Egi Squidding

[breambo25 1]

Berkley Egi Master or Shimano Sephia?

[Rollas 2]

Handline with 20lb mono...

[Guest]

Don't get caught up in all this egi squid marketing wank.Any light rod and reel will do.

[Just Me 0]

Don't get caught up in all this egi squid marketing wank.Any light rod and reel will do.

Couldn't agree more with the two above posts. I still get a big kick outta using a hand line and tommie out on the boat, and basically any light/medium outfit will serve you well.I use to spend heaps on all the new jigs and i've caught just as many on the el cheapo "razor backs" from k-fart or 3 for ten bucks at ray&anns.If you wanna buy a few good jigs i'd recommend the Yo Zuri oiutas, get the one with red heads and pearl white bodies in size 3 or 3.5 and i also really like the Yamashita live.

[karen1396235506 0]

hi ya. me and my bro caught 26 squid, in about an hour. off the jetty. with the ol cheap jigs and small hand lines. but sometimes, we used try out different coloured jigs. not sure if was a coincindence, but white ones were LUCKY for us.

[4THALOVE 45]

Don't get caught up in all this egi squid marketing wank.Any light rod and reel will do.

dont see why you cant get caught up in it all am lookin at the range myself squiding can be an art especially locally at the moment dont know if any other s&h members have had alot of inquiries at there jags with no hook up lately but it was frustrating tha shit out of me!! some great EGI reading around but each to there own i love my EGI'S. cheers 4THA.

[brenton 637]

I'd agree with 4thalove,you might catch plenty of squid on a 20lb handline,so do i.But you can also bet that an Egi master would kick all our arses. cheers brenton

[TheStu 0]

i use the handline with red headed white body jag or my version of "Just Me"'s yamashita live...

[Peelin 0]

I'd agree with 4thalove' date='you might catch plenty of squid on a 20lb handline,so do i.But you can also bet that an Egi master would kick all our arses. cheers brenton[/quote']Sorry but not convinced at all, I have to agree that a quality jag really is a good investment, sure bargain bin jigs works but they really are inferior both in squid attracting ability and quality. But all the other high end gear is a gimmick to the point of becoming a joke, if the egi master would kick my arse at squiding (which I highly doubt me being a squidder king ) then I guarentee that if we swapped rods he would continue to do so, no way is someone gonna out squid you just because their gear costs 10 times more.Final point, handline will always be king for playing a squid once jagged as you can feel if they are lightly hooked and give you the sensitivity and control to still land the whole squid rather than just a bit of his tentacle.

[__matt__ 0]

only time an egi set up is an advantage is land based.50lb mono on a few handlines and you will never loose another jig. try using two 'egi masters' at once.

[4THALOVE 45]

