With the arrival of each new season here in the Northwest, it’s hard not to feel like a kid in a candy store. Whether it’s fall, winter, spring, or summer, these annual intervals of changing weather and day length always seem to provide new opportunities for the men and women who choose to reap the spoils of the outdoors. If the desire is there, the fun and the food is at our doorsteps.
A commonly overlooked opportunity that starts up in Neah Bay during late August and ends down in the south Puget Sound towards the end of winter, is the squid fishery, specifically the Pacific coast squid, also known as the California market squid.
The Pacific coast squid are relatively small, averaging about 8 inches. They have short lifespans and spend most of their time in the Eastern Pacific Ocean—between Baja California and Southeastern Alaska. They move into the straights of Juan De Fuca during late summer and their numbers tend to peak in the Puget Sound around December and January.
The fishery is often fickle, with some years falling short of anglers’ expectations, while other years the fishery can prove to be quite robust. On these years when the squid are plentiful, the hardest working anglers can find themselves heading home with their limits, which, as of January of 2023, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has set at 10 lbs or a five-gallon bucket filled to the halfway point. Now that is a lot of calamari!
Jigging from a boat or a pier is the most common way to procure these saltwater delicacies, and during the winter you will often find the docks from Everett down to the south Puget Sound alive with folks chasing the Pacific squid. Squidding is a minimalistic endeavor. A fishing rod, a spinning reel, and a squid jig are essentially all that is needed. Squid jigs find their origins in Japan.
They are usually torpedo or bullet-shaped jigs with several spines at the bottom that point upright. These spines don’t serve the same purpose as a typical fishing hook. Instead of puncturing or penetrating the squid, they create a bit of a platform for the squid to become entangled in as they latch onto the colorful plastic body portion of the jig.
Many squid jigging enthusiasts swear that nighttime is the best time to catch squid. By in large this holds true, but it’s also important to put some focus on the tides and water clarity. A high tide with decent water clarity can produce squid even during the daytime.
At night, squid are attracted to the lights illuminating off of the piers. The general belief around this is that light attracts phytoplankton, the phytoplankton then attracts zooplankton, and zooplankton attract the fish and other critters that squid like to feed on. Piers already come equipped with their own lights and these typically do a decent job of providing the needed illumination to bring in the squid.
With that being said, the chances of bringing in larger amounts of squid become increased when a more powerful and concentrated light is introduced. Folks will often bring battery or generator-powered lights to shine into the water. Check with local rules to find out if generators are allowed.
While on the topic of rules, it’s important to note that there is a fair amount of pier fishing etiquette to consider while navigating the pier. It’s best to speak with folks who are using lights and ask them if it’s ok to post up next to them. There’s a good chance they might be saving these spots for friends or family and It’s not uncommon for conflict to occur on the pier if people aren’t using common courtesy while acquiring their jigging spots.
Just as the gear is minimalistic, the technique is simple as well. Folks will work their jigs in a variety of ways, but sticking to the basics is what generally will get you on the squid. When casting, you should allow your jig to drop to a depth where squid are holding, lift the tip of your rod and slowly retrieve as you lower the rod tip back down, then repeat the process.
Once you have a squid on your jig, keep tension on the line and the squid should remain there as you retrieve. The method is similar while jigging directly beneath you, though you won’t be doing any reeling in of the line until a squid has attached itself. Some people like to do a few quick and hard lifts of the rod and then let it sit near the bottom for a few moments. Though you might not feel the squid strike your jig, the difference of weight at the end of your line once you lift again, will be your indicator that you have a squid on.
So, if you’re anything like me, and consider the sound of a bubbling deep fryer to be just as much of a winter staple as holiday tunes or roasted turkeys, then put on your winter jacket and head to a local pier for your shot at getting that bucket up to its halfway point with these great tasting cephalopods. And remember, there’s no such thing as bad weather, there’s only such a thing as bad gear!
