EGI Fishing
In this short article I will give a summery regarding the use of a special rod for squid fishing, called an EGI rod, and it might just change your life, or at least your squid fishing sessions. For the advanced scholar, a special bonus at the end – the "Aggressive Jerking" technique (trust me, it works).
Up to now when we said squid fishing we actually meant the classic way it goes in Israel: Small reel, mono or braided line (whatever you have on your reel), a standard spinning rod and a few squid lures. Nothing went wrong and we always caught enough squid to feed all the Amberjacks in the Middle East costs.
Then, all of a sudden, someone came up with this annoying question – "How come you don't use a special EGI rod?"
Then one asked oneself – What the hell is an EGI rod?
One minute, what the hell is EGI?
To understand the first question, the second one must be answered first. EGI – the Japanese word for squid fishing.
Same as we have a special rod for light jigging, slow pitch, live bait fishing and heavy jigging; Light surf fishing, heavy surf fishing…You got it! Apparently there are special rods for squid fishing, and as you might guess already, they are called…EGI rods!
You don’t need to have a Phd in "squidology" to see that squids act differently than fish: different bite, different fight and its targeting is totally different: pace of retrieve, type of twitch etc.
As usual, Japanese anglers take things seriously. Very seriously. No more cast and retrieve, hoping for bites. Japanese anglers took this method to the edge and came up with the "Aggressive Twitching" technique. (see video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR_EH8KwINk
Japanese fishing wisdom argues that squid attack lures only while it's sinking. Therefore, they cast the lure, wait for it to reach the bottom and then twitch it upwards aggressively, and let it sink again. An extended sinking time, statistically, enables more bites on the lure and more squids in your bucket. Choosing the correct lure is a also something one must think about seriously; considering the depth, water condition (flat, wavy etc.) and wind. Before running to your fishing tackle shop and buying the slowest sinker you find, note that waiting a few minutes for your lure to sink might be a bit boring.
Got it – but what about this EGI rod?
Ok, EGI rod is basically a specialist squid fishing rod; It's light, has a stiff tip and elastic middle section (yes, the complete opposite from a conventional spinning rod).These characteristics serve two main goals: one is enabling the angler to reach a perfect slow and long movement of the lure in the water, and the other is preventing the squid from escaping while retrieving (apparently Japanese anglers get really angry when that happens).
After this explanation, you might ask yourself: Ok, but who needs all that? Honestly, no one. We always caught squid with our basic spinning rods.
But if you are interested in something new and refreshing, looking to be inspired and take your squid fishing experience one step beyond – this is for you.
The video below is an interesting review all about squid fishing: different techniques, lures, rods and reels.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huLEEdUfSvY#t=481
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