this is an exerpt from a night held at a tackle shop in melbourne.Here in Oz 'Egi' fishing is still in it's relative infancy. Yeah some guys have been fishing with the old bait spikes attached to hand lines for years but the real art of 'Egi fishing', that we are only just starting to explore, is still a relatively new phenomenon here in Australia.In Japan the history of 'Egi Fishing' goes back more than 400 years, so they do have the odd tip or two to pass on.Here in Oz we account for only about 0.3% of the world's tackle industry, so the amount of gear Gan Craft ship to Australia is a drop in the ocean, however we are the only country in the world that these Gan Craft guys have visited with the specific aim of holding information/teaching sessions. Such is the respect the Japanese Egi fishing community holds for our fishery.'Egi' or as we know em 'Squid' generally account for over 60% of the world's marine biomass. So they are incredibly abundant, & Australia is THE single biggest squid biomass area in the world. This means we have undoubtably the world's #1 squid fishery, right here on our door step.Gan Craft are committed to creating top quality Egying gear & are using Australia extensively as a testing ground for their gear. Although we are a drop in the bucket of world fishing gear sales the Gan Craft gear we have access to is the very best available anywhere in the world today.The guys started out with the obvious - Rods.Now Egi rods are not just souped up bream rods. Until these guys started going into the specifics of Egi rod design I was totally unaware of just how complex these quality pieces are. It's not hard to see why their top range Egi rods have price tags of around the $700 mark. The style of fishing the Gan Craft guys are pioneering with their gear calls for tough but light weight & extremely well balanced gear. Try ripping a jig through the water the way these guys do, with a normal bream rod & you are pretty much guaranteed to end up with a hand full of rod pieces. In Japan Egi fishing is extremely competitive. They have a very large population that accounts for over 30% of the world's Egi tackle sales, so to be successful requires that your gear stand out from the rest. Squid are quite intelligent & will quickly learn that the last 10,000 times they saw a particular jig swimming around them one of their mates was ripped from the water, so they WILL learn to avoid items they have seen many times before. Hence the Gan Craft guys are constantly trying to develop new gear & techniqies that will 'stand out from the crowd' so to speak . Egi Fishing report - Part 2.The Gan Craft method involves using an extremely aggressive rod action to litterally rip the jigs through the water, followed by long pauses to allow the Egi to pounce. Squid are sight hunters & as such the 1st thing an Egi fisherman needs to do is get their attention. Hence the new generation of jigs we are seeing today & the very agressive way they are fished. However, it's actually when the jig is paused that the squid strike, so the pause is just as important, if not more so, than the 'ripping'. Gan Craft jigs are intricatly engineered to float/sink in a very natural & enticing manner. Squid do not 'taste' their food with their mouth as most other animals we know do. Their brain is a circular oragan through which passes their eaosophageus. Pressure on the brain renders the squid quite tepid & so food needs to pass into their gut reasonably fast. Hence squid actually 'taste' with their mantles (the 2 longest tentackles). Often when a jig is free falling through the water a squid will tap at it with it's mantles in order to 'taste' the item prior to actually biting.Egi JigsGan Craft make basically 2 types of jigs. A smooth version without any cloth covering & a cloth covered version (no way am I going to try to pronounce their correct names). When a jig is ripped through the water the 1st 'rip' lifts the jig. The 2nd,3rd,4th, etc actually serve to make the jig swerve from side to side. The jig is then paused before the process is then repeated. Aggressively ripping the jig through the water emphasizes this 'swerving' manner & is very good at attracting a squid's attention. When the jig is paused the squid then strikes. Due to greater water resistence a cloth type jig will travel slower & hence fall slower & swerve through a wider arc. The smooth jigs are faster, fall quicker, & swerve through a narrower arc. 'Horses for courses' or choices for conditions I 'spose.Colours - pretty obvious actually. Squid really only see in two colours - black & white. So why all the lovely colours we see on the tackle shop shelves? Because different colours reflect light differently. Reflect more light & you stand a better chance of attracting a squid. Having said that squid aint just gonna pounce on a piece of discarded cigarette packet foil either. The jig needs to be pretty convincing in regard to 'matching the hatch'. Squid want food & those big eyes are pretty good at determining if something looks like what they normally eat or not. Dark colours present better silhouettes. So the usual choice is dark for a good silhouette or light to better attract their attention. It all depends on the clarity of water, depth you are fishing in, & light conditions on the day. There is no right or wrong answer, just tried & tested 'winners' found through experience.Weight? Well here in Australia traditonally most people have opted for very light jigs in the 2-2.5 oz range.Elsewhere in the world, & partiucluarly in Japan, these weights are unheard of. Why? Well a big squid will look for big food. There's more of him to feed. But a small squid can also just as easilly feed on a large baitfish, so bigger is definitely better. Large jigs are easier to see than small ones & whilst a small squid will still attack a large jig, rarerly will a large squid attack a small jig. The Japanese use 3.4 to4oz jigs almost exclusively. Having said that they also generally fish deeper then we do. Most of their 'Egying' is carried out in waters of 6-8 metres or more, whereas we often chase squid in 1-3 metres. 3.5 to 4oz jigs can sink just a touch too fast in these waters, especially if they are of the non-cloth covered variety. Their recommendation is to use jigs of around 3-3.5oz for the majority of our situations, going up to 3.5-4oz for deeper waters. Gan Craft do not make jigs of less than 3.0oz.Reels?Only 1 size here - 2500. Anything bigger is going to seriously unbalance what needs to be a very balanced outfit, if the Gan Craft method of aggressive 'ripping' is used. 1000 size reels just dont have the retreval rate necessary to keep up with the agressive ripping either. So 2500 size reels are used almost exclusively with ratios oif 5.7:1 an absolute minimum & 5.9 to 6.1 ratios preferred. Drags are pretty tight to cope with the 'ripping'techique & can be quickly backed off if a larger 'Egi' strikes. It is also important to note that very agressive striking of the rod is also recommended when a squid strikes.Often the squid will grab at the body of the jig & not striking hard enough will often see the squid let go before it can be hooked. So, the Japanese guys say - STRIKE HARD.Lines?PE1 to PE3 (10-20lb on average) is the norm with top qaulity an absolute must. 'Ripping' puts a lot of strain on the line & anything that is less than top quality will quickly wear & break under the ripping action. 'Egi' rods are also capable of casting these light weight jigs extremely long distances. They often leave 2-3 feet of line dangling from the rod tip as they really load up the rod big time for these long casts., Rod tip speeds with these rods are increadible.Leaders are also exclusively flurocarbon & usually around the 8-14lb range. Length - aprox' 1.5 to 2 times rod length.It's important to note that the guys recommend that when the rod is rested & ready to cast the knot joining leader to line must not be on the reel spool.Knots uses - for joining leader to main line the FG knot is by far the most favoured. There are plenty of examples of how to tie this knot on the internet, particularly on 'YouTube'.Terminal knots? Well these can vary. If the jig has a fixed eye then the line is tied hard to the eye with a uni knot.However, if the eye is a swivelling type (as found on Gan Craft's non-cloth jigs) then a loop knot is used.The reason is that these jigs use the swivell eye to allow the jig to 'flutter' as it free falls though the water when paused.Using hard connection can restrict the action of these jigs.

