Winter squid

Big, fun and great to eat

Lubin Pfeiffer

Squid would be the one fish that I’ve targeted ever since I first started fishing but still enjoy catching them as much as I did many years ago. Regardless of your age or fishing ability, squid would have to be one of the most fun fish we have available in our waters. There’s something quite refreshing about the predictability of squid fishing, knowing that if you target a particular area, during a low light period of the day, pretty much in most similar areas across the state, you’re going to catch a few. Squid living such short lives are always on the hunt and usually very willing to eat a well-worked jig. While I like to target squid any way I can get them, either land-based or by using a boat, it’s the latter that I do most. A boat gives you access to less pressured areas and allows you to cover lots more water and in most cases enjoy more successful fishing. Although in saying that, Tassie has stacks of good land-based platforms where you can tangle with a squid. In this article I’ll run through the locations, gear and processes I like to use while chasing these tasty critters. Now is the prime time of the year to get out and catch a feed, so if you’ve never tried your hand at squid fishing then now is the time to do it! In Tasmania, we have some of the biggest squids in the country and also some of the most beautiful locations to catch them in.

Where and When To Fish

Most of my fishing is done around the northeast and northern coast of Tassie, where there are loads of areas to catch a feed of squid. I like to find an area of weed beds in water that is from two to around five metres in-depth, without too much current ripping through there during the tide. Also, areas of shallow reefs are well worth a cast too. There are plenty of spots along the north coast that have shallow reef with undercuts that the squid seem to haunt in mass. I’ve had great squid sessions along the stretch of coast at Bridport, where there are huge areas of likely ground to cover. My other favourite location would have to be Coles Bay. Coles bay has plenty of all-weather options as usually, the bay is pretty sheltered from the wind. I’ve had a couple of good sessions at Bicheno but find I prefer to squid where there is less swell as it makes the whole process a bit easier and far more enjoyable easier. From what I’ve been told they catch some whoppers off the stones on dark at Bicheno though! If you’re a land-based angler looking for somewhere to catch a squid just pay attention to the colour of the platform you’re planning on fishing. If it’s clean then obviously not a lot goes on there but if it is covered in black spray marks then it’s definitely worth a shot! Timing is hugely important because the squid will feed much better during the low light periods of the day, I think first light would be my favourite time to fish if I had to choose. There’s something about the mornings being a very reliable time to catch a fish. From my experience, it’s better to have some tidal movement, so I try and fish either during the run-in or run-out tide. When the tide is dead low or high the bite seems to slow down.

Gear to catch a squid

The process is fairly simple really but being simple seems to be the best way to catch most fish species consistently. I run two rods, one for casting and one for the rod holder. Each rod is 2.1 metres long around 3-6kg rigged with a 4kg brightly coloured braid and a 10kg fluorocarbon leader. I have recently been using a specifically designed EGI rod, which is awesome and fun to use but not completely necessary to catch a squid. The difference between a specifically designed EGI rod to a standard rod is firstly the length. EGI rods are usually over 2.4 metres in length which allow for long casts and make working the jig vigorously easier for the angler. Some days the squid will be shut down and working a jig with long rips creating a fast lift is the best way to get them to bite. Short rods are much harder to get the jig to move with any sort of real pace. They are also a parabolic action which is less likely to rip the candles off a squid when the jig is being ripped fast. The EGI rod I have is an Okuma EGI special which is 2.5 metres long and rated PE 0.6-1.2. It’s a well-priced rod if you are in the market to try something different with your squid fishing. As I said it is not completely necessary but I use mine a lot and prefer it over a standard blank for casting jigs. Both my rods are rigged with size 3.5 squid jigs, ones brightly coloured and one darker one to mix it up. I without a doubt always start with a hot orange jig and usually the darker one I select is a straight black one. White is a great colour for Tassie waters also and usually gets a run during the squidding session. I think one important piece of advice I can give is don’t be arias to spend a few extra dollars on a squid jig. I used to use the three-dollar bargain bin jigs and while they will catch a few squids, they won’t last and also have inferior pins on them. When the squid are being lazy they will just lightly touch the jig and not fully commit. This is where having razor sharp sticky pins will catch twice as many as a cheaper jig.

