Squidding report

Squidding was from the Seacrest dock. People would bring out regular lights powered by deep marine cycle 12v batteries and shine it on the water. It either attracts squid or bait where squids would feed on. Special squid jigs are used to jig up and down until a squid strike.

I was on the dock 8-10pm and only got about 12 4-6" squids. I was on the side that faces west. This was the good side towards the end of last season -- shallow water. For this season, the better side seems to be the side that faces the city -- deeper water. People on that side were pulling in 4-10 times more than the west facing side. One guy about three feet to my left did not get a single squid for the hour he was there. Overall, about 20 people were there off and on.

Sounds pretty cool. A few questions. What time of year are they available? What time of day do you go out there? Do you think it would work by yak? I was thinking a few waterproof floodlights spread out between two yaks. I wouldn't mind a fresh calamari snack!

Z

Sounds fun..

This reminds me of a cd my wife has from a singer named Zoe Lewis who has a song about squidding..

here are the lyrics..

Let's go squidding, with the grandpas and boys
I'm really not kidding, it's one of summertime's joys
I've got ink on my hands, and a jig on the line,
And enough in my bucket for dinnertime
Let's go squidding, with the grandpas and boys

If I could find a youtube video of it I would post it.

Thanks for the info Pix. Sounds like some good fun. Let us know how it goes and I'm sure there's a few of us who wouldn't mind tagging along next time. What kind of light system do you have set up? I found this and thought it might work.


Z

Squiding is a ton of fun and usually you are best served by joining the hoards as more lights attract more squid. The "take" is very light. The squid are trying to mate and the jig is meant to mimic another squid. The jig is ringed with bent needles that snag the squid. The wider needle jigs seem to be more popular. You can just jig away and hope connect on an upstroke or use a bit more finesse. The old guys that fish every day feel the take and jig much slower. And catch a lot more squid. Some even use a fly rod with a light spinning reel.

It is good. A bunch of us Seattle guys should meet up one of these nights. It only gets better as we get into Oct. and Nov.

The usual lighting system is halogen work lamps hanging from the railing. The brighter the better.

A bunch of us Seattle guys should meet up one of these nights. It only gets better as we get into Oct. and Nov.

Sounds like a plan.

Z

Four pounds!? Nice haul.

Z

Anyone try this in the south sound area from the yak?

I'd really appreciate some info
pm is fine if you want to keep it under wraps.

Many thanks!

ben

Okay, I have never seen anyone squidding like this around here but the vid looked fun! I have been down on Seacrest with some squidders and it is a very fun night!

I have a couple of those same lures that I brought with me from Guam, thinking I could use them out here. But, I've never caught squat with them. Back home I used those lures to catch the same species in the video, which is actually a cuttle fish (fatter in girth than the squid we get out here). They averaged in the same size as the ones in the vid but, we have actually caught some where the bodies were 12 to 14 inches in length.

Here's a site that lists more squiding locations for the Sound.  http://squidfishingwa.com/4.html

Seems I remember seeing a documentary that showed squid hanging out around sandy bottom locations and then attaching their eggs to rocks. Here's a private video from Youtube that shows eggs on rocks.

I've squidded off the Edmonds public pier.  Rig up and cast out - retrieve.  Even just drop it straight down into the water and bounce it up and down.  When the squid come in they hit everything.  It can get pretty crazy crowded, and in the winter, COLD AND WET.  Halogen work lights shined into the water and squid jigs like these:

http://www.squidjig.com/

Get the jigs that are luminescent, that is, they glow after exposure to bright light.  You hang them for a moment in front of the light, then cast.  There are also squid jigs that contain LEDs.  

WDFW has squid pages: http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/squid/

In the past the WDFW provided a Squid Fishing brochure entitled, "The Tantalizing Squid".  Here's a link: http://www.squidfish.net/tantalizingsquid.shtml

Limits are defined in quarts.

Squiding from a kayak is an interesting idea.  LED lights would run a long time off a 7ah FF/GPS battery, and the light would make you pretty visible.  It would be fun if one could get a group of yaks together, anchor in a circle, and fish the same central lighted area.

You will get inked.

If you guys get something like this together, count me in (or at least very, very interested).  I have some Yo Zuri squid jigs that a friend in Malaysia sent me, and I've been looking for a chance to use them.

Squiding from a kayak is an interesting idea.  LED lights would run a long time off a 7ah FF/GPS battery, and the light would make you pretty visible.  It would be fun if one could get a group of yaks together, anchor in a circle, and fish the same central lighted area.

Right, we'd hopefully create our own "hotspot". Being so close to the water in the yak a dipnet might be the most effective.


Z