[Peelin 0]

lol, its still just squidding, also I reckon squid have colour vision, the most similar to ours in the animal kingdom was what I heard. :dry: more lies and propaganda than an episode of Ifish or ET in that lot.

[Rickster 0]

You gotta have some sort of theory behind you to ask around $700 for a sqiudding rod. :whistle: :evil: :woohoo:

[4THALOVE 45]

You gotta have some sort of theory behind you to ask around $700 for a sqiudding rod. :whistle: :evil: :woohoo:

is that right mate :ohmy: then why do they spend it on all there snapper and game gear maybe i do it for the sport champ same as the other species :angry: !!

[lusty21 0]

that was a very interesting read 4thalove thanksbut i believe its worth every cent spending good money on a decent jag.. i have a jag that i brought mid jan this year and i have estimated at least 50-70 squid caught on this same jag. squid are about $20 a kilo in the market (last time i looked) say 3 squid (estimate) = a kilo 60 squid = 20 kilo 20 x 20 = $400 from a $20 jag isnt too bad!!! plus i havent counted all the snapper/whiting i have caught from the squid heads etc and all the mouths it has fed.. l love squidding

[urhookedfish 12]

Yo-Zuri Oitas for me.They are squid killers. That was a very imformative read 4tha and I thank you for it.The only thing Im finding strange is the massive whip or huge lift/rip technique now being practised by the so called egi masters like adam Royter (who is primarily fishing Berkly Egi Products)I think, its each to their own on how much they spend on a squid rod. or snapper rods for that matter.In archery you can spend up to $2200 on a top of the line hunting compound bow so when you look at if you have 2 or 3 good combos you will be in that ball park.I really think the rip technique is just way to over-exagurated and all you need is a meter long twitch/rip not from floor to ceiling as these wanks are doing (all in the name that the japanese use this technique) well if you trying to catch a squid thats seen a million lures you probably want to rip it past him and give him sweet f all time to make a decision to grab it but here, they aint that smart and in my opionion you dont need such a big lift.anyway my rant over.But overall, the better the jag, the lighter the braid and leader you use and better outfit you have will all add up to more squid.I see it every weekend out on Port Norlunga when the squid fishers using stationary floats catch bugger all and the people using a sink and rip technique catch plenty.tight lines..cos if you dont the squid will fall off!! :clap:

[brenton 637]

Even if you only learn't the FG you would be doing yourself a favor,they certainly taught the Youfish crew a thing or two on a recent episode when pitted up against their handlines in tough conditions cheers brenton

[Ranger 48]

Squid really only see in two colours - black & white.

