Black Magic Squid Snatchers - opinions?

[Andrews]

Yeah thats why I said rough idea, I wouldn't remember anything past few years let alone that far back.
Did you guys happen to catch anything big like 40 or 50cm hoods and the likes on this jigs?
Whilst squid fishing isn't new here the art of eging has taken a considerable leap since the yesteryears. So im pretty curious to know how the bigger squid were caught those days apart from baited jigs..

I remember them being pretty much the same, sometimes the school was big and at others small. I probably wouldn't say that the average size was any bigger than today from memory. Having the luxury of SM these days makes me think that I see a lot more bigger squid being caught these days, it could be the EGI system that is producing bigger squid. I was only throwing out a bit of banter to spice the place up a bit, heck, I spend $38 just on one bass lure and I have heaps of them, lol

Don’t forget Senior a portion of the fishing community have a propensity to take photos of their catch with outstretched arms. This would make the average catch size appear a little larger.

yeah that's true. I have seen some ridiculously big photos of squid and sometimes ask myself, how do they get that big if they die after 12 months

Who are they trying to convince themselves, others or both.

I can't speak as a far back, but I remember as a kid buying calamari from the calamari boats which used to launch from the St Leonards boat ramp (maybe 20 years ago). We used to get some big ones, but also some smaller ones. Just whatever they could catch at the time.

Seeing as calamari have such a short lifespan, I couldn't imagine that fishing has only effected the general size of the ones being caught today. I'd also wonder if different populations say Port Phillip, the Heads vs Western port have an overall greater size difference. They do say WP holds larger squid.

I think sometimes a portion of the fishing content we see on platforms like Instagram is often exaggerated because of the way the platform has been designed. Often you've got max 15 seconds of attention span to appeal to people while standing out from the million other similar photos and often showing a huge fish, squid whatever works.

[purple5ive]

Calamari boats would be commercially caught squid.
Im interested in recreational stuff.
Westernport has always been known to hold the bigger ones, I wonder if it was always the case. Or just a fact that nobody bothered using jigs for the bigger squid until recent times.
And yeah social media is social media, your either in the thick of it, or not into it at all.

[rb85]

Think it has always been the case but Westernport is not on it's own for big calamari. Some of the biggest calamari I have seen/caught have come from offshore reef systems.

[Seniorfisho]

Calamari boats would be commercially caught squid.
Im interested in recreational stuff.
Westernport has always been known to hold the bigger ones, I wonder if it was always the case. Or just a fact that nobody bothered using jigs for the bigger squid until recent times.
And yeah social media is social media, your either in the thick of it, or not into it at all.

It might be the strong currents of Western port that the squid and other fish have to work harder and seem to be more solid. Even the snapper and whiting seem bigger in western port

[Andrews]

Yeah, they were commercial, but it still would give a good reflection on the average sizes being caught, or even abundance during a period where perhaps calamari trends weren't being recorded. Back then, you couldn't even give away the stuff.

Had a yarn to my grandfather, he's lived in St Leonard's & Bellarine for over 50 years, over 30 (70s-2000s) of those years a block in from the boat ramp and was an avid fisho in his younger years.

He mentioned that he used to go out with the Italians and Greeks locals fishing, and that they'd make their own jigs from wood and cord, with multiple hooked barbs and weighted with lead. They'd just throw them over the side and drift along, and when the line pulled tight they'd get the squid.
Later on he used to buy Yo-Zuri when they started selling products in Australia, I have a few of his old ones at home, he reckons they only used to make big jig sizes #4.0, #4.5 as people only used to fish from the boat. A good read. https://www.yamaria.co.jp/english/yamas ... ory_of_egi

Yeah, that's interesting and I've heard the same about the bigger ones being from off shore.
Explains why the main ports for the fisheries of calamari are closer to the offshore (Queenscliff, Portland and Port Fairy).

[Sneaky1]

Later on he used to buy Yo-Zuri when they started selling products in Australia, I have a few of his old ones at home

Might be sitting on a goldmine haha

[purple5ive]

I was at the squid talk night by Paul carter just yesterday. He also mentioned the offshore are always bigger, like close to 4to5kg sized ones.
Fishing for them is a whole different kettle of fish, unless ofcourse you are happy to drop a paternoster jig down.

[rb85]

Thanks Paul for confirming that.

[Seniorfisho]

Thanks Paul for confirming that.

I can't believe there's squid talk nights and that people would go

[rb85]

Thanks Paul for confirming that.

I can't believe there's squid talk nights and that people would go

How else do you become an authority on all things fishing than regurgitating info from a talk night. Probably learn a bit more casting jigs and silver whiting off piers whilst sinking longnecks
not as fun though.