I go to the tackle store and ask for squid and they ask me “what

kind?” I ask for mullet and they ask “finger or fillet?”  How complicated is

this bait thing? I just want some bait to go fishing!

  Sometimes going to a bait store for bait is like going to a

“fancy restaurant.” The angler has to make choices that he doesn’t really

understand.  In the old days, if you asked for squid you got squid in a

box or wrapped up in some paper. Now there are a variety of squids available for

bait including the good old box of California squid.

            Ninety percent of the squid in the United States is commercially

caught in California. That’s why the ever-popular one-pound box of Calamari

is also called California squid.  These squid are generally small (about 4

to 6-inches long). It takes a lot of work to get strips out of these squids

for flounder and trout baits, but this “box squid” works just fine and is

relatively inexpensive.  I like it for making small strips of bait for pan

fish such as croaker, spot, kingfish, and small sea bass. If you are making

a combination bait of worm and a squid strip, the small squids in the box

are all you need to make half-inch strips of squid. To make this combination

bait, thread on a piece of worm on the curved part of a small hook. Then cut

a strip of squid, about half an inch long and a quarter inch wide, and let

it hang beside the worm bait. Only hook the squid strip once so it dangles

beside the worm.

            “I want local squid!”

            Local squid is a little larger, usually thicker, and is usually

wrapped in some kind of paper or plastic. Some people ask for “wrapped

squid.”  Some years we get “local” squid from the boats in our area, and

some years it is scarce.  This was one of the scarcer years, so not much

quality “local” squid was available.  One of the local distributors had some

“wrapped squid” from Peru that wasn’t bad. It was not much larger than the

California squid but the squid itself was a little thicker. (The thicker the

squid is, the longer it will stay on the hook without tearing off the hook.)

            “I want cleaned squid!”

            These days, the only way to get cleaned squid is to clean it

yourself, or buy what we call “cleaned tubes.”  Most squid tubes come from

Asia, India, New Zealand, or Peru.

They are quite thick, so if you like to make long thick strips of squid,

this is the squid for you! Flounder fishermen especially like to put a one

and a half to three-inch strip of squid beside their frozen shiner or minnow

bait. Anglers fishing in the ocean or Delaware Bay for trout, croaker,

flounder or sea bass especially like this thick squid because it stays on

the hook well when fishing in deep water. There’s nothing more frustrating

than going down 60 feet to get one little nibble that takes off your bait.

Then you have to crank it all the way up to put a fresh piece on. The

cleaned squid tubes are very tough and will withstand a little sea robin or

small black bass bite.

            “Would you like your squid cleaned, cut, and marinated?”

            Well, this is like going to that fancy restaurant and getting

your steak cut up for you. You don’t even have to put on the A-1 sauce. It’s

already on there. This is wonderful as long as you like the way it is cut

and like the “sauce.” One thing is for sure, it is very convenient for the

flounder fisherman who has to run the boat and attend his company. The last

thing he may have time for is cutting up squid. It’s also very popular for

anglers on piers and for anglers fishing on the Route 50 Bridge where there’s

no water to wash your hands.

            I like this squid if I’m using it in combination with a minnow

or shiner. It’s quick and easy and the “shedder crab” marinating gives it a

good scent.  If you are fishing offshore in the deep water, you can also be

assured that it is thick and tough, because cut and marinated squid is

basically the squid tubes that have been cut into strips at the bait

distributors.

            This same squid can also be bought in colors such as red, green,

and yellow. I personally don’t get into all that, but some people like it.

For my own personal use, I like to clean and cut either California or local

squid, as I am not crazy about “thick” squid. I like the thinner squid

because I think it squiggles in the water better.  But that’s just me….

            “How do you clean squid?”

            Pull off the head, squeeze out the guts, and peel off the outer

skin like an onion. Then cut the squid tube into tapered strips of squid.

Some people use a little kosher salt to toughen it up. This is when you can

die your squid with food dye if you like yellow or red squid. (Just watch

the colored dyes on the bottom of your white boat!) Or if you like to add a

little squirt of Shedder Crab Oil, now is the time. A little bit goes a long

way!

            “Can you fish a squid whole?”

            Yes, especially if you are bottom fishing for flounder offshore

on the shoals or near a wreck, a whole small California squid, hooked once

through the tail can be deadly. When fishing with this big bait, you need to

use a fairly large hook, approximately a #4/0 wide gap or Octopus style. Tie

a 30-inch leader and set up on a fish finder rig or a 3-way with a sinker

snap. You can also set this up with an egg-sinker rig.  (Hint- Any pre-made

striper rig will work as these are made with big hooks.)

            Drift the whole squid along the bottom, but give the flounder

(or big sea bass) a chance to get this larger bait down! You can also drift

a whole dead “finger mullet” for flounder or big sea bass this way as well.

If you use a “finger mullet” hook it through the lips or through the eyes.

            Some fish, like flounder, are “site feeders.” It’s not

particularly the way the squid smells that attracts the flounder, but the

way it “looks.” Thus it is important to make sure it is cut into an

attractive strip and not just globbed on the hook. Squid strips also look

best when they are nice and white. After drifting for a while, squid strips

can get dirty and black or brown in color. That’s when it’s time to take it

off and put a new strip on.

            Other fish, like sea bass, croaker, and trout smell the bait.

New fresh squid baits give off a smell immediately. Old squid strips,

drifted around for half an hour without a bite, need to be changed.

            “Why doesn’t California squid come in bigger squids?”

            California squid, or Calamari is packaged for eating. The

smaller squids are tenderer and are the preferred squids for eating. More

squid is actually bought for human consumption than for fish bait!

            “Can you use the heads or tentacles for bait?”

            I actually like to use a whole squid head for flounder or big

sea bass offshore.  I use it on a big #4/0 hook like I would for a whole

squid. Hook it near the brain and let the tentacles flow. (Small squids are

natural bait offshore. Flounder and sea bass are used to feeding on squids

in the ocean.)

            Some anglers like the use the tentacles to catch small fish.

They can thread them on the hook just like a worm!

            Some fish, like croaker and sea bass don’t care if the squid is

cut in attractive strips. For these two fish, you can cut the squid with the

skin and guts intact and simply hang it on the hook and way you want.

            Next week… more on bait… good fishing…