Calamari Time

Ika. Loligo. Calamari. Squid. Whatever you call them, say the word in a circle of fishermen and watch the eyes of the squid-catchers in the group light up. Once you’ve tried catching squid, it’s hard not to get into the fun of filling a bucket with these ink-squirting little sea monsters. And then there’s the reward of a drool-inducing plate piled high with fried, fresh calamari. If that’s not enough, squid are eaten by just about every sport fish in the ocean, from scup and fluke to stripers and swordfish, making them a choice item for the bait freezer – if you can spare any leftovers!

It should be obvious, but I will just come out and say it: “I am a Squid Addict!” However it’s not their food quality or even their value as primo bait that has me hooked – it’s their sport value. That’s right – squid fishing is a blast! Don’t get me wrong, the squid you catch in New England aren’t going to run like a striper, and landing them could never be described as a battle, but there are certain challenges to finding them and enticing them to bite that any angler can appreciate. They are a load of fun to catch for serious fishermen as well as novices young and old.

Every spring, these surprisingly ferocious feeders move into New England waters in massive schools to spawn and to feed on anything they can get their tentacles around. They usually show up toward the end of April and increase in numbers through the first couple weeks of May. As squid move inshore, they will venture into our harbors and bays to feed on small baitfish and grass shrimp – or anything else they can hold onto long enough to take a bite out of.

Most land-based fishing for squid takes place under darkness. At night, squid venture into shallow, inshore water around bridges, docks and piers. They are attracted by lights, and lights also attract the baitfish and crustaceans that squid like to eat. To draw in the squid, squid fishermen will go so far as bringing generators rigged with work lights to shine down on the water. Others will bring waterproof floating lights that are specifically made for attracting baitfish and squid. An inexpensive way of drawing in the squid, which has worked pretty well for me at times, is to take a few green Cyalume light sticks, tie them on a rope with a lead weight, and submerge them a few feet under the surface.

Even though most squid fishing takes place at night, daytime can also be just as good, if not better. However, most squid will move into deeper water during the day, so shore fishermen are generally out of luck. In the daytime, boat fishermen can really load up on squid during the day by using electronics to find the squid. There is a price to pay when fishing from your own boat for squid, though. When you bring a squid to the surface, its defense is to shoot a stream of water and ink that can stain just about everything. If you hope to keep the finish of your boat white, have a bucket of water and a deck brush handy to remove any ink before it has the chance to dry. If you don’t have access to a boat, or you want to keep your deck clean, the Helen H out of Hyannis, Massachusetts runs party boat squid trips. Depending on the strength of the squid run, a few other charter boats out of Hyannis and Newport may run squid trips as well. It’s often a short window of time, because once the squid have spawned, they tend to flee inshore waters through a gauntlet of arriving striped bass and bluefish to get back out to the open Atlantic. My best advice is check the On The Water weekly Fishing Forecast at OnTheWater.com for the latest information on whether or not the squid have shown up, and then start calling the party boats for availability.

Catching squid can be easy at times, and on other days it can be frustrating. Exactly what makes them strike aggressively one day and act fickle the next is tough to understand. Like the fish we target, they seem to turn on and off according to the tide, and they also appear to have the ability to learn. Some nights it seems that if they watch their counterparts get caught, they will become very wary. Squid have great eyesight and can see well in daylight and at night, relying on eyesight and scent to hunt prey. They can move pretty fast in short bursts to escape predators, but they hunt by stalking their prey from the shadows and below. As baitfish dart and then pause under the lights, squid will shoot in from the shadows and use their tentacles to grab their prey, and then draw it in toward their beak-like mouth to devour it.
To catch squid, you need to use specialized squid jigs. They have been around for a long time, originating in Japan where early jigs were carved from wood and finished with hair and feathers to entice squid as they fed on prawn. Squid jigs have come a long way since then and are now made by many companies including Yo-Zuri, Shimano and Line Stretcher, to name a few of my favorites. They do not have traditional fish hooks, but instead feature sharp, thin-wire prongs that snag on and impale the tentacles of squid. Most squid jigs come in slow-sinking and fast-sinking models. For New England’s squid, sizes range from 1-inch to 4 inches. My go-to jig is a 2¾- to 3-inch jig, even though last year I did well with some bigger jigs. The jigs also come in many colors and finishes. Many of the high-quality jigs are covered in cloth and even have foils under the cloth that reflect light or glow. Others are completely made of plastic. One of my favorite fast-sinking jigs, which I usually use solo or as a weight to get my squid rig down, is the Line Stretcher jig, which is made entirely of metal. There are also some made without bodies, to be fished with a dead baitfish or shrimp. Remember that squid have great eyesight, so when picking out an arsenal of jigs, make sure to select a few different colors, sizes and styles. Over the years I have found that sometimes the smaller jigs work well when squid become picky.

