Malta squid fishing

[Guest]

Dear squid fishers,



I am new to this squid talk.Would there be squid to catch in Malta? I am going there for holiday and love eat squid. Is most tasty seafood. Ta, George.

[glen]

Hi George,



I visited malta last year. I know they were selling squid jigs in the fishing tackle shops. But I didn't get a chance to fish for squid. Most of the people I saw fishing from shore used long poles and caught some small fin fish. I saw some BIG fish while travelling between the two islands by boat. I think these fish might have been dolphin fish. There was a huge school splashing about and presumably chasing bait fish.



Best of luck,



Glen <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':unsure:' />

[Guest]

Hello fellow squidders,



I was reading through your forums for interest when I saw the word Malta, i.e where I come from.



Yes we do have squid here and we normally fish it between November & February. Haven't caught much this year though due to the rough weather and high winds. However I managed to catch a big one (for me at least!!) that was approximately 42cm long from small tentacles to tail.



I am actually a beginner and this is the second year for me. Hope to have more luck this season.



Good luck to all you out there!!



<img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':o' />

[Guest]

hello all

i'm rob

i've been fishing for squid in malta for around 6-7 years now. november to february is the peak time from shore to fish for squid... The biggest i caught from land weighed an astonishing 1kg and 150g...

good luck in the new season and see you on the pier.

pink orange and green lures are the best!!!!!

good luck guys <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blueboxbullet.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blueboxbullet.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':clover:' /> <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blueboxbullet.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':ink' />

[glen]

hi guys, i was curious to know where in malta you fish for squid. it is good all the way around the island?



if you can post a photo of your catch that would be great,



cheers, glen <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/xyxthumbs.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[Kaptan]

[quote name='glen' date='Oct 21 2004, 03:29 PM']hi guys, i was curious to know where in malta you fish for squid. it is good all the way around the island?



if you can post a photo of your catch that would be great,



cheers, glen <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/xyxthumbs.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':au:' />

[right][post="3551"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



Here's one photo of Maltese squid or klamari.

Cirkewwa near ferry between the islands is a good spot to get them. Biggest I got neared 1KG.



Good luck for the season. <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/xyxthumbs.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' />



Kaptan. <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blueboxbullet.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':zorro:' />

[glen]

According to the Malta Fisheries website, "Kulpara" is the name used to describe the squid jigging hand lines used to target squid in Malta by commercial fisherman.



Source - [url="http://www.maltafisheries.gov.mt/ginfo_fishinggears.htm"]http://www.maltafisheries.gov.mt/ginfo_fishinggears.htm[/url]



As stated above, the maltese name for squid is klamari (or klamaru)



And the maltese name for cuttlefish is Sicc, Sicca or Si``



Source - [url="http://users.onvol.net/112886/fishing_regulations.htm"]http://users.onvol.net/112886/fishing_regulations.htm[/url]



There appears to be two main types of squid in Malta -



Common Squid - Loligo vulgaris

(KLAMAR) 50cm. Found in both shallow and deep waters. Lays numerous eggs in clusters attached to rocks or seaweeds. Eggs hatch in June-July. Preys on fish. Releases deep black ink when threatened. Shell is like long, transparent quill. Common.



   



Sagittal Squid - Todarodes sagittatus

(TOTLU) 100cm. Generally found at great depths, where it is constantly on the move. Towards end of summer, large numbers often come close to shore in shallow waters; they sometimes jump out of water in protracted leaps. Catches large fish from both surface and bottom. Shell is like long, reddish straw ending in small quill. Common.

   



The most common cuttlefish in Malta appears to be the following species -



Common Cuttlefish - Sepia officinalis

(SICCA) 30cm. Lives in sandy, muddy or rocky habitats. Feeds on fish and crustaceans, which it catches with great swiftness. Lays large, round, blackish eggs which it attaches to seaweeds or Posidonia in shallow water round about March. Eggs hatch in April-May. Shell (cuttlebone) often washed ashore. Common.



   



Source - [url="http://www.mepa.org.mt"]http://www.mepa.org.mt[/url]

[ciappinu]

Hi Guys,



I live in Malta and I'm a squid fanatic. I caught plenty of squid last winter, mostly with Green and Red jigs from the Northern part of Malta. Here are some pictures.



I kept fishing for squid until the end of April from some bays, however this winter was particularly longer than normal.



We also caught cuttle fish with the same jigs.



Leonard Tonna

Mellieha

[glen]

Hi Leonard,



Welcome to the forums!! Thanks for trying to post some photos. It looks like the image upload failed, probably because the images were too large. You can try to shrink the photos using the instructions on the following page -



[url="http://www.squidfish.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=685"]http://www.squidfish.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=685[/url]



Alternatively you can email me the photos and I will shrink them for you.