I reckon squid have colour vision, the most similar to ours in the animal kingdom was what I heard.

This might help answer the questions in relation to vision, and is also a very interesting read for anyone interested:www.thecephalopodpage.org/cephschool/CephalopodVision.pdf

most cephalopods are completely color blind (Hanlon and Messenger 1996). How do we know? We can train octopuses to pick black objects over white objects, white objects over black objects, light grey objects over dark grey objects and vice versa but we can not train them to differentiate between colorful objects that look the same in grayscale (Hanlon and Messenger 1996). Also, most cephalopods only have one visual pigment. We have three.Although many species have not yet been tested, the only cephalopod known so far to have color vision is the firefly squid (Watasenia scintillans). This species of midwater squid is bioluminescent and has three visual pigments (Seidou et al 1990). All other species tested so far only have one visual pigment.

A little on the Firefly Squid, the only one known to have colour vision:

Firefly Squid(Watasenia scintillans)Watasenia scintillans, the firefly squidOf all the bioluminescent life forms in the deep sea, there is one tiny creature who's light show puts all others to shame. This is the firefly squid, sometimes called the sparkling enope squid. Known to science as Watasenia scintillans, it is referred to in Japan as "hotaru-ika". It is a member of the cephalopod family and is related to many other squid species throughout the world's oceans. The firefly squid gets its name from the flashing lights that resemble those of a firefly. This squid is famous for the incredible light show that occurs each year off the coast of Japan as millions of these tiny animals gather to spawn.The firefly squid is a small member of the squid family, growing to a length of only three inches (seven centimeters). The squid is equipped with special light-producing organs called photophores. These photophores are found on many parts of the squid's body and emit a deep blue light. Large photophores can be found on the tips of the tentacles as well as around the eyes. Thousands of tiny photophores can be found throughout the squid's body, giving it the ability to emit light along its entire form. The lights can be flashed in unison or alternated in an endless number of animated patterns. These light shows are thought to serve several functions. They can be used to communicate with potential mates or rivals. They may also be used to disguise the squid's shape and confuse predators, allowing it to escape. The firefly squid is the only member of the squid family that is believed to have color vision. While most cephalopods have only one visual pigment, firefly squid have three. They also have a double-layered retina in the back of the eye. These adaptations for color vision may have evolved to enable firefly squid to distinguish between ambient light and bioluminescence, and to help them decode the patterns of light created by other members of the species.The firefly squid is an active predator. It is believed that the squid can use their blue lights to attract prey. By flashing the lights on and off, they can attract small fish and then pounce on them with their powerful tentacles. Firefly squid spend their days at depths of about 1,200 feet (365 meters). At night, they migrate up to the surface to search for food before returning the the darkness below.The spawning season of the firefly squid runs from March to May. During this time, the squid can be seen gathering in large numbers in Toyama Bay in Japan. They gather here by the millions, and sometimes by the billions, to lay their eggs. Once the eggs have been released into the water and fertilized, the adult squid begin to die. This completes the one-year life cycle of the squid. This annual light show is so spectacular that the area where they gather has been designated as a special natural monument. Toyama Bay lies above a deep, v-shaped canyon in which the sea floor drops away suddenly. The flow of the ocean currents usually wells up from the bottom of this canyon and pushes the squid to the surface. Occasionally the squid can be found washed up on the shore in large numbers during a phenomenon referred to by locals as "squid drowning themselves". This event can cover the shoreline for miles, bathing the beaches in an erie blue glow.Firefly squid are found throughout the western Pacific Ocean where they can typically be found at depths ranging from 600 to 1,200 feet (182 to 365 meters). This squid is considered a delicacy in Japan and is widely fished there during the spawning season. As fishing boats haul in their catches, the sea surface begins to glow a bright cobalt blue. The spectacle is so amazing that tourists travel with sight seeing boats just to watch the show.

