By Tomo’s Tackle
I love squid fishing. Here in the Northeast we get a good run of longfin inshore squid. They’re abundant, fun to catch, and very tasty. The most common approach to catching squid from the shore or from the boat in in-shore water seems to be rigging squid jigs above weight and working the rod up and down. The squid jig used for this type of fishing is called “sutte” (pronounced “sue-tay”) in Japan. The thin, oval-shaped jig is designed to be rigged with a weight on the bottom and multiple sutte above the weight, like a Sabiki or hi-low rig. Widely available Yo-Zuri jigs, such as the Ultra Lens Aurora A333 or Ultra Laser A1022 series, belong under the Sutte umbrella.
Fishing with the weighted Sutte has been a proven method in the Northeast for years. It’s especially effective when squid are at the bottom of the water column. During springtime, daytime bites in the south side of Cape Cod produce hundreds, if not thousands of squid. Using sutte allows the angler to bring the jig down to the squid and let it sit. This makes for a very efficient way to catch a high volume of squid.
“Egi” (pronounced “egg-ee”), another type of squid jig, are shaped like prawn and can be fished either alone or with a teaser sutte above the egi. Unlike sutte, egi is not rigged with a sinker, so it sinks naturally. Freed from the drag of the sinker, there are certain advantages to the egi.
Because egi have been developed mainlyforcatchingbigfinreefsquid— not to be confused with cuttlefish— the size is large, ranging from 2.5 to 4 in the traditional Japanese measuring unit of “sun” (pronounced “soon”). One sun is equivalent to 1.19 inches, so Egi in sizes 3 to 4 sun units convert to 3.6” to 4.8’, excluding the length of the prong section.
In 2009, the tackle manufacturer Yamashita came out with smaller egi called the Naory Range Hunter in sizes 1.5, 1.8, and 2.2, with slow, moderate, and fast sinking rates, respectively. These new sizes were made specifically to target types of squid other than the bigfin reef squid, and the name describes the new objective: “N” (not for) and “aory” (bigfin reef squid). The introduction of the Naory Range Hunter and its export model, the Egisutte R, has made egi fishing (called “eging” in Japan) much more accessible in the Northeast.
Eging is achieved by casting out, letting the jig sink, twitching the rod to make the egi dart, and letting it sink again. This method allows fishermen to search for squid through the water columns without the restrictive drag of the sinker, working their way up and down in the water column to find the most productive spot. Start with egi of a moderate sinking rate to cover the water column effectively. Counting how long it takes for the jig to reach the sweet spot will help you accurately gauge your next catch. If the squid are on the top of the water column, choose the slow-sinking egi to stay on the top longer. Sight eging can be very exciting—you can try to seduce the squid into biting and then watch as the squid comes to grab it! For a location with a strong current or wind, fast-sinking egi are best. You can fine-tune the sinking rate of the egi by changing the size snap or adding tiny split shots in front of the egi, as well as wrapping lead wire for fly tying around the head.
As with sutte, color can be very important. If you’re uncertain which color the squid is hitting, don’t be afraid to change the egi up after 5 to 10 minutes to find the one that’s working.
When squid are actively chasing moving baits, the dart action of the egi can be quite attractive. With too much darting action, however, the squid could lose visual contact with the egi or be spooked. I like to twitch the rod and dart the jig 1 to 3 times while reeling in the slack line. As with the sutte, squid will grab the egi when it’s still or slowly moving and sinking. Darting egi draw the attention of the squid, but you’ll have to slow down to entice the squid to come bite.
For eging, I prefer a high modulus graphite rod with fast or extra fast action and softer tip, titanium Fuji or Daiwa AGS, and single foot guides. I find a freshwater rod with 1/16 to 1⁄4 oz. lure wt. rating to be a good, all-around rod for this method, and I frequently use the Shimano 1000 size reel. Short rods around 6’ are good for docks, while 7’ rods are an ideal fit for bridges. For the main line, I use a braided line in 8 lb. test. The main line can be used as a strike indicator: when the line stops moving or begins moving suddenly, you have a squid on. For that reason, I like high-visibility braided lines—white, pink, or orange. Some of the high-end squid fishing lines come with marks for each length, a nice feature to help fish the right depths accurately.
I recommend using fluorocarbon for the leader material. Fluorocarbon has a higher density and sinks faster than monofilament, which gives egi a better balance and appearance when suspended or sinking. Using a small clip in front of the egi allows you to quickly change the jig without deterring the squid.
Check your conditions, update your gear with both sutte and egi, and bring these Japanese-style jigging methods to the Northeast shore. You’ll be sure to catch some squid.