Squid fishing in the Puget Sound is becoming an increasingly popular resource for anglers of all ages and skill levels. Squid are a relaxing, low-pressure fishery and can be targeted successfully on nearly any budget. And you don’t even need a boat; in fact, some of the most successful squid fishermen only fish from shore. This piece will give you some understanding of where, when, and how to fish squid in the Puget Sound.
We will start with the rules and regulations for squid. You will need a shellfish license. I always recommend that everyone just get the Fish WA license, because with that, you are covered for everything, but squid can be covered simply under shellfish. The season and bag limits for squid are very simple.
Squid is open year-round, and the bag limit is 10 pounds per person. This is a lot of squid. I rarely stay and fish out a whole limit, but I always make sure to have a scale handy to make sure I don’t overfish! The only other relevant rule is that you can fish with a maximum of 4 squid jigs on your line at a time. I typically use two. If you are within these rules, you should be all good to get out there!
Next, let’s talk about where. Squid can be found in nearly all waters of the Puget Sound, from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, all the way to Tacoma. Depending on the time of year, they will be more prevalent than others. The general rule is that squid start showing up in the Port Angeles area around September and migrate down to Tacoma through January and February. This is not a hard and fast rule, but they generally follow that pattern.
There are people who catch squid every single day from the Les Davis pier in Tacoma. I, however, do not have that expertise. Some hot spots to check out are the Port Angeles City Pier, the Edmonds Pier, Pier 70 area in Seattle, Seacrest Marina Pier, and Les David Pier in Tacoma. There are several Facebook groups dedicated to squid fishing, and you can usually find out where the squid are from the number of success posts.
When to fish for squid is fairly widespread. There are some people that find success all year long from the same pier. But in general, squid fishing is best, and the squid themselves are largest, in the winter months. I usually start fishing for squid in about November and will fish regularly through February. Earlier in the season, I will usually fish closer to Edmonds, and then the deeper we go into winter, I will move further south and usually end my season closer to Tacoma. If I intend to fish from the pier, I will almost always fish at night. Sometimes I will arrive at 1 or 2 in the morning and fish until sunrise. If I am fishing from a boat, I will often fish in the morning or evening, but almost never at night.
Lastly, how do we fish for squid? Squid can be caught from shore or from a boat, so we will break down how, based on this distinction. Fishing from shore is the most popular and simplest method. You will need your own bucket and a long, sensitive rod (I would say no less than 9’). 9-foot, 5-weight fly rods are growing in popularity due to their sensitivity, and you can rest your arms on the pier and not have a long butt section getting in the way of your jigging action.
Generally, people will set up their rods with braided line about 20–30-pound test, with a corky on the mainline to act as an indicator so you can tell where your line is in relation to others. You will also want to have your squid jigs tied on with monofilament that is about 12-15-pound test. I really like to use one weighted Fisherman’s Gold squid jig in green or pink with another unweighted Fisherman’s Gold jig above that.
The current and tide will impact whether I am going to use half, three-quarter, or one-ounce jigs. The optional part of your kit is a light. There will generally be people on the dock who have lights. If you don’t have a light, you can try to get close to them, but be respectful of their space and bring your own if you want to fish right under a light for your whole session. When you are all rigged up, you will want to cast out and let your jig sink. I usually let mine go to the bottom to start, and I will slowly work the jig back towards me and up the water column using slow jigs with pauses at the top.
To detect a strike, you can usually feel either an increase or a decrease in the weight on your line. A big hookset isn’t required, but a fast set and an increase in your retrieve are enough to keep them pinned on the jig. Strike detection will take some time. If you see someone on the dock really crushing them, be nice and try to learn what they are doing, and maybe ask some questions. My experience has been that if you treat people with respect, they will treat you with respect and usually give you some pointers on how to do better.
If you are going to fish from a boat, the kit is mostly the same, but I usually use a 9’ or 9’6” spinning rod instead of a fly rod. Because you are not limited to how far you can cast from the pier, I will typically drive around slowly and look for a haze near the bottom on my fish finder in roughly 80-120 feet of water. I will then drop my anchor and fish on top of the squid. Because it is light out, they are almost always on the bottom. I will use the same jigging technique, but in a more vertical motion.
So, now you have the what, when, and how of catching squid in the Puget Sound. Give it a try this winter, and instead of waiting for calamari at a restaurant, you’ll be able to serve it up right in your own home.
