# Mako Tackle Squid Jigs



## Garfish (Jun 2, 2006)

Anyone tried these? I purchased one on the weekend, as I don't really own a squid jig. The man in the store said they were yo-zuri imitations, although when i went to another store, they looked nothing like each other, so I bought a yo-zuri as well.


----------



## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

Garfish said:


> The man in the store said they were yo-zuri imitations, although when i went to another store, they looked nothing like each other, so I bought a yo-zuri as well.


Did it look like this one:










This is a Mako tackle "Pro shrimp" and is a shockingly blatant rip off of the original Yo-zuri Shrimp Hunter (even down to the red packaging and lettering on the side). I would be surprised if it works half as well as the original BUT it will probably still catch squid.










The original shrimp hunter has recently been superceded by the shrimp hunter premium.

Yo zuri make a HEAP of different jigs which all look quite different.

Pheromone skin (surface of the jig appears different colours depending on the viewing angle):









Flash dancer (polyhedral body for reflecting light)


----------



## Garfish (Jun 2, 2006)

they're the ones squidder - cheers!

i'll endeavour to give it a go and report back...


----------



## varp (Sep 12, 2005)

Damn then jigs!!! I want em all!!!

Infuriating and fickle beasts...finding a jig that works on the day can do your head and your wallet in. I've just gone over to the bait style jigs - no squid last two trips though.


----------



## ELM (Jul 14, 2008)

The best jigs I have ever had are the ones that have caught the most squid  :? Sounds double dutch. IMO the more a jig gets inked by squid the better it gets, I have never done very good with new jigs but as they get older and have caught a few squid my catch rate with that jig seems to improve. I now like to throw new jigs in the bucket with squid caught on the old jigs, just to christen them and get them ready :lol: . 
I also prefer dark colored jigs, browns being the best.


----------



## LoboLoco (Feb 1, 2008)

I have, and use both, both have caught me squid. 
I use the el cheapo when working an unfamiliar area, or an area highly populated with evil weed.


----------



## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

varp said:


> Damn then jigs!!! I want em all!!!


Me too! :roll: I am on the "lose one and you can buy another one" program. It's not working very well :twisted: 











varp said:


> I've just gone over to the bait style jigs - no squid last two trips though.


Have you seen the new style bait jigs? They are called a 'squid witch' and are supposed to have more natural presentation and better hookups. Not cheap though at >$20 a pop.

http://www.thongs.com.au/squidwitch/index.htm


----------



## varp (Sep 12, 2005)

Not seen them before at all Mr Squdder and thanks muchly for the link.

There are bait jigs and there are bait jigs. Different length shafts and prongs. Some say tweaking out every second prong so it stands proud from its neighbour is the go...we shall see...did read about a charter boat dude that reckons bait jigs outfishes artificials and gets the bigger inkers on deck. He also had a nifty method of tying the bait on with a loop through the eyes, then the mouth on to the eye of the shaft. I'll root around and try and find it again. Seems better than the flossy Bait Mate stuff.

Your collection looks an awful lot like mine too. I did try and emulate Scott Lovigs success with a now unobtainable jig that had a rattle. I drilled a hole and popped a split shot in and it rattles ok, but hasn't put extra rings on the plate yet.


----------



## Jon (Sep 21, 2007)

hey the jigs looks good

i think i am on the same program as squidder lose one and buy 3  
haven't triped one with a rattle before. hmmmm might have to go to the shops and try one out.

Jon


----------



## Garfish (Jun 2, 2006)

looking forward to getting mine out of the pack and into the water...


----------



## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

varp said:


> Some say tweaking out every second prong so it stands proud from its neighbour is the go...we shall see...


I also subscribe to this theory but it's every 3rd prong for me ;-)



varp said:


> did read about a charter boat dude that reckons bait jigs outfishes artificials and gets the bigger inkers on deck.


Would that be JJ out of Queenscliff? A dead set legend on PPB heads squid, but targeting the big spawners sitting on their eggs can be quite a different proposition to chasing squid at other times of the year (when I reckon the artificials are the go ;-) ).



varp said:


> I did try and emulate Scott Lovigs success with a *now unobtainable* jig that had a rattle.


That jig is totally obtainable!  

http://www.motackle.com.au/index.cfm?pr ... ct_id=3679


----------



## Shorty (May 11, 2008)

I clean up on squid in winter but summer forget it 

My best results from $2.50 BCF lures,,have doughnutted on a top of the range Harmitsu many times,which cost $26 ,,but testing is inconclusive as winter you can catch them on anything here,,i brought the Harmy in the lead up to summer.

