Western Port and Port Phillip piers

Big calamari

Some of the biggest calamari in the country can be caught from piers in Port Phillip Bay and Western Port at this time of year. The only thing stopping you from having a great time is you. Try Flinders and Portsea first as they are the most consistent squid producing piers.

Early mornings and late afternoon and into the evenings are great big squid times. In saying that, plenty of monsters are taken in the middle of the day too. There is no doubt that September is the prime time for calamari that can grow to a meter long from the tip of the hood to the end of the candles.

If you want a true monster calamari then bait fishing seems to be the way to go. Start with a float stopper on your main line and then slide a glitterbug float on under that. The float stopper can be slid up or down the main line to adjust the depth of the bait. Tie a small rolling snap swivel to the end of the main line and you are done. Use a stainless steel squid prong and simply clip it on to the snap swivel to complete the rig.

This is the easy bit. Rig up, bait up, cast out and simply wait. The squid will do the rest.

Big squid love silver whiting, Tommy rough, King George whiting and a variety of other small fish including pilchards. Put the bait on head facing down, with the spike going through the mouth and coming out as close to the tip if the tail as possible.

Use an elasticised cord to wrap around the bait securing it to the prong. This will stop big squid from tearing the bait and getting away with a free feed.

Remember that there is a bag limit of 10 calamari per angler. It is okay to take less than the bag too.