When Can I Start Fishing For Squid on Cape Cod?

In just a couple of weeks, squid should start piling in on the Nantucket Sound side of the Cape. Fishing for squid is a fun early spring inshore fishery that runs from middle of April to the first couple weeks of May depending on water temps. 50 degrees seems to be the magic water temp for squid to settle in here for the spring spawn, but, in some years you can catch them in slightly cooler waters.

Whether you want to fish for squid for a few fresh, delicious Calamari dinners or you want to stock pile for bait for when the stripers, tuna and other Cape gamefish arrive en mass, early spring squid fishing is a great way to shake off the winter time rust and get out there catching something in saltwater.

Squid fishing rigs, tackle and techniques are pretty basic, but there are some things you should know if you want to give it a try:

Rods and Reels

The set ups you usually use to fish spring schoolies and freshwater bass on the Cape's kettle ponds will usually suffice. Although squid fight harder on a rod and reel than you might imagine, you don't need stout saltwater gear to handle the squid or the terminal tackle required to catch them. Any medium action 6.5-7 foot rod will do.

Most people know that squid have an onboard supply of ink that they use as a defense mechanism to throw off predators. What you may not know is how that manifests when you are dealing with and removing hooks from squid... there will be ink everywhere if you aren't careful. In some harbor based squid fishing hot spots, squid fishing has been shut down because fisherman weren't being careful with how they were handling the squid and giving a generous black washing to all the shiny white boats moored in the harbor. Don't be that guy.

Setting the hook:

Don't. There really isn't the need for a big, sweeping hookset like you would use for gamefish. The squid will will wrap their tentacles around the sharp pin hooks and will get stuck. Just keeping light, steady pressure while retrieving is enough.

Handling squid after catching:

1. Handling and Discharging Ink:

Lift Carefully:

When lifting a squid out of the water, do so sideways( away from you and other objects you don't want ink on) to allow the ink to discharge into the water rather than on you.

Dispatch:

If you plan to eat the squid, you can dispatch them by sticking a squid spike behind their neck and between their eyes until they turn completely white.

2. Cleaning and Preparing:

Separate Head and Body: Once you've caught the squid, gently separate the head from the body.

Remove Ink Sac: The ink sac is located near the head and should be removed to prevent ink from staining the squid and your hands.

Remove Innards: Carefully pull out the quill or cuttlebone (thin, clear sliver of cartilage) from inside the body.

Scrape and Rinse: Remove any remaining innards inside the body by scraping with a knife, then rinse with water and dry off.

Remove Skin: Peel off most of the skin off the wings, though the thin skin won't be tough once cooked.

Optional: Remove Flaps: The flaps are also edible and can be removed along with the skin.

Cut into Pieces: Cut the cleaned squid into strips or rings for cooking.

3. Storing:

Refrigerate: Clean and rinse squid.

Cover: Place them on a plate or in a container, cover with a damp cloth, and then with plastic wrap or a lid.

Store Cold: Store in the coldest part of the fridge and use within 2–3 days.

Most Popular Squid Jigs

Far and away, the Yozuri are the favorite jigs for our squid fishing Goose customers.

YO-ZURI SQUID JIG EGI AURIE-Q "RS" 1.6

Yo-Zuri AURIE-Q ''RS'' Squid Jigs are made out of natural materials and have a cloth finish that gives it more durability than the traditional Japanese Egi.

This squid jig can be used “sabiki” style, with 1-4 lures attached to your leader with a weight at the end in order to cover as much of the water column as possible.

TSUNAMI SQUID SABIKI RIGS 4"

The Tsunami Soft Body 4" Squid Sabiki Rig takes the Sabiki work out of it for you. Don't waste time tying up your own Sabiki grab one of the hottest soft bodied luminous squid jigs on the market pre-tied Sabiki style. Each mainline comes with 3 jigs tied off of it on droppers, swivel at the top and snap at the bottom. Available in 4 Colors - Chartreuse, Glow, Wonder Bread and Pink Head.

BLACK MAGIC TACKLE SQUID SNATCHER 2.5

When you're targeting squid you need to consider 4 things when choosing your jig size and colour - the light, the water clarity, the water depth and the strength of the current. Our high quality Squid Snatcher® jigs have a slower decent rate than most other jigs in the market. This gives your target more chance to see and attack your jig. We always recommended that you carry a good selection of jigs to test out what colours and sizes are working on the day.

Where and when: The harbors are good places to start, particularly late after noon and night. Most squid fishing takes place at night due to the fact that lights can be used as a powerful attractant for squid. You can catch them offshore , but you will have to hunt around for schools in 15-25 feet of water. Decent electronics really help in locating these schools. Once you get on them, you can usually catch quite a few.