Squid Fishing Newbie - Tacoma

[Comptec]

Hello



My name is Rich, I am a 43 year old computer tech that works for the City of Tacoma, and lives in the Milton area.



I am looking for someone that would be willing for someone to show me the ropes about squid fishing. I would like to learn everything from what gear I need, what kind of license do I need, to the where and when; to how to clean them.



I have two daughters (9 and 5) that I would like to eventually teach how to squid fish. The both love squid and I am sure that they would have a great time staying up late with daddy fishing.



I am easy to get a hold of. Being a computer tech I spend most of my day on a computer, and I keep a very close eye on my email.



Please let me know if you have any questions.



I look forward to hearing from you.

[squidjigdotcom]

[quote name='Rich C' post='17272' date='Jan 6 2010, 05:43 AM']Hello



My name is Rich, I am a 43 year old computer tech that works for the City of Tacoma, and lives in the Milton area.



I am looking for someone that would be willing for someone to show me the ropes about squid fishing. I would like to learn everything from what gear I need, what kind of license do I need, to the where and when; to how to clean them.



I have two daughters (9 and 5) that I would like to eventually teach how to squid fish. The both love squid and I am sure that they would have a great time staying up late with daddy fishing.



I am easy to get a hold of. Being a computer tech I spend most of my day on a computer, and I keep a very close eye on my email.



Please let me know if you have any questions.



I look forward to hearing from you.[/quote]



Hi Rich,

I would be happy to help you out.... I'm actually only about 5-10 minutes from you on the North end of Federal Way. I have a huge selection of local jigs here, and can help you out with techniques and locations to go. You can call me at 253-529-0294 or email me at squidjigwarehouse@msn.com



Jon

[Salty_Dog]

Now thats a good outcome.... Isn't the Internet great <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':ink' />

[Comptec]

Thanks John for getting back to me. I will try to get a hold of you sometime this weekend.

[thomco]

Rich,



I'm in a similar situation as you. 41 yo techie living on Vashon with 9 yo daughter.



A couple of nights this week, we've visited the pier on Vashon to watch the squid fishing. I was amazed by how fast they were catching squid. (1 every few minutes). A neighbor let my daughter try a cast, and she reeled up a squid. Now she wants to go squid fishing. (unfortunately, she wants to keep the squid in an aquarium - not eat them. *sigh*)



Anyway, I came on here tonight to see what I could find about getting started. I have no fishing gear, and would like to get started with a limited financial commitment.



Thomas

[Comptec]

Hello







Sorry it has taken me so long to post back, but it has been one of those weeks when “life happens”







I stopped by one of the pier on Friday night on my way home because I could tell that there were several people squid fishing. I figured that I would see if I could find out some information.







Boy was I wrong! After about twenty minutes of walking around just watching and observing, I felt like a butcher at a PETA convention.







I did find out a few things about what I would need for squid fishing. It seemed like most of the poles were about a 5ft to 8ft with just about any type of reel. I am not sure about the lb test, but it looks like 10 to 15lb test would work fine. I have tons of poles and line so this should not be that hard for me to fill.







There were a couple of guys that brought some work lights that they had plugged into some of the outlets on the pier. I think that the idea of lantern on a rope would work better because you can get it lower to the water (that and the idea of all the power cords that were running all over the place in the pouring rain just did not make me feel safe).







Now for the lures, I saw all kinds but I could not tell the details on them because I did not want to get that close, but I did see that some were using two and three of them on their line. Also some of the guys had corkies at the top of their set up that were free floating on their line (I am not sure what they are for, possibly to be able to see where their line was?).







The technique that seemed to be used the most was; was the person would throw out his lure about fifteen feet or so from the dock and let the reel free wheel for a second or two (I am not sure on how deep they were fishing, the one guy that did not seem to mind me being there did not speak a lick of English and he just kept smiling at me and nodding his head) But everyone just seem to let their line setting and then they would pull it up, and then let it settle again. Some were pulling (jerking) pretty hard, and some seem to just pull up in a swift but smoothly long pull.







I don’t know how you can tell if you have a squid on, but it seemed that once you had one on, all you had to do is make sure you kept your tip up and the line tight. I did see quite a few squid being caught.







