Squid and chips?

Gronk

Member
Just got back from a weekend fishing Bamfield and area, fished the wall this morning and moved out to Beale. Had a couple of good hits but couldn't make them stick. Went around the rocks and fished in front of the lighthouse in about 80 ft of water, had a hell of a hit on the anchovy and it took a couple hundred yards before I could slow it then nothing. I reeled back in no bait left but the gear was ok, I got another rig down and right away another huge hit with the gear headed at top speed in the direction of Japan, again took a while to slow it down but this time what ever was on was staying. It didn't feel like a salmon maybe a halibut, then it was on the surface a couple of hundred yards away, what the hell is it I was thinking, then as it got closer we figured it out...A big mother Humboldt squid.http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/realgronk/100_0625.jpgGot rid of that one only to get a double header of them. Nasty creatures, very aggressive one was trying to chew my down-rigger clip off. We must have landed in the middle of a big school of them saw quite a few just under the surface. I'll post a video we took if I ever get it to upload.
 
Was a good show on WFN the other day. The show was taped in California and they were targeting these squid. Quite interesting, they were catching tons!
 
Ok I think this will work now. Sorry about the video quality, cheap camera looking into the sunhttp://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/realgronk/?action=view&current=100_0623.flv
 
Hey Gronk...or anyone for that matter.

When you hook em' and if you want to release them do you just try and safely get your hand in while in the water with a set up pliers? I understand I wanna keep my fingers away from the beak but was just curious as your video cut off right before the release.

If they do come on board to unhook...do you have to worry about a dousing of ink?

As I hit the WCVI a fair bit during the summer I have wondered what to do to safely get it off the line without sacrificing any gear?
 
Tips from Australian friend who targets squic back home:

Net them, keep them in water for a few minutes until they have sprayed out all their ink.

Watch out for beak, strong and hard like a parrots, could do real damage.

Cooking: "Lattice cut it, then cut it into 1 inch pieces and dust it in cajun and flour, salt and pepper. Then wok toss it in butter and garlic, serve with some sweet chilli sauce on the side). Came out well.the squid tasted good and was tender"
http://www.fishingportrenfrew.ca/uploaded_images/BIG_SQUID-772342.jpg

I will ask him about releasing, and also about cleaning tips.

*************************
http://fishingportrenfrew.ca
http://fishingsooke.ca
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/juandesooka
 
Thanks Juan...

Looking at your pic...you may have whacked one? I am laughing at myself as I type this....but "where" do you bonk a squid?

Looking foward to the cleaning techniques as well. ;)
 
quote:Originally posted by Pippen

Thanks Juan...

Looking at your pic...you may have whacked one? I am laughing at myself as I type this....but "where" do you bonk a squid?

Looking foward to the cleaning techniques as well. ;)

Not me, friend from Oz. I asked him that too!
He said they propel by sucking in and blowing out water, so once out of the water, they don't have much movement in them...into the cooler, no bonking required. [:p]

Will post cleaning tips when he replies...I wouldn't know where to start.
 
quote:Originally posted by juandesooka

Tips from Australian friend who targets squic back home:

Net them, keep them in water for a few minutes until they have sprayed out all their ink.

Watch out for beak, strong and hard like a parrots, could do real damage.

Cooking: "Lattice cut it, then cut it into 1 inch pieces and dust it in cajun and flour, salt and pepper. Then wok toss it in butter and garlic, serve with some sweet chilli sauce on the side). Came out well.the squid tasted good and was tender"
http://www.fishingportrenfrew.ca/uploaded_images/BIG_SQUID-772342.jpg

I will ask him about releasing, and also about cleaning tips.

*************************
http://fishingportrenfrew.ca
http://fishingsooke.ca
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/juandesooka

Large squid meat can be very though. To tenderize it, cut it in strips and keep overnight in milk and baking soda.
 
More info on unhooking and cleaning:

These are a little bigger and more aggressive than the ones that we get in Australia. Normally releasing them isn't an issue as we are targeting them (with a spear in the shallows or a squid jig under lights). We can also get smaller ones in a throw\cast net. Once they are out of the water it would make it much easier to get the hook out (with pliers) as there movement is really reduced. They may try to grab hold with their tenticles but you should be OK - I'd leave them in the net and try to retrieve the hook that way.

As far as cleaning then - there are two ways to clean a squid, leave it whole and pull off the head and gizzards and then cut squid\calamari rings out of the body or cut the body apart and process. Given that the Humboldt are a little large to be having squid rings you are better off cleaning the whole body. Start by cutting off the mantles (swimmer fins), then cut off the tail section, then cut down the length of the body and open up the squid tube. Then peel back the guts back till you get to the centre on both sides. Cut off down either side of the lateral line (there is a hard section in the middle). You should now have two sections of squid flesh. Then peel off the skin on both sides of the flesh.

There is a good video on Youtube also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM8_JgzAKdE

[either these things are soft or that guy's knife is super sharp]
 
When we hooked into the squid and got it beside the boat it was giving off clouds of greenish ink, we were lucky that it was hooked into a tentacle so we avoided dealing with the beak. I wouldn't recommend bringing it into the boat unless you netted it and gave it a couple of minutes to get rid of the ink first.
 
I read up on it, and watched the videos on processing and cooking. flyfishingal and I are hooked.

It was so tender and tasty. What is the limit on these. I am ready to head out west and load up on a few of these suckers.

I can't even come to explain on how good this humbolt meat is. It's much better then the little squid we catch around here.

Give it a try.
 
Alien species-- the limit is the default limit--- 20. Fill you boots!!:D

Intruder2-2.jpg


20ft Alumaweld Intruder
 
Heard they were out there so I went out in front of Beale yesterday.
Went to where I saw a lot of birds and dropped a jig on one side . Before I could get a second line out I had one on. Double header after double header. In an hour I got three to the boat but must have hooked forty. The hooks pull out quite easy and it was tough to get them in the net by myself.
kept three and it was a great dinner tonight

www.rockypointcharters.ca
 
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