Queenscliff report - VIC

[Steve I]

Hi All,



Long time squid fisher but I'm a new user so bear with me. I too was gobsmacked when I rocked up to my favorite haunt (queenscliff pier) and realised it was closed for renovations till September or October. For anyone looking for a good spot nearby to queenscliff, I would strongly recommend Port Arlington pier. I have been hitting Port Arlington pier for the last couple of months out of necessity and have been doing extremely well the time of year.



For those who are sceptical, all you need are a good selection of quality jigs (small sizes and dark colours at this time of the year - I usually take 20 - 30 different jigs with me), light line, landing net, some berley and an active approach to your squid fishing. Often when I have been fishing in the last few months, everyone else around me has been squidless whilst me and my mate have often bagged out.



The key I have found is to move around, change the jigs often till you get the right colour or pattern and let the jig sink to the bottom!

[nala]

Hi Colossal_Squid,



Top report mate. What berley do you use for squid? Sounds interesting. I have never thought they would go for berley.



Cheers,

nala

[Steve I]

[quote name='nala' post='19880' date='Jun 28 2010, 07:46 PM']Hi Colossal_Squid,



Top report mate. What berley do you use for squid? Sounds interesting. I have never thought they would go for berley.



Cheers,

nala[/quote]





Here's the secret mate - don't laugh either - I saw a bloke doing this a couple of years ago when fishing the queenscliff harbour for trevally on soft plastics and tried it on my cloth jigs and it worked. I still get stupid looks from other fishos when I'm on the pier spraying this stuff on my jigs.



The secret is olive oil garlic spray that you buy at the supermarket. Forget out the other stuff that costs a fortune at the tackle store. I pack my garlic spray before I pack my jigs. I honestly can't remember many times going squid fishing when I've been outfished by the people around me. Can't explain why or how it just does.



The other technique I sometimes use is to freeze berley (mainly bread crumbs/ tuna oil / guts / garlic spray) in a 2 litre plastic milk container. I mainly use this when I'm at queenscliff the pier is packed and I have to fish in 1 spot. I tie the container to a rope, pierce it with my knife and let it sink down and it starts to defrost and release the berley. I fish my jigs in close proximity and immerse them in garlic spray. Don't know why but it works!



Do you have any tips or techniques that work for you? It is probably a good discussion point for fellow squid fishers...

[nala]

[quote name='Colossal_Squid' post='19882' date='Jun 29 2010, 12:20 PM']Here's the secret mate - don't laugh either - I saw a bloke doing this a couple of years ago when fishing the queenscliff harbour for trevally on soft plastics and tried it on my cloth jigs and it worked. I still get stupid looks from other fishos when I'm on the pier spraying this stuff on my jigs.



The secret is olive oil garlic spray that you buy at the supermarket. Forget out the other stuff that costs a fortune at the tackle store. I pack my garlic spray before I pack my jigs. I honestly can't remember many times going squid fishing when I've been outfished by the people around me. Can't explain why or how it just does.



The other technique I sometimes use is to freeze berley (mainly bread crumbs/ tuna oil / guts / garlic spray) in a 2 litre plastic milk container. I mainly use this when I'm at queenscliff the pier is packed and I have to fish in 1 spot. I tie the container to a rope, pierce it with my knife and let it sink down and it starts to defrost and release the berley. I fish my jigs in close proximity and immerse them in garlic spray. Don't know why but it works!



Do you have any tips or techniques that work for you? It is probably a good discussion point for fellow squid fishers...[/quote]



Thanks for that tip Colossal_Squid! I will give it a shot. I have used berley for all sorts of other fish, in similar ways that you mention, freezing etc.. but not for squid, so your tip is gratefully received.



The only tip I can offer is if you know some one in a busy restaurant, that does sea food, or even better, a fish monger, get them to mince their scraps, then you add the bread and tuna oil, and as you say freeze. I normally freeze in 1 lt old milk cartons, tear off the carton, drop the block into the bucket and suspend from the pier or tie to the anchor rope and drop. I have been getting my berley for next to nothing in this way for years, often by the garbag full! Even if you slip them a few bucks for their time it is still cheap, fresh, and always available.