[4THALOVE 45]

Berkley Egi Master or Shimano Sephia?

sorry to take it off the beatn track mate but i love my squidding and im looking at the berkley cheers 4THA.

[Just Me 0]

You're absolutely right 4thalove, the poster didn't ask for our "opinions" on squid fishing but about two Egi rods.To the original poster, take a look at http://www.squidfish.net/. It's a dedicated squid fishing forum, the admin is run by an Aussie, a really nice guy by the name of Glen.Every possible question regarding squid has most likely been covered on that forum and it really is the best resource re squid.Cheers,Just Me.

[4THALOVE 45]

this got me so pumped i went out this mornin and nailed 15 with my shimano aerplus rod $19.00 job with a yozuri oita whipped the thing stupid and they love it so my $$ are being saved for a berkley egi master reel soon.p.s pic only shows 8 Egi's gave 7 to my fishn partner cheers 4tha.

[snake 1]

i look at it this way, i could still catch bream on a cheap arse rod and reel for a $100 bucks but because its my thing, I prefer the luxury of using expensive equipment for bream and enjoy the hassle free fishing. So whether its bream, sharks, mulloway or squid use whatever makes you feel happy and not what other people think... cheers snake

[ivabiggen 0]

dont know what this Egi squiddings about but for years now ive been using a solid glass 2.35 metre 2>5 kg light action jarvis walker black beauty rod, $4o from gay mart.

[breambo25 1]

Thanks for the positive reply mate. Good to see that not everyone simply lobs out baits.

[breambo25 1]

thanks for your interesting input guys.

[Just Me 0]

Did you decide on an Egi outfit yet?

[Guest]

At the end of the day though if spending lots of cash on a so called specialized rod and reel to catch squid makes you happy then you should do it because enjoyment is what really counts.A quality jag is the key to success on squid. To this any nice light whippy rod and light braid also helps.

[breambo25 1]

Yeah I'm leaning towards an egi master after a bit of research.

[Just Me 0]

Yeah I'm leaning towards an egi master after a bit of research.

Cool! Should serve you well. I'm in the process of doing the same myself as some of the jigs i've got need to be complemented with a proper Egi rod. I went nuts and spent a small fortune on some top of the range jigs only to use them on general purpose rods.

[ecofreak 0]

Thought I would put in my 2 bobs worth as I have been quoted here and been called a liar by some.I am sure that no one is aware but it was me that did the seminars in the Melbourne tackle stores along with 2 egi (squid jig) designers from a company called Gan Craft in Japan.In part I agree that you should not get caught up in the hype that is egi, many Australian distributors have tried to jump on the bandwagon by selling egi rods, however, to date I have only been able to find 6 egi rods available in Australia and none have been mentioned here. This leaves us with the problem of anglers picking up a so called egi rod and not being able to find a difference in feel or response to a bream rod. The reason for this is that there is no difference in the so called egi rods branded by many companies in Australia other than low ride guides.Egi rods have upwards or 3 separate tapers in the rod to give the rod a whip action, as you know with a whip you need to get the tip of the whip to move faster than the handle to get the whip to crack, the same goes for egi rods, they are designed to make the tip speed faster than the but section by combining tapers that will gear the tip to a faster speed with the action imparted by the angler. So dont be sucked in by marketing.Egi (squid jigs) has only been in Australia for approx 40 years, it has been in Japan for 400, how dare we question if it is a hype or fad, as far as the true egi market is concerned all fishing in Australia is a fad or hype as it has not been going as long as egi fishing itself, also one of the biggest reason why it is hard to get a lot of stock out of Japan, Australian fisho's are ignorant to new methods and styles, we call people idiots and liars when we dont understand something. Can any one remember 15 years ago when plastics came on to the market in Australia, every one said they were a fad and would not last and they dont work, I remember as a kid on the pier casting plastics around and being laughed at, now whos laughing, the very same people who would have been laughing at me prob have a few packs of placcy's in their fishing arsenal.Why in Australia do we dismiss something new as crap and hype??????????????Anyway thanks for posting up the info from my talks in Melbourne I am sure that some will get something from it, those who reckon its crap and are still fishing with handlines will always say that new stuff is crap and will always fish bait for snapper too, you can lead a horse to water but you can not make it drink.As far as a person (egimaster) being able to outfish a person with a normal (bream outfit) I do not consider myself an egi master, but using the newer techniques I have learned from fishing with lure makers from Japan (Yamashita, Ecogear, Gancraft and megabass) I can now with confidence out fish most of my mates who do not fish with the techniques I fish, it is not a rod that makes a difference, it is the many combined items that make a difference and no I can not do what I do the same with a bream rod as I can with an egi rod, I have tried this and have broken 1 T-curve, 1 Samurai reaction and 1 nitro but trying to fish the same action.

