Squid

Squid fishing on lures — eging, in the Japanese terminology — is a specialist discipline that uses an artificial squid jig fished from rocks, harbours or boats. The UK has a season for it, mostly autumn into winter, and the gear is unmistakable: very fine, very specific.

An eging jig is a soft-bodied artificial squid with a crown of fine barbless prongs at the rear. It's worked in a series of sharp, upward twitches — the "eging stroke" — followed by a controlled fall, with the squid attacking on the drop and getting impaled on the prongs as the angler lifts again.

Eging rods are 8' to 9'6", with a very fast tip designed to impart the twitching action efficiently and a softer mid-section to absorb the delicate hold of a squid being fought back. They're rated by jig size — typically in egi sizes 2.5 to 4.0, which corresponds to a specific lure weight bracket each.

Lines tend to be fine — PE 0.4 to 0.8 braid is the sensible bracket, with a fluorocarbon leader of 8-15lb. Reel size is small, usually 2500. The whole setup is built around finesse and feel, not power.

UK eging is mostly a southwest and Channel Islands pursuit — the squid are there in numbers in some areas in the right season, less so in others. We stock eging rods, jigs and accessories for the customers who fish it seriously. If you're new to it, the season and the marks matter more than the gear — worth a chat about where and when before investing in a dedicated rod.

Frequently asked questions

What is squid fishing on lures?

Egi (egging) is the Japanese-origin technique using prawn-imitating squid jigs (egis) worked through the water column. UK squid species (mostly cuttlefish in the south, common squid further north) take egis worked with a slow lift-drop motion. Distinct gear: short, soft-tipped rods, light braid, and the specific egi lures themselves. It's a niche category in the UK but a serious discipline in Japan and growing here.

What rod for squid fishing?

Specialist egi rods, typically 7'6" to 8'6", rated for very light lures (egi sizes are quoted differently — 2.5 to 3.5 size is the UK working range). Soft tip for the slow lift-drop technique, light blank overall. Can use a light bass rod at a pinch but the egi-specific designs are noticeably better at the technique.

When can you fish for squid in the UK?

Cuttlefish in the south of England (south-west, south coast) are most reliably caught from late winter through spring as they move inshore to spawn — March to May is the prime window. Common squid (calamari) are more autumn-into-winter, October through February, and tend to be caught off boats at night under lights. Local knowledge matters a lot for squid — talk to the shop or local clubs for timing and venues.