It would be great if you could give us some specific spots to fish for squid in malta. Is the island of Gozo better than the main island?



All the best, Glen <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/xyxthumbs.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[supersquid]

Great post

Hello from Australia

[ciappinu]

Ok Sorry! I thought the photos had to be checked before they appear. Here they are. The Bread board they are on is 30cm long, they are the biggest ones I've caught last season.



When the season starts at the end of October we go to Marfa, and occasionly Cirkewwa. There is plenty of light there since they are both ports. Around January the squid start to get closer and we go to Ghadira Bay. However you will have to setup a light there as its completely dark. Usually the ones in Ghadira are bigger for some reason. Then towards Febuary they get even closer and you can fish for squid at Fekruna in Xemxija and St.Pauls Bay. However, Marfa still remains the best spot for them.



By boat there is a reef just out of Marfa in line with "Ahrax Point". You will be on the reef when you can see 7 street lights of Ghadira bay. To fish from the boat, get one of the Squid immersible lights that are produced locally from any fishing shop for around Lm12 and use 3 jigs on a line with a weight at the bottom.



I have personally never fished for squid anywhere else besides these places, so I wouldn't be able to tell exactly. However my suspicion is that Squid are very plentiful on the West/South West coast which is not very accessible and where the sea is very deep, sometimes already 160m at the coast and 400m 4 or 5 miles out. That is probably where most of the squid come from in Winter in search for food. I heard that a few years back there was a massive squid colony on the "Umel Faroud", a large vessel sunk just off the West coast of Malta, and nowadays used as a dive site.





The boxes on the Map indicate the squid hotspots I know about.



Cheers!



Leonard

[supersquid]

Great pics and information Leonard well done <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/as.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/as.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/as.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[glen]

Hi Leonard,



Thanks very much for the malta squid info!



When I visited Malta a few years back, I must have travelled through Cirkewwa to get the ferry to Gozo. I do remember there being a large dock where the ferry departed. Is that where you would fish for squid?



Unfortunately I did not get a chance to do any fishing in malta when I was there. I did go snorkelling on my last day and did see an abundance of fish! (And this was in the heart of St Jullien's!)



Do you find squid fishing is very popular in malta these days?



Thanks very much, Glen <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/xyxthumbs.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[ciappinu]

Squid fishing has existed in Malta since the very early ages, mostly to be used as basit. But since the introduction of professional Lures around 10 years ago, it has picked up with amateurs like myself. Yes at times there are 30 fisherman on the Marfa Jetty, no place left for a needle.



Cirkewwa is where the Gozo Ferry leaves yes, the hot spot is on the left quay since there is a ledge about 10metres out from the edge.



Fish is abundant at times true. We are on the way of many migrating fish. Barracuda, AmberJack and Dolphin Fish (Lampuka) are the most popular with amateur fisherman. Albacore and Tuna are also becoming very popular. I've been Albacore fishing twice this year but I didn't have any luck unfortunately.



I'm planning to do some octopus traps this summer. I'll let you know how it goes. I would also like to try fishing in deeper seas for squid. I've never tried it.



Leonard

[glen]

Thanks again for the info Leonard. I wish you well with your octopus and albacore fishing! I remember seeing a school of pelagic fish (perhaps they were dolphin fish) cutting up the surface and chasing bait fish as I crossed over to Gozo. I was wishing I could steer the ferry!



I guess you know this already but there are heaps of Maltese people in Melbourne, Australia which is where a large number of the members of this website live (including myself). Maltese people in Melbourne are concentrated in the western suburbs such as Sunshine and Altona. I am half maltese myself. But unfortunately I don't speak the language!



All the best, Glen <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/xyxthumbs.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[ciappinu]

Hi Glen.



The world is really small. Seems like us Maltese are everywhere, no matter how small we are! My uncles also migrated to Australia and I still have many cousins there, it's the Tonna family from Rabat, should you ever meet some!



Hope to see you on the Jetty then sometime!



Happy fishing!

[glen]

ok i will ask around and see if we know them! <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



my family was mostly from Birzebbuga <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



all the best, glen

[ciappinu]

Birzebbuga! Now I see where the Fisherman's Blood is coming from!



Leonard

[glen]

both my grandfathers liked fishing so it must be in my blood! <img src='http://www.squidfish.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> haha



cheers, glen

[ciappinu]

Just for the record; I was fishing at Marfa this week (15th August), and I've seen two squid running around. Not at all usual at these temperatures, but seems like Marfa would be one of the best places to try your luck at squid at this time of the year.