How to Use Lures or Squid Jigs to Catch Squid for Bait & Calamari for Dinner
Swim the Squid Lure like a Prawn / Shrimp Retreating
The way a squid jig or squid lure works is by imitating the likeness of a prawn / shrimp right down to the way it swims when it is retreating from danger.
Using a lure to catch a squid starts with learning how to make it swim like a retreating prawn / shrimp.
When prawns swim normally they swim forward slowly. But when startled they retreat by swimming backwards in short bursts, with a halt in between.
To replicate this action a squid lure or squid jig combines a factor of buoyancy with a counterweight, so you can swim it like a retreating shrimp.
The correct swimming action of a prawn retreating is burst, halt, burst halt. The way you replicate this takes advantage of the balance between the slight buoyancy and slight weight of the lure.
You jerk the lure forward a bit with your rod, then let it ‘halt’ then you jerk it forward a bit more, then let it halt…. then you just repeat this swimming action.
The lure does most of the work and you can see how the lure swims, drop it in the water where you can see it right next to the boat or jetty or wherever you are fishing and practice the jerk then halt technique and you can watch it do it’s prawn like retreat.
If there are weeds this is ideal for squid. Look for a sandy patch or break in the weeds if you can spot one.
Cast beyond it and swim the lure with the jerk and halt action over the top of that area. This is perfect for a squid to dash out and latch on to the lure.
If you can’t see these exact spots, cast across a larger area of water and swim it back over the whole area using the same technique.
Other areas that produce results are casting close to a rock face and retreat the lure from that position.
Rigging a Squid Lure on a Fishing Line
You will rely entirely on the squid lure to provide you enough weight to cast it out.
So nothing else goes on your line when you use a squid jig. No sinker, no swivel, no floats, no nothing - just the squid lure.
This will allow it to present to a squid properly and you can swim it like a prawn allowing the lure to do the work.
While it is possible to catch a squid with a variety of rigs that include a hook and a prawn, if you want a real chance and want to target squid for bait or eating, you should try a squid lure or squid jig.
Unlike most lures, squid lures don’t have hooks instead they have a fan of straight barbs.
The most ideal time to fish for squid is around sunrise.
The first thing you will notice about live squid is they are translucent, compared to squid that has been dead for some time and packaged as frozen bait, the frozen squid’s flesh turns white and isn’t translucent or see through.
The difference from the perspective of fish is massive.
Most fish will ignore the white flesh of a long dead squid.
But they will hit any part of a squid that is live or recently chopped into pieces.
Never skin a portion of fresh squid as the skin has a luster or look fish are familiar with and will react to and bite on instinctively.
As a rule, you can’t beat the live bait taken from the local environment where you are fishing.
Live squid is so often a winner and nothing can come close to it if you are fishing for saltwater fish.
Spending the time to use your squid lures at the beginning of a fishing trip and picking up some live squid to use as bait is the biggest favour you can do yourself if you want to catch a lot of fish.
Access to live squid separates fisherman because you can’t buy live squid to use as bait. You have to learn how to fish for them and put in the time to catch them yourself if you want to use this kind of bait.
Using live squid for bait is a totally different fishing experience. You will bag the best fish possible with this bait.
I’d happily pay a hundred dollars for a half dozen live squid if it was available for sale as bait, it is literally that effective.
There are a number of different squid lures available with different coloration. Each of them suit the different darkness of water you are fishing in.
My advice is to buy at least three different ones and try them out where you are fishing.
Usually the retreating prawn swimming action they all do will allow you to catch squid but having a few varieties of these lures accounts for the fact that sometimes one will get snapped up and the other will be ignored, then you fish in another spot and its other way around.
So grab a few squid jigs and always start your fishing trip out, no matter where you are fishing by using a squid lure to test the waters and see if there are any squid on offer.
The way a squid jig or squid lure works is by imitating the likeness of a prawn / shrimp right down to the way it swims when it is retreating from danger.
When prawns swim normally they swim forward slowly. But when startled they retreat by swimming backwards in short bursts, with a halt in between.
To replicate this action a squid lure or squid jig combines a factor of buoyancy with a counterweight, so you can swim it like a retreating shrimp.
The correct swimming action of a prawn retreating is burst, halt, burst halt. The way you replicate this takes advantage of the balance between the slight buoyancy and slight weight of the lure.
You jerk the lure forward a bit with your rod, then let it ‘halt’ then you jerk it forward a bit more, then let it halt…. then you just repeat this swimming action.
The lure does most of the work and you can see how the lure swims, drop it in the water where you can see it right next to the boat or jetty or wherever you are fishing and practice the jerk then halt technique and you can watch it do it’s prawn like retreat.
Where to Cast a Squid Lure
If there are weeds this is ideal for squid. Look for a sandy patch or break in the weeds if you can spot one.
Cast beyond it and swim the lure with the jerk and halt action over the top of that area. This is perfect for a squid to dash out and latch on to the lure.
If you can’t see these exact spots, cast across a larger area of water and swim it back over the whole area using the same technique.
Other areas that produce results are casting close to a rock face and retreat the lure from that position.
Rigging a Squid Lure on a Fishing Line
You will rely entirely on the squid lure to provide you enough weight to cast it out.
So nothing else goes on your line when you use a squid jig. No sinker, no swivel, no floats, no nothing - just the squid lure.
This will allow it to present to a squid properly and you can swim it like a prawn allowing the lure to do the work.
How to Catch a Squid
While it is possible to catch a squid with a variety of rigs that include a hook and a prawn, if you want a real chance and want to target squid for bait or eating, you should try a squid lure or squid jig.
Unlike most lures, squid lures don’t have hooks instead they have a fan of straight barbs.
The most ideal time to fish for squid is around sunrise.
Using Live Squid as a Fresh Bait
The first thing you will notice about live squid is they are translucent, compared to squid that has been dead for some time and packaged as frozen bait, the frozen squid’s flesh turns white and isn’t translucent or see through.
The difference from the perspective of fish is massive.
Most fish will ignore the white flesh of a long dead squid.
But they will hit any part of a squid that is live or recently chopped into pieces.
Never skin a portion of fresh squid as the skin has a luster or look fish are familiar with and will react to and bite on instinctively.
Why Live Squid is the Best Bait
As a rule, you can’t beat the live bait taken from the local environment where you are fishing.
Live squid is so often a winner and nothing can come close to it if you are fishing for saltwater fish.
Spending the time to use your squid lures at the beginning of a fishing trip and picking up some live squid to use as bait is the biggest favour you can do yourself if you want to catch a lot of fish.
Access to live squid separates fisherman because you can’t buy live squid to use as bait. You have to learn how to fish for them and put in the time to catch them yourself if you want to use this kind of bait.
Using live squid for bait is a totally different fishing experience. You will bag the best fish possible with this bait.
I’d happily pay a hundred dollars for a half dozen live squid if it was available for sale as bait, it is literally that effective.
Selecting Squid Lures or Squid Jigs
There are a number of different squid lures available with different coloration. Each of them suit the different darkness of water you are fishing in.
My advice is to buy at least three different ones and try them out where you are fishing.
Usually the retreating prawn swimming action they all do will allow you to catch squid but having a few varieties of these lures accounts for the fact that sometimes one will get snapped up and the other will be ignored, then you fish in another spot and its other way around.
So grab a few squid jigs and always start your fishing trip out, no matter where you are fishing by using a squid lure to test the waters and see if there are any squid on offer.
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