Catching squid: Are they really that fussy?

A question I pose to myself every time I walk past a squid wall in a tackle store is how fussy are they really?

The stand with squid lures is always bigger than any other lure display with hundreds of options.

Size is simple; just match it with what the squid are eating or the depth you are fishing. Colour? That is a whole other dimension.

Squid are fun to catch and great on the plate. They even make fantastic bait, so the chances of release are few and far between. Too bad for squid.

In all the time I have chased and caught squid, I’ve heard multiple theories about what colour to use, and when. Some make sense, many contradict each other and some even sound downright ludicrous, yet each has a firm group of cult-like believers.

What do cephalopods see when you hang a jig in front of them? The jury is out, but this is what the Carnegie Museum of Natural History thinks. 

"The eyes of cephalopods like octopus and squid possess only one kind of photoreceptor, implying that they are colour-blind, being able to see only in greyscale," it says.

"But! They are famous masters of camouflage, being able to blend with their surroundings, and they signal each other in intricate colour patterns. These feats suggest that they are not colour-blind.

"Two main hypotheses to explain this mystery are (1) they also see with their skin (Wardill et al. 2015) or (2) they make use of chromatic aberration (Stubbs & Stubbs 2016)."

Confused? Me too, so let's jump into colour options and theories.

Jigs come in a multitude of external cloth colours, with the latest craze pushing naked jigs without a cloth covering. They can come with a clear, blue, or green glow, UV, and with or without tape on the body.

Most squid jigs are then covered with the cloth, which is again coloured. An orange cloth jig could be clear, glow, UV impregnated, taped or not below the cloth.

Covering all bases will build a big collection of colours and options, and send you broke in the process.

Glow under the cloth is effective in situations where you are looking for high appeals, such as in muddy water or even at night. Japan, the home of squid fishing, believes glow to be an excellent searching colour.

Blue glow is considered an all-rounder, suitable for night and day, easily identified and an excellent colour to draw in hungry squid.

UV is an exceptional overcast daytime option and a proven attractor for squid in high-pressure locations.

Theories on colours are wide and varied. Bright days, bright lures. Dark days, bright lures. Deep water, bright lures; clear water, natural colours; cold-water green lures and warm water pinks.

On overcast mornings it's natural browns and olives with a gold foil. Or gold for morning and afternoon, rainbow for the middle of the day and reds for night.

Dirty water, bright colours is another one, and clear water, natural colours is yet another.

In Victoria, considered the home of squid fishing in Australia, solids come into play. All white for clear and calm water, all black for overcast conditions.

Rattle or no rattle. They say squid don't have ears, so I’m not sure on that one. I only use silent jigs.

And don’t get me started on sprays. I do think that a certain colour’s success is partly related to how many people are using it at one particular time. 

The most important factor is action. You want a slow steady sinking jig that maintains a head-down attitude.

Jigs with a sharp nose encourage a sharp darting action. A side edge on the jig's body can ensure it falls with a stable attitude.

Slow-sinking jigs stay in the strike zone longer, making them perfect for areas with low flow and shallow depth.

Look for Japanese-quality spikes on the lure. They are generally sharper and of better quality.

And if in doubt, try everything. One method eventually will work.