I am also still at a loss on how to clean a squid. I have not had the time but I am sure there is someone out there that will be glad to show me, and I am going to search the web some more to see if I can find a “how to” video.







I still do not know what the limits are here in Washington State or what kind of license that you need?

[bluewaterhunter]

Back your instinct mate...give it a whirl and be patient.



Observing the locals is good but just remember to keep trying new techniques.

[thomco]

I stopped by one of the pier on Friday night on my way home because I could tell that there were several people squid fishing. I figured that I would see if I could find out some information.

Boy was I wrong! After about twenty minutes of walking around just watching and observing, I felt like a butcher at a PETA convention.

We were luckier than that. We visited the Vashon pier twice last week. The first time, no one spoke English. They seemed indifferent to our presence, but we didn't feel unwelcome. My daughter, wanted to look at the squid, and one woman was friendly with her - let her pickup squid from her bucket. Eventually, when we left she offered one squid to my daughter.



The next day we stopped again. This time there were several English speaking folks, including my neighbor. So I chatted with him about squid fishing for about 15 minutes. He let both my daughter and I cast the line and reel in a squid. Maybe you'll have more luck if you brought your daughter along <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':ink' />

Now for the lures, I saw all kinds but I could not tell the details on them because I did not want to get that close, but I did see that some were using two and three of them on their line. Also some of the guys had corkies at the top of their set up that were free floating on their line (I am not sure what they are for, possibly to be able to see where their line was?).

The type of lure they used was a [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jigging"]jig[/url]. My friend's jig was glow-in-the-dark, and looked like [url="http://tinyurl.com/ydq76f2"]this on amazon[/url]

The technique that seemed to be used the most was; was the person would throw out his lure about fifteen feet or so from the dock and let the reel free wheel for a second or two (I am not sure on how deep they were fishing, the one guy that did not seem to mind me being there did not speak a lick of English and he just kept smiling at me and nodding his head) But everyone just seem to let their line setting and then they would pull it up, and then let it settle again. Some were pulling (jerking) pretty hard, and some seem to just pull up in a swift but smoothly long pull.



I don’t know how you can tell if you have a squid on, but it seemed that once you had one on, all you had to do is make sure you kept your tip up and the line tight. I did see quite a few squid being caught.

Thats a good description of the casting and jigging. I was instructed to gently move the pole up and down rather than jerk. I the upward motion, it was quite obvious when there was a squid on the jig.

I am also still at a loss on how to clean a squid. I have not had the time but I am sure there is someone out there that will be glad to show me, and I am going to search the web some more to see if I can find a “how to” video.

There are plenty of video online if you google "squid cleaning". My daughter found [url="http://how2heroes.com/videos/techniques/how-to-clean-squid"]this one[/url] which we found very useful. We cleaned our two squid and sautéed the calamari ring in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

I still do not know what the limits are here in Washington State or what kind of license that you need?

I just found the [url="http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/squid/index.htm"]Washington State Fish and Wildlife Squid Website[/url]. I haven't read it yet, but it looks like a lot of good info for the newbie, including things like gear, technique, rules and regulations According to the site, daily catch limit is 5qts or 10 lbs.



Have fun!

[ibfishen]

Rich : I would also like to assist you and direct you I have jigs from Japan that are not available in the USA. They are unique and you might be interested in getting them.



ibfishen@comcast.net

[Comptec]

Hi Everyone.



Just thought that I would give you a quick update on what all has been going on.



Last Friday night on my way home; I stopped at the Les Davis pier in Tacoma. I was fortunate enough to meet a gentleman (I believe his name is John), and first and foremost I wanted to let everyone know, that he was about the most friendly person that I have ever meet. He saw me walk out on the peer and comment “welcome to the party” and offered me his hand.



This gentleman was full of all kinds of information and hand no problem sharing it with me. Not only did he answer any and all of my questions, but he did it with a warm heart. He also filled me with the confidence to go give this a shot next weekend.



So with that said I will be purchasing some jigs this coming Friday (I have to wait for payday like so many of us) and either Friday night of Saturday night I will be giving it a try.



