Signs of spring abound. Ospreys circle the Island. Flowers are blooming. The days are getting warmer.
Spring is truly spring, though, when squid swim through nearshore rips to spawn. Following those squid are striped bass and bluefish, eager to feast on their own version of squid sushi.
Avid Vineyard fishermen who love stripers, blues, and perhaps homemade calamari also follow the squid.
Catching squid is simple and fun. It’s a great activity for families and for beginners. The success rate is high, and the laugh meter is usually high as well, as everyone dodges bursts of ink sprays. You can fish off docks, boats, or the beach. In another couple of weeks, families will line the surf’s edge at State Beach at sunset, hoping to fill buckets with inky squid.
Even though it was a little windy last night, I went down to the docks in Edgartown with my friend Jana Bertkau, who reeled in eight squid as fast as I could bag them.
One of the best things about squidding is that it’s truly easy. You don’t need a lot of gear, and the gear you need isn’t expensive. My squid packing list consists of a short rod and reel, squid jigs, a bucket, a headlamp, sinker weights, and gallon freezer bags.
I have a cute pink rod and reel that cost $30. You can visit our local tackle shops to find a setup perfect for you, as well as jigs and sinker weights. If you don’t have a headlamp, use a flashlight, or the flashlight app on your phone.
I’m partial to pink jigs. You can buy weighted jigs or hollow jigs that will need sinker weights to get the jig to the bottom. I’ve used both, and don’t have a preference. If I’m being honest, pretty and pink is my choice.
You can cast for squid, as people do at State Beach, or you can stand on a dock and jig, dropping your lure to the bottom, then bringing it up a few inches and letting it fall back down, and up and down, and up and down until a squid hits.
Squid have tentacles, arms, and suckers — all of which will grab your jig and latch on. Be sure to keep the tension on the line as you reel in. Once you reel the squid in, grab the top of your jig, position the squid over your bucket, turn your jig upside down, and your squid will fall into your bucket.
Be warned: Squid have ink, which they use to defend themselves. Squid will often spray ink as you’re pulling them out of the water, again when you’re turning the jig over, and perhaps again in your bucket. Don’t wear your favorite clothes to go squidding.
I pack my squid three to a plastic bag, and always add some of the excreted ink. The bags go into the fish freezer as soon as I get home.
Full disclosure: I’m only fishing for squid to use them as bait. I do not eat squid; just don’t like it, no matter how people have cooked it and served it to me.
Years ago, Janet Messineo and I were out squidding one night with what I thought was a single purpose: Snag some squid to freeze and use for bait to catch stripers during the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. When we had each caught about a dozen, Janet announced that she needed two more for dinner, as in dinner for her and Tristan the following night. “EEW!” was my short and swift reply.
Janet explained she was going to make pasta with squid ink sauce. She went on to enthusiastically describe cutting the squid ink sacks and putting the ink into her homemade tomato sauce, along with sliced pieces of the squid.
Nothing about the recipe appealed to me. I’d rather feed stripers, sea bass, scup, bonito, or false albacore with my squid. I’m also happy catching squid to share with friends who want to cook it up for dinner — theirs, not mine.
Whether you’re squidding for bait or dinner, please fish responsibly, harvesting only what will be eaten or used for bait. Squid are a key component in sustaining marine ecosystems. Squid are not toys to be caught and played with. There may appear to be millions of squid, but a couple of decades ago, fishermen would have told you that striped bass were an endless bounty. Now we know better.
I hope to see you on the beach, harvesting with joy and stewardship.
