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10 Tips - Targeting Big Squid
By Luke Smith
Whilst there are no right or wrong ways to go fishing for squid, I have found some things certainly do help my own catch rate, especially when targeting big squid. These are not the only ways to catch big squid but have helped myself in central and western Victoria.
- Put the time in to explore new areas: It is very easy to get stuck in the habit of fishing the same places time and time again. Finding new areas to fish can be very satisfying when it pays off and can also lead to better sizes or catch rates. Just try to find locations with good broken grounds. Another key tip is to keep an eye out for squid eggs on weed beds as this is basically a golden ticket to catching squid. Pair this with some of the below tactics and hopefully you will find the big squid.
- Depth is no issue: Whilst fishing deeper water can be more difficult, it can certainly yield the results. When fishing for snapper offshore in 40m of water, we quite often pull up squid off the bottom that are eating the baits. The trick is to just give it a go and try keeping the jigs close to the bottom. This can be done by fishing a jig off a paternoster rig and having the sinker drag on the bottom. This method also controls the depth and helps to avoid snags.
- Current is your friend: Big squid love flowing water, whether it be in the form of current, tide or swell. Quite often these spots may be less than 1km from calmer water, where there is plenty of smaller size squid. Like above, it can be a matter of adapting techniques to enable the jigs to be fished close to the bottom, however the reward is worth it.
- Big bait, big fish: The old cliché is not always true, however it certainly helps on squid. Whilst they will eat some tiny jigs at times, usually they will respond to larger size jigs. With squid having to constantly eat all of the time, a big jig is a very easy meal and requires less energy than several small meals. Squid have incredible eyesight and bigger jigs can be more easily seen from a distance.
- Colour is key: We all have our favourite colour jigs that we tie on first and quite often persist too long with, however they may not be what the squid want on the day. If you are confident about the area, have 10 or 15 casts, then swap colours. I have had days where I changed colours half a dozen times until I found what they were after. It's important to have a range of colours for this very reason.
- Night vision: Those big eyes aren't just for looks, they make squid exceptional hunters at night. Don't be afraid to fish before or after dark as this can quite often bring the big squid out to play, even more so when there is an easy meal on offer. Try targeting areas with light sources, such as jetties and boat ramps, or turn your lights on if fishing from a boat. These lights help to attract bait, which leads into my next tip.
- Find the bait, find the fish: An old saying, however it is still very important. With squid needing to eat constantly to grow and survive, it's very important to be fishing where the bait is. Some areas can look perfect but not produce squid and usually this is due to the lack of bait sources in the area for the squid to feed on. Using a fish finder can show life in the area as can being observant. Quite often in low light conditions you will see little bait skipping along the surface and this is a perfect sign of life in the area.
- Tides matter: Whilst squid can be very simple at times, they can be painful at other times. Being observant of results with certain tides can help crack a potential pattern. Recently we smashed them on the last hour before low tide and as soon as the water stopped flowing, they stopped biting. When fishing in current they can sometimes prefer the slack water period as it makes the bait easier to catch.
- Mix it up: Retrieve styles do matter and can be the difference between a bad or good day. It pays to work a certain technique for a set number of casts and then vary it. The trick with this is to make sure that you remember what the retrieve was when you hooked up! My 3 favourites are an aggressive whip, a constant hop or a simple burn and kill.
- Can't catch them on the couch: Time on the water is one of the best learning tools in any form of fishing. There are not too many times that I go for a session and I don't pick up on something new or notice something different when chasing squid. Just try keep an open mind and not have tunnel vision for the same habits when you go.
If all of the above fail... then you have probably still had a better day than the rest of us at work 😊
Cheers, Luke