luxury boat hire

Squid can be found in estuarine and inshore habitats from inshore reefs and weed beds to rock walls, jetties and offshore man made or natural structures. Being a predominantly ambush predator these places offer them not only refuge from being attacked but also a place to prey on food such as prawns, baitfish and crabs. This ‘How To’ will focus mainly on the Southern Calamari species.

How to target

There are two options when it comes to squid, they are cast and retrieve with squid jigs or using a squid spike/prong and bait. When casting jigs let them sink to the bottom and add an upward whip of the rod on the retrieve to make the lure dance in the water. Doing this imparts a prawn or wounded baitfish action alerting any squid in the area. Let the lure sink and repeat.

 

Rod & Reel

If land based fishing for squid a rod in the 9ft range and 3-5kilo line class is ideal. The extra length will aid in not only casting ability but will also give you some leverage around the rocks, jetty, etc. Balance your outfit with a 2000-3000 size reel.

luxury boat hire

The same setup can be used when fishing from a boat, however leverage isn’t as paramount and a shorter 7ft rod will provide greater maneuverability and ease of use.

 

Line and leader

  • Lure: 10lb braid, 1.5m of 10lb fluorocarbon leader.
  • Bait: 10-15lb braid, 15lb fluorocarbon leader.

 

Terminal Tackle

  • Lure: Squid jigs/jags, snap swivels or speed clips.
  • Bait: Swivels, weighted float, bait prongs/spikes, glow sticks optional.

 

Best Lures

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.

luxury boat hire

 

Best Bait

The best bait for squid is fresh baitfish such as Herring, Sauries, Yellowtail, Whiting and Pilchards.

luxury boat hire

 

Tips

Squid can be caught right around Australia year round. However, the southern half of the country arguably offers the best squidding during the cooler months of the year and they are most certainly a fun species to target whether it be land based or from a boat. Looks for those structure such as weed beds, reef areas or rock walls and they shouldn’t be too far away.

 

  • Carry a wide selection of jigs in various colors and sizes. Alternate between them to find what’s working best on the day.
  • When targeting from a boat drifting allows you to cover more ground and is more productive than at anchor.
  • When fishing from the rocks its always handy to have a landing net at hand.
  • Make sure you imply some action in the lure with short fast upward whips of the rod to make the lure dance.
  • Make sure you imply some action in the lure with short fast upward whips of the rod to make the lure dance.

 

Tips from www.getfishing.com.au

0 comments