Squid and octopus are famous for changing color to match their surroundings. They adapted this camouflage because almost every sport fish loves to eat them.
Of course, squid and octopus are great natural baits, but imitating them requires lures that look and move like the real thing. The latest squid and octopus imitations use advanced materials, innovative designs, holographic colors and lifelike action to mimic the mimic.
The classic squid skirt is a go-to for bottomfishing and trolling. Tsunami Fishing’s Holographic Squid takes the squid skirt to a new level by molding metal flashing into the vinyl body. Tsunami sales rep Tom Fucini has found success with the Holographic Squid on his bottom rigs for flounder and sea bass. “The flash makes the lure pop, and the stiffer TPE plastic maintains its tubular shape like a real squid,” he says.
For finicky inshore striped bass and flounder, Fucini says the weighted version makes a great finesse lure. “I can work the lure with a slower, more subtle retrieve, and the tentacles provide the action,” he says.
New technology has allowed Savage Gear to make an actual three-dimensional copy of a real octopus to mold its 3D Octopus. “The first time I fished with the Octopus, I caught a big sea bass and the next drop a big cod. Then everyone on the boat switched over to the lure, and we started catching monster sea bass,” says Capt. Chris Albronda.
Albronda developed a special technique for jigging the 3D Octopus. When the lure hits the bottom, he snap-jigs it. “I lift the rod tip three times, each time a little higher,
until the rod is vertical.” Then he drops the rod tip and lets the lure fall on a taut line, which is when 90 percent of bites occur.
I can’t figure out if Daiwa’s Rock Rover Jig imitates a squid chasing a baitfish or an octopus darting along the bottom. The Japanese-inspired Inchiku jig consists of a vertical jig and a squid skirt with two tiny assist hooks. With several possible configurations, this lure can be fished with a fast retrieve or as a slow-pitch jig.
Daiwa’s product development director Marc Mills recently had success fishing the Rock Rover in Punta Colonet, Mexico. He was catching rockfish on the bottom when yellowtails suspended at 150 feet started chasing the lure as it dropped.
To take advantage of the lure’s midwater capabilities, Mills recommends light tackle. “Size down to 10-pound-test braided line and a 20-pound fluoro or monofilament leader to allow a 150-gram to reach bottom in 300 feet,” he suggests.
The light jig sinks slowly to fish the entire water column. Then, once it hits the bottom, Mills reels up 25 to 100 feet and lets the jig drop again.
Nomad Design’s new Squidtrex Vibe is another versatile squid lure. Sean Loy, Nomad’s sales and operations manager, claims, “I’ve probably caught over 50 species on the Squidtrex.” He lists everything from speckled trout to wahoo.
The Squidtrex looks like a cuttlefish, with soft TPE plastic wrapped around an internal weight ending in wiggly tentacles and two assist hooks. The lure is an obvious choice for slow-pitch jigging, and the vibration also makes it great for casting and trolling. Loy says the Squidtrex is even effective dead-sticking. He caught a red snapper on the lure while the rod was sitting in a rod holder. On another trip, Loy dangled a Squidtrex under a popping cork to hammer speckled trout.
The smaller Squidtrex models from 1/6 to 1 ounce are perfect for casting and jigging, and Nomad recently released magnum Squidtrex lures from 170 to 220 grams. They’re deadly for deep-drop jigging, and bluewater anglers are trolling the 21-ounce jig. Using different tie-in points, it can be trolled effectively up to 10 knots. The lure’s vibration draws in fish.
Lure manufacturers pulled out their best technology and design to make squid and octopus lures look and act real, inspiring anglers to develop new ways to fish these lures from inshore to blue water.
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Savage Gear 3D Octopus
Printed in 3D from a real octopus, Savage Gear’s 3D Octopus looks and moves like the real thing. The bulbous head hides a lead weight, and beneath eight squiggly tentacles is an extra-heavy hook. The 3D Octopus is painted in three realistic patterns with glow-in-the dark accents. An internal rattle adds the sound, and tiny bumps on the lure’s surface create a bubble trail. A sliding line tie allows the lure to drop quickly and then pause horizontally.
Tsunami Holographic Squid
Tsunami’s Holographic Squid is molded around metal foil to give the lure visual pop as it darts and charges through the water. To imitate a real squid, the durable vinyl tube holds its tubular shape and creates a larger profile. The Holographic Squid is available in a weighted version for casting and jigging, and the unweighted version makes a great skirt for trolling and bottomfishing.
Nomad Squidtrex
Nomad’s Squidtrex is designed for casting, jigging or trolling. To perform multiple tactics, the Squidtrex has two line-tie options. The forward loop makes the lure hydrodynamic for trolling and casting, while the rear loop allows the Squidtrex to drop faster and increases the vibration on the return. Built of responsive and durable thermoplastic rubber with an internal weight, the Squidtrex produces wild vibrations as it moves through the water and enticing undulations on the pause. The lure has heavy-duty assist hooks for jigging and a loop to add a treble hook for trolling and casting.
Daiwa Rock Rover
At first look, the Rock Rover is a vertical jig attached to a squid skirt and two assist hooks. Upon closer inspection, multiple attachment points make the Inchiku-style jig a versatile lure for vertical or slow-pitch jigging. The strange-looking lure is designed to hover over the bottom and dart and dive unpredictably. Available in six weights, the Rock Rover catches fish on shallow reefs and deep canyon ledges.
