, as your jig will often sink out of sight and get snagged down deep. In many areas, a single lure works best. Kayak Fishing Options on Western Australia’s South Coast, South Coast Estuaries – Family Friendly Fishing in WA, Kayak Accessories – Customising your kayak. While there are a lot of intricacies that can be associated with it, squid fishing can is an extremely easy task most of the time. We also process squid for their tentacles, cleaned tubes and heads. Most anglers targeting squid in the UK use a rod and reel designed for spinning. Odds of catching a squid are more favorable during high tide on a cloudy or rainy night. Finding an area where squid are present is a matter of trial and error, or using the local knowledge of people who have already done the hard work and found an area where squid can be caught. The video below shows squid fishing from the shore in action: Another way of catching squid is to suspend the squid jig underneath a float in the way displayed below. The key to catching squid lies in gearing up properly. Fishing from shore offers some unique challenges, whether it is fresh water or saltwater. Love them or hate them, squid are high on the list of desirable creatures to catch no matter where you are fishing in this state. A European squid with a small bream caught in its arms. Squid Jigging, Squid Fishing, or Simply "Squidding" Squid jigging is an interesting fishery to say the least. A net makes things much easier. This technique is popular from the Busselton Jetty and the size of some of the squid I have seen taken this way proves it is a very effective method. Time of day is often important, as late afternoon and into the early evening is usually the prime hunting time for squid, but getting a spot early to avoid missing out usually sees me down at the local jetties a bit earlier in the day. Just be ready for the ink and in most cases you can swing the squid back and onto the jetty a short distance away so that it can blast its artwork on the planks. Some locations will produce better than others. If the dock or float is lighted above at night, so much the better as it attracts the bait and then the squid chasing the bait. Shore based squid fishing is not for everyone, but when perfected you can bring home numerous feeds of these tasty creatures without ever having to step on a boat. It is possible to catch squid by casting a retrieving the squid jig in the same manner as a spinner. When a squid grabs a hold of the jig the rod bends over or the handline starts spinning and bouncing on the deck, the squid is then brought to the boat with a very steady retrieve so as to not break off the tentacles. All jigs/jags will catch squid, some days certain colors will out-fish others so it pays to have a selection on hand to find the right one on each day. This site uses cookies and affiliate links, Additional Articles on Sea Fishing Techniques, species such as squid could replace cod and haddock as the main species caught in British waters. The amount of squid that are actually in the river is astounding, and I have returned home with a good feed from several jetty locations in the lower reaches. I do admit that you get some funny looks from other anglers when you are flicking a squid jig around from a jetty in the Swan, however when you haul in a squid they are often totally amazed. Fishing from the rocks is dangerous. For most people, squid are a much welcomed by-catch; something you didn’t really venture out to target but happened to pick up whilst chasing other species. Learmonth Jetty near Exmouth is one such location where you should always carry a squid jig, as is the long jetty at Busselton. Email us: This is generally done from places such as piers, breakwaters, harbour walls and jetties which offer a good depth of water to cast into. Angling does not get much better than fishing from the shore for saltwater fish. Jetties are easy to fish from and both rod and handline can be used to flick a squid jig around to see if there are any takers. From the deeper rock locations on the south coast you can also put out a whole fish on a spike jig under a float/balloon if you wish but generally this can only be done in the calmest of conditions. If you get a squid following a bait or hanging onto it, then get a squid jig in the water as soon as possible. In the video below, I talk about and show the Squid jig rig, how to make the rig using a very simple and quick method of tying a standoff loop, along with the technique used to catch the Squid. A rod which is capable of casting weights up to 1oz (28g) – such as these available from Amazon – is the best choice as this will offer enough casting distance and allow a range of different weights of squid jigs to be used, while also having enough strength to reel in a decent sized squid. Both of these species of squid can be found all around the UK, but are far more common in the warmer waters around the south and south west regions of England and parts of Wales and Ireland, especially in the summer and early autumn months when the sea temperature is at its warmest. In my experience though, you won’t catch anywhere near as many. This has been a real eye opener for me over the last few years, especially with the Swan River during the warmer months. Squid seem to be cool water animals. Landing squid can be difficult as the weak arms and tentacles of squid are liable to snap off, especially if the squid is hauled up to a raised fishing area. Next all you will need is a fishing rod and in some places just a hand line if you wish. You can enjoy sunrises or sunsets over the ocean at no extra charge. contact@britishseafishing.co.uk. During the day, they typically hold near the bottom in deep water (12’ to 20’), often in depressions or along the edge of a shoal or channel. However, there may well be squid to be caught on rod and line elsewhere in the UK, with the lack of anglers targeting this species explaining why they are rarely caught. This is because the arms and two tentacles of the squid are actually fairly weak and delicate and if the squid is only attached to the jig by one or two arms/tentacles then the strike may well detach the squid from the jig. Fortunately, the startle from being chomped on by a squid beak is far bigger than the actual injury. The worst squid wounds are on the level of a pin-prick and the most significant casualty is usually pride – in this case, heartlessly laughing at the injured party is completely within bounds. (A specialized squid rod is able to let you know once you’ve reached the bottom.) A strong but smooth retrieve is essential as the points of the jig are unbarbed and therefore constant pressure is needed to stop the squid swimming off the jig. Try flicking into any reef hole near the shore or over any weed beds that are within casting range and working your jig back. Whether bait fishing from the shore or from a boat the rig you use remains the same. I hope I didn’t make squid fishing sound too hard or technical. If you suspect that there are squid about just check out a few jetties to see if there are any ink stains from other anglers in the know. However, if the water is very still it may be