Just an update, and a thank you to the gentlemen that I meet at the pier last Friday.

[squidjigdotcom]

[quote name='Rich C' post='17362' date='Jan 18 2010, 05:30 AM']Hi Everyone.



Just thought that I would give you a quick update on what all has been going on.



Last Friday night on my way home; I stopped at the Les Davis pier in Tacoma. I was fortunate enough to meet a gentleman (I believe his name is John), and first and foremost I wanted to let everyone know, that he was about the most friendly person that I have ever meet. He saw me walk out on the peer and comment “welcome to the party” and offered me his hand.



This gentleman was full of all kinds of information and hand no problem sharing it with me. Not only did he answer any and all of my questions, but he did it with a warm heart. He also filled me with the confidence to go give this a shot next weekend.



So with that said I will be purchasing some jigs this coming Friday (I have to wait for payday like so many of us) and either Friday night of Saturday night I will be giving it a try.



Just an update, and a thank you to the gentlemen that I meet at the pier last Friday.[/quote]



How well were they catching squid when you went there???? I haven't had any recent reports from the Tacoma area. I have heard that Des Moines has been doing fairly well at high tide.



Jon

[booboo98498]

Jon and Rich, the evening Rich was on Les Davis was very slow. I am the John Rich was talking to. My neighbor was there with his stone-age 14 pound reel that you could hear over the trains passing by when he reeled it in and it was sure good for a laugh. A lot of the jigs I use are homemade from glow-in-the-dark beads and other items (Bic pen barrel and plastic tubes that drills come in). When the squid are there, they seem to work quite well.



I went to Les Davis Sunday morning about 2AM. There were some squid but lots of herring. I caught about 20 squid with one of them being about 10 inches long. I would have done a happy dance, but it was raining and it would have looked funny in my rain suit.



Rich, any time you need some info, don't hesitate to ask. Old retired folks like me like to talk (a lot).



Jon at squidjigdotcom will hook you up with some real winner jigs and likes to instruct folks also.



[quote name='squidjigdotcom' post='17363' date='Jan 18 2010, 05:55 AM']How well were they catching squid when you went there???? I haven't had any recent reports from the Tacoma area. I have heard that Des Moines has been doing fairly well at high tide.



Jon[/quote]

[squidjigdotcom]

[quote name='booboo98498' post='17364' date='Jan 18 2010, 07:19 AM']Jon and Rich, the evening Rich was on Les Davis was very slow. I am the John Rich was talking to. My neighbor was there with his stone-age 14 pound reel that you could hear over the trains passing by when he reeled it in and it was sure good for a laugh. A lot of the jigs I use are homemade from glow-in-the-dark beads and other items (Bic pen barrel and plastic tubes that drills come in). When the squid are there, they seem to work quite well.



I went to Les Davis Sunday morning about 2AM. There were some squid but lots of herring. I caught about 20 squid with one of them being about 10 inches long. I would have done a happy dance, but it was raining and it would have looked funny in my rain suit.



Rich, any time you need some info, don't hesitate to ask. Old retired folks like me like to talk (a lot).



Jon at squidjigdotcom will hook you up with some real winner jigs and likes to instruct folks also.[/quote]



It's funny... I have had several customers recently tell me that, the "squid bite" has been the hottest when it's been raining. I've been hearing that the large squid have been more common lately. Hopefully they will keep coming in and we will have a good late winter run.



Jon

[johnrobp]

Got out last night for the first time since I was a kid (ironically, at Brownsville dock). Took my 12 yr old son. Beautiful, calm evening. Went out to Brownsville dock and saw around 10-15 people jigging for squid. They said the action was slow but they were still pulling some in. Mostly 4-7". This one guy we hung around probably had a good 15-20 caught while we were there. Son and I caught 6 between us. Gave them to the dude that shared his flood light space with us.



Next time I'll take my own flood light (need special electrical connector to connect to dock power). They all were using single squid jigs. up to 4 on a line approx. 8-10" between each one. Saw what looked like schools of smelt also, but no one was going for them.



Talk was that there are larger squid around Port Orchard and that this was a pretty slow night.



90 minutes of relaxing cool jigging



Next time I hope to get enough to bring home a cook up