Technique

Squid will always bite better when there’s not too much wind about and the water is nice and clean, less wind also makes doing drifts at the right speed easier as well. Drifting will cover a lot more water and find more hungry patches of squid. Using a GPS can be handy to see where you’ve drifted and where you’ve found patches of squid. I like to start my drifts, depending on what way the wind is taking you, from deeper water, in about four to five metres, and then work my way in shallow. Finishing in water about two metres deep and then moving out and repeating the process. Sometimes you’ll find the squid in a particular water depth and covering different depths will help narrow down which is the best on the day. Once I’ve completed a drift I’ll head back out to the deeper water but move across a few casts worth and restart the drift.

Once I’ve found a patch of squid I can then concentrate efforts in that zone. One of the rods I will sit on the rod holder and leave the jig sitting just off of the bottom. This needs to be adjusted as the drift depth changes. The other I will actively fish casting around all directions from the boat. It is amazing sometimes how just the jig fished static in the rod holder will catch more squid than the moving jig so I find it always makes good sense to have both presentations. I think as well plenty of squid will follow the moving jig to the boat but not commit to eating it. As they see the jig sitting static it gives them plenty of time to consider their choice and ultimately gets the better of them. Another important reason for having an extra jig is when you are reeling in a hooked squid and they will quite often have others following the hooked one. Having the jig sitting ready to go in the water means you can fully maximise these opportunities. For the jig I’m casting, I like to use a rip, rip then sink retrieve. Good positive rips will not only see the jig move enticingly in the water but also makes for good hook-sets when a squid grabs the jig as it’s sinking. As much as possible I try to cast ahead of the drift so that I can control the jig all the way to the boat. Casting behind the drift can sometimes mean the cast takes forever to retrieve and you’re not covering the same amount of water effectively.

Care for your catch

In Tasmania, you’re allowed to keep ten squid each which is enough for a fresh feed and a few for the freezer. Please note they do freeze well, and some people argue it is better - or equally as good as fresh squid.

Sometimes with the really big squid just a few is more than enough to take home. When you land the squid use your hand to give the squid a quick sharp chop in-between the tube and the back of its head. If done correctly this will instantly kill the squid and then you can put them straight on ice.

If you haven’t tried it before considered getting yourself a scaler bag for cleaning the squid on the way back to the boat ramp. I remove the heads and place the squid in the bag before chucking it out in the boat wash. I’m amazed at how well this cleans the tubes and saves so much time at the end of the trip.

Cooking the catch

Cooking squid is simple. Cut the squid into strips, not rings, lightly cover them in flour and then fry them in shallow oil. This is far quicker than any other way I’ve prepared and cooked squid and tastes fantastic! The best squid I have eaten though is by the master himself Joe Reily who has a particular way of skinning the tubes and scoring them. He then crumbs and deepfries them to perfection. I’m still yet to work out how he consistently gets the pieces to curl perfectly and doubt I’ll ever come close! I think the best thing about calamari is there are plenty of options to prepare it for the table, and when it’s fresh and well cared for there’s not a lot you can do wrong however you like to cook it.

With the Trout season coming to a close it’s the perfect time to look for squid. Many of you are already aware of how fun a good squidding session is. Tasmania is home to so much amazing coastline and squid are the perfect inshore target to get started fishing the ocean. You won’t need to venture far either, with most of the productive locations being a short run from the boat ramp. So grab a few jigs, check the forecast and get out there!

You’re an Angler, and no matter how many times you go fishing you’ll want to go again and no matter how many fish you catch (or nearly catch) it will never be enough.

There will be days when the fishing is better than one’s most optimistic forecast, others when it is far worse. Either is a gain over just staying home. You’re hooked, along with us.

WE ARE TONIC!