when I used to fish squid ( store bought ) more often than now . I would hook em through the tentacles making sure to grab the bone . then slit open the tail so water will flow through it and not balloon up . the slit will also act as an attractor as it moves through the water . I also use squid in strips just like with flounder fishing .
Fresh squid not frozen ...... in a plastic food container use coarse kosher salt under and cover the squid to draw out water . drain any water found and add salt if needed . this will not only toughen the squid but it will last for sometime in the container in fridg ( no need to freeze .

squid doesn't work. nope. never. you're better off using last year's frozen mackeral. it's also banned in the bay state as of a minute ago; so don't bother.

squid plate
 

I happened to go up to the fishing attic to put something away (gee that place needs to be cleaned up!) and I happen to come across the tackle box that had stored that squid plate I was telling you about. I found one of each size and even the cardboard package insert!

anyway, this is what it looks like:

Squid seasonal round?
 

Do all squid in New England just come and go in a short period or do some or some types hang through the entire bass season?


I know GOOGLE but thought I`d ask. Also do Stripers know that they shouldn`t be around if you use them out of their local season?

Supermarkets sometimes have better quality and better prices :hihi:

I've been away from the area for awhile, but we used to be able to jig squid most of the summer along the bulkhead in Sandwich.

I used to jig them in Onset harbor into July, too.

Supermarket squid is better quality than bait-shop frozen, but it's still a few days old at best. Ain't nuttin' like fresh caught squid, still dripping ink.

Yeah, you can get them all season but it can be spotty and thin some summer nights. Springtime they move into the harbors around the spawn. IMO the first half of May is the peak time to get them in the harbors. Also gets pretty good in the fall. (But still spring seems better IMO)Squid only live like a year or year and a half. They all die in about a month after they spawn. When they die they sink to the bottom. Hence if you are a fish, it is pretty normal to see a dead squid in the bottom in June or July.


If you can get fresh local squid in the supermarket that is great. Many times what you get is squid from CA that has been "washed" (all the ink and sometimes the internals removed) I would not buy this unless you plan to eat it yourself. Like mikeP said, fresh local is the ticket, you will see a difference in the attraction to this bait.
If it is a pain for you to get them yourself, talk your tackle shop dealer into purchasing a few totes of fresh from a dragger. Some shops do this and call them "ink squid" or local ink squid and sell them frozen in a box or bag to differentiate them from the boxed CA washed stuff.

Squid juice tends to make my hands itch a little, esp on a hot day while working for fluke. :huh: Don't get it in your eyes either.:eek5:

I too found super market squid to have the best color and firmness but I think it has more to do with how its processed, I'ld think its has long shelf life. After stocking up on squid last year and freezing it ASAP it was prime bait even months later. Its realy worth it to catch your own.

I feel bad for you guys that have to get your squid from the supermarket. The bait shops around here are the best option( in the spring and early summer) if you don't catch your own. The stuff in the market looks like the stuff I throw away after 15-20 minutes on the hook, all washed out and white. I know someone who does'nt even jig for squid except in the fall. He purchases it fresh daily from a fish market. Remember fresh frozen squid works best right behind fresh dead. There are alot of tricks with throwing bait, you just have to get out there and learn the hard way.

squid works. I have caught more fluke and scup than anything else on it, though.

squid rot quickly and the best stuff is squid at the grocery store or whole squid you caught your self wraped with news paper than put on ice or frozen ASAP.live squid can work good to,just run a hook though the mantel and they will swim along.the stuff at the bait shop is all ready decomposing most of the time when you get it.to rig it whole dead run the hook through the mantel like with live squid.