29-11-2005, 08:58 PM
Thanks Glen for getting me going here.
Wow I guess there really is everything on the net. What a cool site!
My name is Jason I have been squiding in the Puget Sound area for 22 years. When I started there was huge clouds of large Opalescent Squid at the piers I fished at, mainly Harper and Watermans piers in Port orchard. I am self taught as back then there was not many people willing to show me how to catch them slimy critters. I learned by watching how the squid reacted to my jig. I noticed right off the bat that the Squid would always follow the jig down and when I pulled up they would back away only to follow the jig down again. I noticed that the act of jigging up and down attracted the squid and I caught a few but mostly they would just hang out for awhile excited by my jigs but not attack them. I started experimenting on how far I dropped the jigs before I pulled them up and noticed the squid would follow them all the way to the bottom but the further i pulled them up the further the squid would back away until they went shooting off with the rest of the school. Eventually I learned that about one and a half to two feet was the prime drop and I learned to cut the distance the squid travelled from the jigs on the rise in half by twitching the jigs up twice to start the drop again this made the squid pause, by the time my jigs were on the drop again they squid were right there to grab the jig before I could even drop it two feet. Yes! I figured out the basic technique to pull in alot of squid. Over the years I have refined my technique to the point that the color or type of jig does not matter though I am partial to green, I can and have caught squid on black jigs. The weight of the jig is the most important factor in how I determine what jigs I use, to heavy and its hard to feel them grab it, to light and the current will drag it under the dock or to the top of the water. what ever weight I decide I only use one weighted jig and that is always on the bottom hence the name bottom jig. Most of the time I only use two jigs, my second jig will never be weighted and will always be attached to the line at both ends this is called the top jig Many manufactures sell both jigs. I typically use 8# test and that is also a factor in chosing the right weight to use.
The basic technique will work whether it be a good night or slow night but I didnt find standing out on the dock in freezing temps and bone chilling wind all that exciting so over the years I have also developed slow day techniques for such events as crowded pier night, heavy current night, low tide night, and even to much light night.
Over the years the squid have been getting fewer and smaller. They have also spit into several what I call runs throughout the year. There are two runs that are larger then the rest I call them winter run and summer run. The winter run starts at the end of july and goes to about the middle of December I call it the winter run because the squid in this run mature in December. The summer run starts at the end of December and goes through July. December and July are when I catch the mature squid.
Enough about squiding for now. I also fish for anything that is unfortunate to live in water. I work swing shift and am off wednesdays and thursdays. I also am a rock hound an amateur mycologist. Ya, I stay pretty busy.
<img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':th' />
P.s I do most of my jigging in the top ten feet of water. I learned that sure the squid will follow jigs to the bottom from any depth they were at previously but when you lure them to the bottom the bullheads chase the off eventually, then you have to bring another batch in.
Wow I guess there really is everything on the net. What a cool site!
My name is Jason I have been squiding in the Puget Sound area for 22 years. When I started there was huge clouds of large Opalescent Squid at the piers I fished at, mainly Harper and Watermans piers in Port orchard. I am self taught as back then there was not many people willing to show me how to catch them slimy critters. I learned by watching how the squid reacted to my jig. I noticed right off the bat that the Squid would always follow the jig down and when I pulled up they would back away only to follow the jig down again. I noticed that the act of jigging up and down attracted the squid and I caught a few but mostly they would just hang out for awhile excited by my jigs but not attack them. I started experimenting on how far I dropped the jigs before I pulled them up and noticed the squid would follow them all the way to the bottom but the further i pulled them up the further the squid would back away until they went shooting off with the rest of the school. Eventually I learned that about one and a half to two feet was the prime drop and I learned to cut the distance the squid travelled from the jigs on the rise in half by twitching the jigs up twice to start the drop again this made the squid pause, by the time my jigs were on the drop again they squid were right there to grab the jig before I could even drop it two feet. Yes! I figured out the basic technique to pull in alot of squid. Over the years I have refined my technique to the point that the color or type of jig does not matter though I am partial to green, I can and have caught squid on black jigs. The weight of the jig is the most important factor in how I determine what jigs I use, to heavy and its hard to feel them grab it, to light and the current will drag it under the dock or to the top of the water. what ever weight I decide I only use one weighted jig and that is always on the bottom hence the name bottom jig. Most of the time I only use two jigs, my second jig will never be weighted and will always be attached to the line at both ends this is called the top jig Many manufactures sell both jigs. I typically use 8# test and that is also a factor in chosing the right weight to use.
The basic technique will work whether it be a good night or slow night but I didnt find standing out on the dock in freezing temps and bone chilling wind all that exciting so over the years I have also developed slow day techniques for such events as crowded pier night, heavy current night, low tide night, and even to much light night.
Over the years the squid have been getting fewer and smaller. They have also spit into several what I call runs throughout the year. There are two runs that are larger then the rest I call them winter run and summer run. The winter run starts at the end of july and goes to about the middle of December I call it the winter run because the squid in this run mature in December. The summer run starts at the end of December and goes through July. December and July are when I catch the mature squid.
Enough about squiding for now. I also fish for anything that is unfortunate to live in water. I work swing shift and am off wednesdays and thursdays. I also am a rock hound an amateur mycologist. Ya, I stay pretty busy.
<img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':th' />
P.s I do most of my jigging in the top ten feet of water. I learned that sure the squid will follow jigs to the bottom from any depth they were at previously but when you lure them to the bottom the bullheads chase the off eventually, then you have to bring another batch in.
Squid Qoute of the day "Oh Oh here he comes again."