Where longfin squid are the inshore player, shortfin squid, known as Illex, are the offshore powerhouse. These oceanic squid are a foundation of the canyon food web, feeding the tuna, swordfish and pelagics that draw anglers far offshore, and they are a mainstay bait for that same fishing.
What they are
Shortfin squid are stout, fast, migratory squid of the open ocean. They move onto the offshore grounds and up along the edges in the warm months, and their abundance in a given year has real effects on how the tuna and swordfish fishing shapes up.
Where and when
Illex are an offshore, summer-and-fall animal, found out on the banks and along the canyon edges where the pelagics feed. For most anglers they matter as the forage the gamefish are keyed on, and as bait.
Tip Out at the canyon, squid are a big part of what the tuna and swordfish are eating. Squid-imitating trolling lures, teasers and rigged squid baits are effective precisely because they match this primary offshore forage.
How anglers use them
- Rigged bait and strips for trolling, chunking and deep-dropping.
- Teasers and spreader-bar squids that imitate a school of Illex in the spread.
- As forage to match, squid-profile lures shine when the fish are on Illex.