Cheers,

nala

[Steve I]

Does anyone have anything squid movements to report on anywhere in the western part of the bay? queenscliff, londsdale, partarlington etc etc? Haven't been able to get out in the last couple of weeks and am looking for any excuse to get out!

[mikii_v]

does anyone know if queenscliff pier has re opened??? i miss this pier so much. i heard it was going to re open on september but you know the usual deleys they go through.



i cant wait to get out there again

[Steve I]

[quote name='mikii_v' timestamp='1284547428' post='20486']

does anyone know if queenscliff pier has re opened??? i miss this pier so much. i heard it was going to re open on september but you know the usual deleys they go through.



i cant wait to get out there again

[/quote]



The pier opened about 3 weeks ago. I heard reports from a couple of weeks back they were catching 2kg squid by the bucket loads. I went for a Saturday afternoon fish last Saturday but was greeted by absolutely dreadful weather and didn't bother fishing. The few brave souls who stuck it out had a few in the bucket (2-3 each) but it didn't seem a fair reward for the crappy conditions. With the prevailing wind conditions, I knew that Port Arlington would be sheltered from the strong winds.



I shot across to Port Arlington pier by car and within 30 minutes i had landed 13 squid and dropped another 10 or so. All between 300 - 400grams. All the magic ingredients were there - high tide, overcast skies, dusk approaching and the pier was empty! After night time fell, the squid literally disappeared without trace and did not land another for the rest of the evening.



With the weather staring to get warmer the squid will definately start coming on strong at both Port arlington and queenscliff. I would recommend hitting queenscliff in the next couple of weeks before half of melbourne hears or hit the pier at about 4 am and fish the morning on an overcast day as most fishos have left by this time. Morning at qcliff can at times be remarkably rewarding for those who have a plan....

[mikii_v]

omg someone finally replied. THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH COLOSSAL_SQUID !!! very greatly appreciated !!!



Im going tomorrow after work, i will be there 5pm- morning...



How is the pier after the works??? is it nice? i bet its been crowded lately.....



if it gets packed tomorrow, i will try port arlington as you suggested, iv never been there though....



again thank you so much !!!

[glen]

great to hear the pier is open again!

[Steve I]

[quote name='mikii_v' timestamp='1288953922' post='20800']

omg someone finally replied. THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH COLOSSAL_SQUID !!! very greatly appreciated !!!



Im going tomorrow after work, i will be there 5pm- morning...



How is the pier after the works??? is it nice? i bet its been crowded lately.....



if it gets packed tomorrow, i will try port arlington as you suggested, iv never been there though....



again thank you so much !!!

[/quote]



As you will find out by the time of reading, the pier is much the same. It was mainly renewing the old pier which was slowly rotting away. With both piers, i recommend timing your run with a high tide co-inciding with either dusk or dawn. As always you need to get in early to beat the crowds. Burley and scented jigs are a must in my view for success.



Port Arlington is a highly underrated as a squid spot as it is seen as the poor cousin of queenscliff. But with the right techniques and weather conditions, I find it fishes very well and quite often better than queenscliff. Admittedly the squid are not as big but I find that the reefs around that pier tend to hold the squid in place for longer.

[glen]

Hi there, Did you ever get any squid at Point Lonsdale?

[mikii_v]

i fished 5pm-5am, 12 hour shift...



managed only 5 squids and 5 tommy roughs.



best time to go is just before high tide at night, i don't think there's much action during the day time ?...not from what i'v seen anyways. there was a lot of action before high tide and everyone had a fair run. all in the intervals of 20mins.



it is very crowded in queenscliff, you wont be able to find a spot if you going at dawn... forget about the start of the pier, that's taken up by the old mans already. the pier is looking nicer, everything is new and clean.



best method to fish queenscliff, is just 1-7 metres from the pier, screw launching your rod and reel. just dip and jig. the squid at queenscliff get right close to the pier unlike other piers.



this weekend would be packed, very nice weather.... good to be back at queenscliff again, i miss it a lot

