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Spearing Large Squid

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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A

alexrom1207

Well-Known Member
Nov 28, 2007
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I've never even heard of this before, but I ran into this video on youtube. Do a lot of people do this? In particular, people on the East Coast of the U.S. I do a lot of squid fishing at night, but with a rod and reel....this looks like a lot more fun though.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp1YRja32MA]YouTube - Squid Hunt, Weeroona Bay Portsea Vic[/ame]
 
only ever seen squid at night but did see a few big cuttlefish in the day never took them though
 
I usually always see a few groups of squid about. And often take a couple with my hand spear if I can get close enough. Sometimes I shoot a shitty and wedge it under a rock the squids can't resist, they think they've got a free meal. And they seem to be protective of their meal because when I come round the corner they try to hide (next to the rock) but they don't swim away. If you often have squid around this is a good method of catching them. Just do your regular spearfishing and every so often come and have a look for squid.
 
monchan said:
...Sometimes I shoot a shitty and wedge it under a rock the squids can't resist, they think they've got a free meal. And they seem to be protective of their meal because ...
Click to expand...
shitty = small fish?
I've yet to see a squid diving. I know OMD likes to see them but doesn't shoot them. Last year, I met a boy just about to go squid fishing with a hand-line & squid jig lures - probably from one of the small wooden boats nearby. He said he caught 8st (112lb) of them the day before. Just offshore, too far to cast though he reckoned. The water is deep there & the currents can be strong. The UK seems to have fairly large squid, like in the video; the small squid used for fishing bait are usually imported, e.g. from the USA. I know a beach that often has a lot of cuttle fish shells & a scuba diver friend said he'd seen them swimming in the area.
 
I have caught a few( daytime spearfishing) back in Gibraltar, the local guys would catch really big ones.
 
If you ever marinate cuttlefish in olive oil, white wine, salt, pepper, crushed garlic and sliced Italina parsley, then cook them on the grill. You will never let another one get away!!!! Awesome!!
 
Reactions: Mr. X
how do you dispatch a squid? i mean... bleed it out? where is the brain?
 
the tube is pulled or vice versa from the head, tentacles and organs. you eat the section of tentacles , and the tube, which is cut into strips or rings. There is not much 'blood' in the edible parts at all.

Look on youtube for squid cleaning vids.
 
Cleaning squid is very easy. You just cut off the head and pull out a piece of cartilage that runs the length of the tube. All the organs are located inside the tube and come right out with the cartilage. Flush out the residue with water and you're done. If you like the head (which I do) just cut the beak out of the middle and that's good to go as well. I like to cut off the membrane or skin around the tube but I know many people leave it on. Probably the easiest thing to fillet. If those slimey blackfish were just that easy I wouldn't mind catching so many of them.
 
I would shoot squid, cuttlefish or octopus without a moments hesitation. Damned tasty every one.
And you can't feel too bad for them, they only live a couple of years, tops. They die as soon as they breed. I guess if you spear one you are robbing it of its one joy in life

We get cuttlefish up to a foot, foot and a half long in the UK. Once you shoot one it'll turn into a nil-viz dive with all the ink.

As far as dispatching one?
The brain is near to the eyes. Just stab between the eyes I guess.
The bodies are very soft, i've heard if you squeeze the head hard itll die.
You cannot bleed a cephalopod, gills and everything are all internal, you'd just be cutting it to pieces.
I've heard with big octopus you can reach in the siphon, grab its guts and turn it inside out, that kills em. I don't think i want to do that though.

I do not know of any really satisfactory way to dispatch one, especially while diving.
 
Yeah its tough to kill them. We shot an octopus a couple weeks ago. Large one too. I coulnt find where to kill it. I put my knife between the eyes and it did nothing. I basically had to remove the tenticles from the mantle to get it to die. Apon further inspection of the inside of the mantle the brain seems to run along the inside of the mantle near the top on the back side. But that mighta just been a kidney for all i know. Its a freggin octopus everything is wierd inside.

Mike
 
:head Once angled a large octopus (full 1m arm span, head larger than a bowling ball), but I wasn't sure of my local regs, so I tossed it. It took 30 minutes to get him on the kayak, and another 30 to get him off of the hook. I've been looking for him ever since...
 
The only way i know is to turn an octopus inside out.
I have never seen or done it myself but my father has when he was younger.
 
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