Yo-zuris are cheaper than Harmys but still have the best name in squid jigs i believe,,my 10 year old neice found one on the beach last night fishing,,it went straight into my tackle box without any delay


----------



## widsa (Nov 26, 2008)

Hey guys,

Im a member of the "too many jigs" club too.
Speaking of jigs with rattles, I recently bought a pink Diawa jig with ball bearings inside so it rattles.
Used it under a float and has caught me bags of squid.... the cloth is now ripping of of it to reveal a golden foil... good mojo me thinks, or have I found the golden ticket ??... :lol:

Cant remember the exact name of the jig, but it cost slightly less than a yo zuri (around $15-17 bucks.) and sinks faster, so i use it under a float.

One tip with squid jigging is that you need to vary your technique, sometimes under a float, sometimes a slow sink, sometimes believe it or not a fast retrieve, not so fast that it skips along the water, just a slow wind.
I use a fast retrieve when i see them following in a sinking jig but not attacking it... seems to entice them to bite. ;-)

I dont use bait jigs, but I have been told you should put the head towards the spikes?
Can anyone else confirm this??


----------



## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

widsa said:


> Speaking of jigs with rattles, I recently bought a pink Diawa jig with ball bearings inside so it rattles.
> Used it under a float and has caught me bags of squid.... the cloth is now ripping of of it to reveal a golden foil... good mojo me thinks, or have I found the golden ticket ??... :lol:
> 
> Cant remember the exact name of the jig, but it cost slightly less than a yo zuri (around $15-17 bucks.) and sinks faster, so i use it under a float.


That is the Daiwa Emeraldas jig that I linked to above, the bigger ones sink quite fast but the little 1.8 sinks VERY slowly and is great in the shallows.



widsa said:


> I dont use bait jigs, but I have been told you should put the head towards the spikes?
> Can anyone else confirm this??


I do the opposite - tail towards the spikes, for a couple of reasons:
-When you work the jig, the head will be going forwards - the way a fish normally swims. Head towards the spikes means the fish will be swimming backwards as you work the jig.
-If the head is towards the spikes, the fins/spines on the fish point forwards - potentially stopping a squid which has grabbed the fish from sliding down to the spikes and becoming hooked.


----------



## widsa (Nov 26, 2008)

Cheerz squidder.

Thought it sounded weird....
I might give the bait jigs a go in Western port bay, the squid seem bigger over there.

Do you just run the spike through them? or bait mate them?
Also is silver whiting the go or plain ol pilchard?

Have been getting quite a few around Mtmartha, but I think they are everywhere at the moment.


----------



## Garfish (Jun 2, 2006)

A mate of mine said that he'd tuned in to a documentary the other day, that stated that the squid family will be one of the few marine creatures to benefit from the effects of global warming...

im light on the details of the reference.


----------



## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

widsa said:


> Do you just run the spike through them? or bait mate them?
> Also is silver whiting the go or plain ol pilchard?


I just run the spike through them. There is a way you can tie them on (I think that 'Bwana' on Fishnet posted the method a few weeks ago), but I've never felt the need. Tying your bait on may be necessary if you're catching lots of big ones, which can destroy softer baits. Silver whiting and pilchard are good baits, but I've done best on small fish that I've caught freshly myself like small gars, salmon or mullet (pretty much anything will do though). Gars in particular are very good because they form a large part of the squiddly diet in PPB and WPB.


----------



## varp (Sep 12, 2005)

Yes yes Garfish I heard that too on the Science Show a while back. Think the algal blooms suit them. Small recompense for the forthcoming greatest extinction event since the cretaceous, but hey - that's life!!!



> Squidder wrote -
> Would that be JJ out of Queenscliff?


Nup. Bloke from WP. Wasn't Gwaine from Think Big might've been the guy from Reel Time, but he concentrates on the cephalapods and seems to know his onions. As do you!!! Respeck!!

Widsa - I think head to the top is preferable.

...feeling a little peckish at the mo..


----------



## widsa (Nov 26, 2008)

Cheers gents.

I like the sound of using gars, as there are plenty of them around at the moment.


----------



## varp (Sep 12, 2005)

Here's a cute little number I picked up a while ago and haven't yet used. Only 100 mm long, light and very finely made and the pic doesn't show it, but the clear coloured spiral twist in the shaft really shines.

I got it to see if it would work on the very small, very finicky squid on Mornington pier. They did your head in the way they would refuse your entire arsenal, then some kid would appear with something you didn't have and pull a few out.


----------