[mikii_v]

i went to queenscliff on friday, 5pm-2am... when i arrived there was only 1 guy at the pier which was at the light before the shed. i told my dad to fish before the shed as this was our only opportunity ever to fish out here. he refused and wanted to fish outside with his new strategy lol.... we were the only ones outside, weather was perfect, i guess the reason why no1 was there because it was expected to rain and thunder.



my dad did well at the end of the pier with 5, and i only manage 3 closer to the shed. people started coming in around 7pm, then it was shoulder to shoulder again... not much caught, probably between 10 everyone. outside did alright too, i saw them pulling some up. the rain started coming in heavily around 11pm, i told my dad to bring in the rods closer to the shed so we can stand there and watch it, but it was too late, everyone had their rod there already... everyone was in the shed and it was the usual story telling lol... squid was caught during the rain, the guys that had their rods closer to the shed, probably cleaned up. i left at 2am, was way too cold and rainy. the guys before the shed, pretty much killed it in the rain...



the 2 16 year olds, i think dave and another, did pretty well before the shed, their regulars and i see them there all the time. very determined fisher mans.



you pretty much cant come home empty handed at queenscliff, pretty easy for any beginner too, just drop the jig in the water, no need to cast...

[mikii_v]

i got 12 on saturday 5pm-4am and 15 tommy roughs



to answer your question Glen, everytime im at queenscliff, theres always someone telling me stories about point londsdale. they say theres heaps of squid there and can be just as monsterous as queenscliff.



anyone on here been going to queenscliff as well ?

[teik]

Im new to this forum so hello everyone...

i fished Qcliff on sat 27th...got there at around 8pm fished till daybreak. managed 21 squids between the 8 of us.

not so bad considering we were hiding in the house most of the time. heavy wind and rain the whole time!

the others that was there were catching plenty. mostly right b4 hide tide at around 3am.

[glen]

hey teik! welcome aboard and thanks very much for the report.



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

[mikii_v]

well done, 21 is a lot !! i have been going every Saturday but decided to skip last Saturday because of the weather. rain, wind, thunder, floods.... my little brother went, he only managed 3. i told him not to go though, because it would be dangerous for him.



i notice the squid bites hard when it is raining at queens cliff. just leave your rods out in the rain with floaters, sit in the house and watch it like a hawk. and tell fishing stories to the other fisher mans or go through their tackle box and see what fancy jig they have.



what were they biting on ??? were you fishing before the shelter or after?



i just bought a 6.0 jig, yes 6.0....the other week, i saw a guy use it, and it was very effective! he showed me it, its just a plan jig that glows, no cloth. i want to get out and give it a test drive !!!

[teik]

Hi mikii,

we fished mainly after the shelter. first 5 hrs we got around 6. the other fishermen that was next to use got next to nothing aswell. they were biting in the area close to the shore and right b4 the shelter.

the pplz there were goin steadily from the moment i got there. everytime i look that direction i would c them pull one up.

they were using mainly silver whiting and darker colored jigs. sized 3 and 3.5 i think it was.

i was using a 2.5 brown jig.

right b4 hide tide, rain n wind got really heavy, we saw pplz pulling squid up like crazy so we went out n tried our luck. i was after the shelter at the lowest point. i think thats the best spot since i pull up the most out of everyone there.

we got 15 in just half an hr or so then it went dead. i sat out there for another 2 hrs trying to get just 1 more to meet my limit. but it was dead, everyone else was gone or asleep by then.

oh and i think i saw ur bro he went with 2 mates.

[mikii_v]

yeah, he told me you guys were in a group of 9 or something. that was his second time fishing there.



I usually fish after the shelter as well, i never get a spot before the shelter. outside does pretty well. but yes, it does go quiet after high tide. yes squid do bite hard when it is raining. the brave and determined ones are the ones that goes home with their bag...



Hope to see you there next time man, i need more friends at queenscliff, it gets boring when there's no1 to talk to...

[teik]

Hi guys,

being squiding at qcliff pier last few days(19th, 20th, 22nd).

wheather hasnt being the best but squid are everywhere. we bagged out on all outings and so has most pplz.

I get there at around 7ish and they go on a feeding frenzy right after dark.