Squid games in the waters of Devon, Cornwall and Somerset

Recent years have seen a large increase in Squid fishing with plenty being caught all around our coastline here in the South-West, and it’s all helped by finance and clear water.

When I was a youngster, a few were caught on baits intended for other fish, now many anglers target them specifically. Most angling shops now sell a large variety of Squid jigs from the cheaper Chinese options to some really fancy designs.

All seem to catch squid, which puts fishing for them into most angler’s budgets. Whilst there are specialist rods available for sale, all that is needed is a light spinning rod and a small fixed spool reel loaded with braided line.

The other important ingredient for catching squid is water clarity; it is no good trying for them when there is a storm and the water is dirty.

Whilst they can be caught quite easily from most shore venues, some charter boats run specialist trips for them. One such boat is Orca, which beach launches from Beer and is skippered by the very knowledgeable Stuart Pike.

Stuart ran a trip this week with a six-man crew and nearly 100 were caught, including some large ones. Steve Butler landed a new boat record with one weighing a massive 4lbs 7oz.

I have to mention the Cooper family again this week with all three youngsters catching some fantastic fish in Torbay water, Brody caught his first Conger Eel, whilst Oliver landed his first Red Bream. These were topped by Henry, who landed a fantastic Bull Huss of11lbs 6oz, beating his dad’s best of earlier this month by 2lbs.

This must be the frontrunner in our Fish of the month competition kindly sponsored by Sidewinder Lures and Newbarn Farm Angling Centre. Don’t forget to email your pictures and catch reports to johnsherlockfish@gmail.com

We have had some unusual catches this week and the latest one certainly took its captor by surprise, a beautiful Lobster which tipped the scales at 7lbs and was estimated to be around 60 -70 years old. It was caught on a two-hook flapper baited with squid and was released safely to the water.

Exmouth SAC member Nik Chandler also fished the South Coast shore and was lucky enough to hook into a 13lbs 90z Blonde Ray. Chris Wagstaff travelled to the Borth Coast and fished the reefs, finding Conger Eels and Thornback Rays.

It is time for a reminder of the month-long South-West Flounder Championship organised and run by Kingsbridge SAC, which is fished throughout December. Entry is £20 for the month with juniors free. There is a guaranteed first prize of £1000 which is likely to be larger with more entries. Full details are available from their Facebook page.