The big squid run has started at Flinders and there are some monster squid about. You might think you’ve snagged the bottom, until it starts to move off in reverse gear. Then it’s a give line/take line game until you finally get it to the boat, only to see that it’s too big to get your hand around its neck. So you opt for the net.

That’s how big some of these squid are! You can get enough squid rings from one to feed an entire family. The most productive method of catching the big ones is to use a weighted, baited jig. Silver whiting is probably the best bait. Just drift over the weed beds and work the jig just off the bottom with a couple of pulls, then a few metres of slack line. Another couple of pulls, then slack line again. This erratic motion seems to fire them up. Japanese jigs work okay too, but baited jigs catch more squid in this area.

All of the surf beaches are still producing salmon, but not in big numbers. At the moment pipis are the best bait with whitebait and bluebait coming in a close second and third. Williamson’s Beach has been the most consistent with fish up to 1.5kg caught.

These areas have had a lot of heavy rain and both rivers are running high and dirty. Once the rivers clean up, the fish should start to fire.

The San Remo jetty has been quiet with a few squid taken on jigs. Newhaven jetty has silvers and mullet in reasonable numbers with pipis and nippers the best baits. Cowes jetty has a few salmon, silvers and flathead. Fishing the run-in tide has produced the best results.

Below the bridge there are salmon and a few early whiting showing up. Pipis and pilchard strips are the best baits. The deep water off Cowes and Ventnor is producing some nice early snapper and some good-sized gummies to boot.

The big squid have arrived! The odd large whiting is starting to show up and there are a few good gummies about if you’re prepared to put the time in. But as a lot of anglers are just starting to come out of their winter hibernation, snapper is certainly the new buzzword.