[Guest]

I think as consumers these days we are sceptical lot because obviously sellers are in business to make money and its the role of marketers to convince consumers to buy products.Whether those products are low quality or just plain unnecessary, sellers and marketers often don't care as its their role to sell as much as they can to make as much money as they can.Squid being such simple things to catch its hard to fathom going out and spending a small fortune on specialized gear to catch them.The bag limit is only 15 per person and they're not really a catch n release type species so you ask yourself why buy a so call specialized rod and reel just to catch them when my current beam or whiting rod works fine.If the angler really enjoys using specialized squid fishing gear then fair enough but i think in some instances the egi marketing hype is leading some to beleive they need such gear in order to catch the humble squid.

[ecofreak 0]

Squid being such simple things to catch its hard to fathom going out and spending a small fortune on specialized gear to catch them.The bag limit is only 15 per person and they're not really a catch n release type species so you ask yourself why buy a so call specialized rod and reel just to catch them when my current beam or whiting rod works fine.

In part you are right, any monkey can catch a squid, how many can catch big squid often when there are also small squid around, as far as not being a catch and release species they release fine, I have released more than 3000 in 2 years and will release many more, answer to why buy a specialized squid outfit, the same reason why you needed a specialized bream or whiting rod. In days gone I remember the arguments on many forums about why people should get a carbon fibre rod when the black queen solid glass rod works fine. If advancement in the sport has not and will not occur then ask your self, why am I not fishing with a handline with cat gut line a hook and a fillet of pilchard for bream? I already know what the answer will be so I will pre empt a response We all learn new techniques and over time things change to make our sport more enjoyable and more successful, if not for change we would all still be stalking fish with a spear.Squid do learn and as the numbers decrease they will become harder to catch, when that happens and every one complains because they can not catch a squid I will look back on this post as an I told you so event, you do not have to spend millions on outfits, however understanding how a jig is designed to work and how they were designed will give you an understanding of why specialized equipment is required. our squid are still relatively naive as we have only been targeting them as a consumer or commercial species for 40 years, the last 5 years has seen a boom in the numbers of squid caught. Sorry if education and understanding was something that I thought bettered us as anglers

[Guest]

Sorry if education and understanding was something that I thought bettered us as anglershehe fair enough you make some good points and each to their own. If specialized gear allows the angler to catch more and they really enjoy it then fair enough.Personally i buy gear to the quality i need to achieve a specific purpose. I wouldn't dream of spending $1000 on a stella to catch a little fish like a bream but i had no qualms in spending $1600 on my PE10 saltiga jigging outfit because i was worried anything less would let me down.At the end of the day its what makes you happy that is important.

[Totes 48]

Agreed with Nanman, if anything, it comes down to the technique and if the squid wanna play ball. although in saying this, those egi spec rods would suit shallow water YFW in the summer. so it's prob a lil more versatile than at first glance