Baiting with squid can be the most effective when it comes to targeting various species. Snapper and King George Whiting are few of the many species that take squid without hesitating.
Though preparing squid before a fishing trip shouldn’t be a hard task. I’ve created a simple step by step process on how to prepare squid bait below.
1 – Squid can be bought frozen.
Squid can be bought frozen in various sizes including 200g, 400g, and even 1kg packages. These packages are frozen and before preparing the squid, I like them to be thawed. Thaw enough for a fishing session and freeze the remaining for the next trip.
2 – Remove the head and spine of the body.
Squid can be used whole on gang hooks for larger snapper. Though when it comes to targeting King George Whiting, in particular, its best to piece them into strips. Before cutting them into strips we’ll remove the head and the spine of the body. Simply pull these apart with your hands.
3 – Slice squid in half and into strips for ease of hooking.
Once the head and spine have been removed we’ll slice the main body vertically down the middle to create two halves. From these halves, we’ll then cut them into strips.
4 – Store into a container and then into an esky filled with ice or an iceblock.
Once the strips have been prepared I like to then store them into a plastic container for ease of use while fishing. Keep the bait fresh by storing into an esky filled with ice or an iceblock.
Years ago when i worked at a fishing ship, we took our squid baits out of the squid that got tangled in the fishing, I actually never thought of using a frozen store-bought squid as a bait. I think I’m just gonna give it a try.
Thanks and glad to hear there are still some squid fishers
Hi Mandrew5,
Squid is definitely a good bait to use if you’re marine fishing and well worth the try. Definitely let me know how you go!
Cheers,
Vinnie
Cool article on squid bait. I didn’t realize how easy it is to use squid bait. I like to fish for snapper when I’m in Florida. You have made it real easy and simple to use squid for bait. Do you use squid for any other type of fish besides snapper or King George Whiting?
Hi Bob,
Thanks for dropping a comment and taking the time to read the post. Various saltwater species can bite on squid including Bream, Flathead and even Garfish if the bait is small enough. Honestly, squid makes great bait and well worth the try Whenever you’re saltwater fishing.