necessary to reel the float in a few turns every so often to impart some movement into the jig. Another popular method used to catch squid, especially the bigger, more weary individuals is to carry one of the spike squid jigs, the metal ones used to skewer a fish on as bait. It is a simple matter of just walking over to the squid and grabbing it behind the eyes to restrain it, then remove the jig and put the prize into an esky or bucket. Some people still do not believe that they can catch squid from the shore. Whenever you catch a squid look carefully behind the squid you have caught as many times they will come in with friends. Instead of striking the angler should quickly but smoothly raise the rod and reel in quickly. As squid feed in midwater most anglers present the squid jig at depths of around 5 – 10 feet below the surface, or slightly below this if they are fishing in deep water. My best catch out of the river was eleven big squid between a mate and myself from the shallows at Claremont. This is where I was fishing on Wednesday from the kayak, and I will be the first to say that kayak fishing during the spring on Cape Cod is risky business. On seeing the float dip under the surface the angler should resist the temptation to strike. The most common method for catching squid from a boat is to find a likely looking seagrass bed and drift across it with a couple of squid jigs trailing out the back of the boat. YAMASHITA EGING Meister Eisuke Kawakami show you How to catch the SQUID, EGING All techniques (Cast, Rod action, How to Landing, EGI swimming action in underwater, EGING equipment, How to find Squid) to help you catch more squid. The first trick to catching squid from the shore at any location is to assume that they are there, even if you haven’t spotted any or you think they will not be around. Squid season is coming up, here the guys from Hooked Up TV in Australia visit the Osaka tackle show and cover one of the worlds biggest fishing shows. As squid are much more common around the south and south west of the UK it is anglers in these areas who catch squid on anything approaching a regular basis. Locating squid in May is easy. These structures are without doubt the number one location to target land based squid from, and a stroll along just about every jetty that juts out into the ocean will be stained with squid ink from numerous captures. We catch our biggest and best examples in the Bay of Islands from August through to Christmas, at that time of year when the local water temperatures are coldest. A small, 2 gallon bucket is the perfect size. First, lets do some squid biology. Therefore it is always best to have a drop net or landing net to hand to land squid. In this situation, you can catch them from a … From the range of colors, we chose the red jig in the hope that it will be a winning jig. Learn all this and more in our How to Catch Squid guide. Squid tend to move closer to shore on the flood tide and feed heavily through the start of the ebb. Generally, smaller is better when squid fishing from shore. Squid can be surprisingly picky, so make sure to have squid jigs in a few different sizes and colors. Egging is the basic method for catching squid. Cuttlefish are found around the UK and can be caught by anglers targeting squid, but do not appear to show up in anglers’ catches as often as squid do. We’ve had most success on squid of all sizes using jigs of 3-4” in size, but just make sure you have a variety of colours because calamari, regardless of size, can be … Indeed, some squid jigs are glow in the dark and others even have a small light contained within them. Avoid trying to lift the squid clear of the surface until the jig is nearby and the squid has spotted it. During the day, they typically hold near the bottom in deep water (12’ to 20’), often in depressions or along the edge of a shoal or channel. Be sure to keep your hands away from the pointy bit! Check your inbox now to confirm your subscription. Squid bite damage to a jig. Squid are deep sea creatures, hence the big eyes. Take a look at our Swan River Jetty profiles to find the best places to catch squid on the Swan. The European squid can grow to much larger sizes, reaching a mantle length of over 50cm, although squid of this size are relatively rare and the average mantle length is around 30cm. The way squid catch their prey is indeed very different from any fish. Pink and green are staple colors, but glow and orange also work. When the action heats up, you need an easy place to toss your squid so you can get your lure back in the water. If you can see the bottom and keep an eye on your jig you will not lose it and probably catch more squid in the process. Fair point, smartypants. I was even caught off guard one afternoon in East Fremantle as a massive cuttlefish cruised past me whilst I was fishing for flathead, so once again, be sure to pack a squid jig everywhere you go. I like jetties that have broken sand and seagrass nearby, as this is prime squid country. We probably saw twice that many on that day so I’m confident that the population of squid in the Swan River is very healthy. The Talk Sea Fishing guide on whiting fishing, looking at all of the techniques to catch whiting from shore and boat with bait and lures. Although most squids are more active during the night, you can still catch them during the day using artificial lures or use of bait. When a squid attacks the lure its tentacles become caught up in the many sharp points of the jig and allow it to be reeled in by the angler. Squid tend to move closer to shore on the flood tide and feed heavily through the start of the ebb. There are a few better quality models out there that really stand out but they cost a fair bit more so most people shy away from them. If you are fishing off rocks always wear a life jacket. They will also respond to the same methods a squid will, but they have a never ending supply of very black ink, and they are prepared to use it, so you have been warned! Most of these locations are overlooked by many people, but a stroll along the sheltered beaches late in the afternoon with a fishing rod and squid jig is often well worth the effort. Now I have taken squid from the shore in both the north-west and south-west of the state, however most of my catches have come locally close to Perth. I always carry a squid jig or two in my tackle bag, especially if I’m fishing from jetties or rock locations where squid and cuttlefish are often found. Want to know which squid jig colour works best in low light or how to make sure you get tender squid every time? All you do is cast the jig and float/balloon out about ten to fifteen meters from the jetty, sit back and wait. Squid can often be sighted without the use of a headlamp around illuminated areas or periods close to the full moon during still conditions. This requires some practice but it can be very fun and effective once you get it right. To begin, we came to the shore before sunset to prepare for the period when squid is active. Just a few years ago it was pretty much unheard of for anglers to go fishing for squid with a rod and line. 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