Mike Chamberlain, owner of Ted’s Sports Center in Lynnwood, has been in business there for 35 years, and he says “this is one of the best squid years I’ve seen in that entire time.”
Recreational squidding has been very good from Edmonds all the way to Tacoma, on the Kitsap Peninsula, and in a lot of other places. The Edmonds fishing pier is our local hot spot, and Chamberlain said it’s been “exceptionally good.” There are so many squid in the area, that although it’s generally a night fishery, some are being taken even during daylight hours. That’s unusual, Chamberlain said.
Silver Horde jigs with a glow body and decorated with a wide range of pinks, reds, blues and greens are a popular lure, and you’ll need a state shellfish license. The best time would be an early-evening incoming tide, and prime time would be the last couple hours of the tide, through high slack.
Chamberlain said, however, that if the tide series isn’t moving much water, it makes little difference when you fish.
Squid can be anywhere from the surface to the bottom, and jiggers work various depths until they know where the squid are holding. Cast out, let the jig drop, and work it back in a gentle jigging movement. Gentle, because it’s important to learn to feel the very light “take” as a squid climbs aboard your jig.
“Watch other folks who are doing well,” Chamberlain said. “When they cast, count down until they start retrieving the jig. That should give you some idea of the right depth.”
Use a soft-action rod, maybe 9 feet with a light tip. Fly rods are a good bet, Chamberlain said.
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