Photos: Spero Kartanos.
BY SPERO KARTANOS
The fishing in the last month has been good (but the weather has not, thanks to those howling winds) but in July, I hope we get to see more of those glorious, dead-calm winter days.
July is prime time for catching arrow squid and cuttlefish, and if you’re like me and love the taste of these delicious critters, it’s a great time of the year!
A line from east of Ormiston to St Helena between 23 to 35ft depth is where they should be hiding, so a good drift with a ball sinker on top of the squid jig will get you a few on the boat, and that’s where the fun starts.
Arrows throw the least amount of ink, but the cuttlefish can turn their spout in all angles, and the ink will get you and your boat, sooner or later – you’ll be covered in the thickest ink on the planet. If you have an older fibreglass boat being a little chalky, then good luck getting the ink out. One tip for cleaning the ink off your boat is a product called 30 Seconds that Bunnings sells, which gets rid of the ink in seconds, but make sure you don’t spray it in your eyes or let the kids use it (read the label) – it does get rid of the ink.
I have found a good idea to try and keep your boat clean is to use an old stainless steel pot and a stainless steel dish to clean the cuttlefish in as they don’t mark.
The best squid jigs are anything with grey/silver in them, as well as orange-red prawn patterns, and I find the Wilson range of razorback jigs with the three spikes on their back are very good for cuttlefish. Since cuttlefish tend to grab the jigs by the middle, whiting rods are perfect to use to catch them, so there’s no need to spend hundreds of dollars on different rods for catching squid or cuttlefish.
So, get out there and get a few fresh squid and cuttlefish – fresh is best and tastes a million times better than the rubber rings.
Till next month, good fishing and keep safe, especially in strong westerly winds, as we have had too many deaths in past at this time of year.
