An Introduction to Squid Fishing in the Greater Br

This article is intended as a quick introduction to squid fishing in and around Brisbane. There is a wealth of information inside the forum for anglers who are new to the sport and this article is just intended to get you started. So if you interested, please sign up and you will have access to the full forum.

The best way to learn how to catch squid is by coming along to one of our social nights which we typically have once a month during the squid season (generally March to November). We will pair you up with an experienced member of our club who will teach you how to catch squid. For information about when these are you will have to sign up.

What fishing gear do I need to catch squid?
Rods and Reels:
While there are dedicated rods and reels made for squiding (or egiing as it’s called in Japan) to start with all you really need is a rod and reel you would normally use for catching flathead. Typically a long rod in the range of 3 to 6 kg and a 2000 to 2500 reel with 10 to 15lb braid and 12lb fluorocarbon leader will be ok as a beginners outfit.

Squid jigs:
Squid jigs come in a variety of colours, styles and types. To start with, it depends if you’re going squiding in the day or night. In the daytime I prefer to use something in a natural colour and at night a pink or orange as it will help you see the jig. Squid jigs also come in different sink rates and in general if you’re fishing deep water use a fast sink rate and for shallow water a slow sink rate. As for types or brands anything made by our sponsors will get you started but something in the 2.2 to 2.5 size is a good place to start.

Head lamps or torches:
If you plan on going out at night you will need a very good torch or head lamp, this is so you can spot squid in the water and cast to them (more later) generally something that is around 200 lumens will suffice.

So when is the right time to go chase some fresh calamari?
Squid can be found in Moreton Bay year round but they move around the bay depending on the time of year. Squid are predominately found where the water is clear so when the wind starts to consistently come from the west the waters on western bay start to clear up and the squid turn up. Squid can be caught day or night and at any time but in general high tides (the bigger the better) are the best as the squid will come right up into the shallows.

Where to catch squid?
Squid generally hang around areas where sea grass beds are near and will come right up into the mangroves and rockwalls. Any place that has a weed bed nearby and mangroves or rockwalls is a perfect spot but the easiest way is to look out for fresh ink on the walkways as chances are someone from the club has been there recently!

How to catch squid?
So you have your gear and you’ve got some jigs and you are in a likely squid spot, now what? Well firstly let’s talk about how squid jigs catch squid. A squid jig is usually shaped like a prawn (some are shaped like fish) so that is the prey we are trying to imitate. Squid will only hit a jig when it is sinking down through the water column and to attract the squid we give the rod one or several jigs.

During the daytime it is very difficult to spot squid so your best bet is what we call blind casting. Blind casting is where you cast the jig out generally as far as you can and let it sink until it is almost at the bottom. Then give the jig several fast flicks, take up the slack line and let it sink back down to near the bottom then repeat. If you think a large chunk of weed is on your jig and then it starts pulling you have got your first squid on.

During dark a totally different technique can be used that is unique to the species of squid (northern calamari) we get in Queensland. This is where you walk the coast line with a high powered torch looking for squid sitting in the shallows. Once spotted it is important to take the light off the squid as fast as possible so you don’t spoke them. Then it’s a matter of casting your jig past the squid and bring it slowly near them. Once the squid sees the lure it will attack the jig and you can set the hook and bring in the squid.

A word of warning squid are one of the only things that once caught fight back so make sure you wear old clothing and watch out for that ink!

So if you would like to know more sign up to the club and come along to one of our events.