The jigs can be fished in a few different ways, and even tied on in sets of two to three in a dropper-style rig. There are many ways to fish a squid jig, but my favorite is to toss out a single jig and let it sink, then in a rapid motion using wrist action, jerk and rip the jig back for a few feet, then letting it sink back down again and repeating the process until you hook up or the jig is back to you. Squid like to attack as the jig sinks or pauses. Don’t be afraid to try different retrieves – sometimes super-erratic action followed by a pause can get a finicky squid to attack. Most good squid jigs will sink at an angle close to parallel with the bottom to help entice the squid to strike. If vertical jigging from a pier or bridge, try working the jig up and down and then letting it stand still to entice the squid to attack.

Despite their lack of a tail fin, squid are pretty good fighters and will struggle the whole way in. When you feel one strike, sweep the rod upwards and keep the line tight so that they don’t come off the barbless tines. When they get close, try to swing them right out of the water and into an open bucket so they don’t shoot ink everywhere. They’ll often fall right off the jig when they hit the bucket, or you can grab the jig and turn it upside down and they will slide right off.

In Japan, squid fishing is taken very seriously and a dedicated rod-and-reel combo for squid fishing can go as much as $1,000. You don’t have to spend that kind of money, and honestly, any rod and reel can be used, but a 6-foot to 7-foot medium or medium-heavy rod matched with a small spinning reel is ideal. I use my 7-foot medium-heavy Shimano freshwater bass rod with a 3000 Stradic ci4 and 20-pound-test Power Pro. This set up lets me feel every bite and allows me to work my jig well. it also lets me enjoy the fight as the squid jerks back and tries to swim away. The 20-pound-test braid lets me straighten out the prongs on my jig in case I do get hung up on any of the many snags you’ll find around docks and bridges. When fishing from a boat in deeper water, you might want a heavier set up as you’ll be using more weight to get down into deeper currents. Still, always keep in mind the need for some sensitivity when choosing a rod and line to allow you to feel a squid on the line.

If you never fished for squid before I advise to add it to your to do list. It’s a blast! Also, remember that this is a fun fishery for the whole family and great for kids or inexperienced fishermen. Just be mindful that the prongs on the jigs are super sharp and docks can be slippery. One last thing – I recommend you wear rain gear when fishing for squid. For one, it’s usually still cold and often damp at night during this time of year, but more importantly, you’ll want some protection from the ink stains! If you’re catching squid, sooner or later you will get inked!

Shore-Bound Squidding Spots

Good squid-fishing spots have a few elements in common – access to deep water, lights over the water, and at least some tidal current. Besides these popular locations, there are a number of docks, piers and bulkheads throughout southern New England that can potentially offer a good platform for squid fishing if you’re willing to seek them out.

Woods Hole Town Dock
Albatross St., Woods Hole, MA

Falmouth Harbor
Grand Ave. Falmouth, MA

Sandwich Marina Bulkhead
Ed Moffitt Dr, Sandwich, MA

Stage Harbor Bridge
Bridge St., Chatham, MA

Nut Island Pier
Island Ave., Quincy, MA

Goat Island Causeway
Gladys Carr Bolhouse Rd, Newport, RI