Page 10 - Bush 'n Beach Fishing mag

CBasic techniques for targeting squid
ATCHING squid beds there are squid, works best on the day is one of my fa- and here you have less will suit the tempera- vorite forms of chance of snagging on ment of the squid, so
Moreton Bay
by BRIAN WEBB
light tackle fishing. rubble areas. its pays to change your
It presents a unique challenge involving slightly different gear, plus the results are de- licious.
with a light rod around 6-7’ – or a specific squid fishing rod – a reel size of around 2500-3000, a 14lb line or 10lb braid and a 14kg leader.
a squid and analyse the way it’s designed to perfectly adapt to its surroundings, you’ll have a whole lot more respect for them.
Two hours before high, two hours after and at the bottom of the tide are prime times.
technique each cast to see if they’re feeding aggressively or wary.
Though a boat will of- ten dominate the photos you see of squid catch- es, you can have just as much fun catching them from the shore, and there are a lot of dedicated shore-based squid fishos out there.
They can change col- our to adapt to their surroundings, they fire jets of ink to make a quick escape, they have amazing eye sight and above average intelli- gence, and are equal parts cunning predator and elusive prey.
The difference be- tween the two species arrow and tiger is the tail – tiger squid have a more colourful back and tiger with a spot on their backs are female.
The bay holds a mul- titude of areas for both boat and land-based fishing.
On a pier, if the water is3mormoreatthe bottom, I often drop the jig down with a light stick and let it sit about a metre under the water.
The following covers the basic techniques for catching squid.
For finding and catch- ing squid, you should be looking in tidal ar- eas that contain struc- ture squid like to hunt in.
I also paint the jigs with a clear lacquer to give it more shine in the water.
Have a look at the col- our chart of jigs to give you an idea of colours to buy.
Target this creature
If you really look at
You need the jig to sink at around eight to ten seconds per meter, so do some experiment- ing with your jigs to see what the sink rate is – in water over 3m a heavier weight such as a 3.5-4g is needed to get the jig down.
Once you hook a squid, it’s important to slowly wind the squid in, keeping tension on the line to keep it from releasing itself.
Tiger squid have a more colourful back to arrow squid.
Page 10 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, July 2020
At night I like to put a glow stick on the line on top of the squid bait, it helps attract the squid.
It is a foolish fisho who thinks the squid is done when it’s in near your feet because the squid can still shoot ink, and most times it’s at your face.
Weed beds and rock walls are two areas to be looking for them from the shoreline, and one of the many piers that dot the eastern side of the bay.
You can also buy a squid jig spike, where you thread the rod up through a small pillie and use it instead of a jig.
Get it to the surface so it can’t fill its body with water and try to propel itself away – you can buy telescopic nets to help on those long drops from a pier.
Where there are weed
Cast the jig out as far as you can and let it sink to the bottom, then start winding in with short lifts every few seconds until it’s back at your feet.
Most jigs are heavy and great for long casts, I prefer the 3-3.5g jigs and will often shave a 3.5g down to a 3g.
Quite often you will get an inquisitive squid take your jig.
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The retrieve that
To kill the squid, use a karate chop between the head and the body.
* continued P12
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