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Squid fishing tips

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6
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Crab Bait

You can use just about any kind of meat as crab bait. Chicken is the most popular since it is easy to find at any grocery store. Squid is excellent but is harder to come by, grocery stores usually won't have squid. Some people even use canned catfood by punching a hole in the can.

The best bait I've found are big turkey legs. The turkey meat is much greasier than the chicken and I think the crab can smell it from further away. Keep some turkey legs frozen for your next crabbing trip, then take them out a day or two before you go out. This will let the turkey meat rot a little so its juices, greases and smells will release faster when you drop it in the water.

Topics: crab, crabbing, bait, dungeness crab, turkey legs, squid, chicken
5
Vote

Catching Crab

Things to remember when setting crab traps.
- set your traps near fresh water.
- if using square wire traps, remove the bait cage and hang your bait in the center from the top of the trap ensuring the crab can reach it.
- set your traps 50-150 feet deep.
- check your traps every couple hours, they will only hold so much. Check your regulations for size and sex limits.
- Take a jug along with you for salt water, at least 4 liters. Try cooking your crab in ocean water, you will be surprised just how much better it tastes.
- If you think the area is holding some king or snow crab but you don't have a large ring trap. Take a spreader bar or coat hanger, securely attach it to any fishing line. Attach some squid to the spreader bar using wire or zip ties. Attach enough weight to take it to the bottom. Leave it on the bottom for up to 30 minutes then real it up at an even pace. If there are any king or snow crab in the area they will clamp on to the squid and won't let go... A poor mans crab trap...lol

Topics: seafood, tips, crab
7
Vote

Squid hit on different colors different nights

Keep a variety of squid jigs on hand when fishing for squid (red, blue, green, white, etc). Different colors are hot on different nights, so see which colors other people are catching them on and use that color.

Topics: squid, squid jigs, colors, night
5
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Use multiple squid jigs on one line

You can use more than one squid jig on your line, often the best setup is 2 jigs. Use a large weighted jig a couple feet below a smaller non-weighted jig. Try to use jigs with an eye hole on the bottom under the hooks to quickly swap out your different jigs. Make sure only the bottom-most jig is weighted and all other jigs are lighter, this will keep your line from tangling up when it first hits the water.

Topics: squid, squid jigs, jigging, tackle
5
Vote

Corkies make great line markers

While jigging for squid, put a bright neon colored corkie on your line above your swivel. Leave it loose so that it can float on top of the water. It will light up under the dock lights makes it really easy to tell where your line is. The docks get real crowded during squid season so this will help keep you from tangling your line with the other guys. A lot of the experienced guys already do this, so it'll also make you look like you know what you're doing.

Topics: corkie, squid, light