This article was originally published in May of 2020. I figured now would be a good time to re-publish, because squid will soon be arriving off the Cape!
Over the past week on Cape Cod we've enjoyed some sunny warm days, but we've also had freezing rain and temperatures hovering just above 32 degrees.
Nevertheless, the spring squid migration will be starting soon. Late April and early May is usually when it happens. Be sure to check the Squid Fishing 2026 thread in our forum for the latest updates.
In this post, I'd like to bring you with me on a springtime Cape Cod squid fishing adventure from May 5th of 2020. This post will give you helpful tips and advice for catching squid on your own this spring when they arrive to spawn.
Where And When To Catch Squid
On Cape Cod
On Tuesday May 5th 2020 I readied my tackle and set off. It was a glorious spring day and there were even a few people laying out in the sun on the beach. For a moment it felt like summer!
Historically, based off the reports inside our forum, the best springtime squid action on Cape Cod occurs during late April and early May. I feel your chance of success will increase as soon as the water temperature hits 50 degrees.
This is when loligo squid invade the shallows of Nantucket Sound to spawn. I was thinking about all of this as I headed out under a beautifully blue Cape Cod springtime sky.
During the spring, squid can be caught off the coastline of Cape Cod in 20-30 feet of water. The stretch of coastline shown below is particularly attractive to spawning squid.
This is where I would be fishing.
Be aware that the water off Cape Cod during the spring is extremely cold and hypothermia will set in quickly if you were to fall overboard.
You absolutely need to wear a drysuit to increase safety, especially when fishing from a small boat or kayak. Right now I'm wearing a GUL Zero-Stretch Drysuit whenever I'm fishing from my kayak or small boat during the spring-even when fishing the freshwater ponds.
What To Use And How To Fish It
For squid fishing I rigged up using a rod and reel I typically use for schoolie stripers and freshwater fishing.
My reel is a Shimano Nasci 2500 spooled up with 15 pound braided line, paired with a Temple Fork Outfitters Professional, 6'6" long rod, rated for 1/16 to 1/4 ounces (here's a link).
For lures, I rigged up with a Tsunami Weighted Squid Sabiki, with another Yo-Zuri slow sinking squid jig tied above via a dropper loop. Some anglers add multiple squid jigs to a line, but I opted to keep it simple.
I setup in 20 feet of water and started a drift. I dropped my rig to the bottom and gave my reel a crank to lift the rig just a foot or two off the bottom.
I drifted with the wind and did not impart any action or jig the rod at all. I figured the rocking of my vessel was all the action I needed to fool a big squid.
Fun Action On Light Tackle
If you've never caught a squid before, then you might be surprised about the initial bite. When a squid hits, the bite kind of feels like you're getting stuck on the bottom.
It's a slow, gradual weight on the line, and I feel like a gentle lift of the rod is probably more effective than a swift hook set.
Surprisingly a 15 inch squid can pull hard enough to take some line from your reel. The fight is fun and it's often capped off by the squid ejecting a bunch of ink!
During this trip I caught squid on the heavy bottom jig, as well as on the top jig. The squid were beautiful, and they often changed different shades of color as I worked to unhook them.
When I started fishing, the tide was dead low and the action was slow, but fortunately the bite picked up during the incoming tide.
Yet little did I know that the coolest part of the trip would occur once I got home and reviewed my underwater footage...
Squid On The Attack!
In the following video you will see Nantucket Sound loligo squid attacking Yo-Zuri and Tsunami squid jigs. I was pretty pumped with how this footage came out and I hope you enjoy it too.
Please click play below to check it out! 
On important thing I learned after reviewing nearly two hours of footage is how easy it is to tear the jig free from the tentacles of the squid.
A good tip to reduce the chance of the squid tearing free is to not apply too much pressure as you reel in the squid.
In Conclusion
Finding and catching squid can be a fun early springtime challenge here on Cape Cod. An extra bonus is that these squid are awesome bait for big striped bass, and they make for great eating
Lauren made up some tasty calamari by coating the squid in flour and then frying it for 45 seconds each side in a pan of sizzling hot vegetable oil. 
She did a wonderful job on the calamari and I felt a slight sense of accomplishment knowing that I caught this food on my own.
I also felt grateful because once again Cape Cod has produced not just wonderful seafood, but also an exciting adventure. As I've said many times before, the Cape is a playground for people who like to fish.
Do you plan on fishing for squid this year? Do you have any squid fishing tips you'd like to share? Please LMK by commenting below!
Tight lines 🎣
Thank you for reposting this article Ryan! Very helpful as this will be first year to fish for squid.
You know the Squid are in thick when you see a bunch of lights from the squid boats out in Nantucket Sound at night.
One night around midnight I was waiting for the last run of the Chappy Ferry to take me back to Edgartown. A bunch of guys were squidding from the shore which looked interesting. I used my smallest swimming plug which worked very similar to a squid jig. With the clear water and the ferry dock lights I could see the interaction between squid and plug when it entered the shallow water. It was very cool to see what types of retrieves would create interest and what did not.
Ryan, great video. I was very interested to see how a squid goes after the lure. I’ve never fished for squid before, so forgive me but I assume you freeze (what you don’t eat) the squid for fishing later. After the squid become less plentiful will strippers still go after them? or is it unnatural for them? Would you fish them whole?
Yes we definitely freeze them to use as bait later on for striped bass, bluefish, fluke, scup, sea bass and other species. Stripers will definitely eat squid throughout the entire season, and yes I’ll fish them whole.
Bio luminescence is the trait that allows squid to change the color of their tubes. It is a mechanism built into them for the purpose of camouflage and not uncommon in the animal kingdom.
Great comment Kevin, thanks! It is really amazing how so many animals are able to change their appearance in the blink of an eye.
Wow ! Squid are amazing creatures. Kind of scary looking, but mighty tasty too.
Great video Ryan, good to know how the squid bite, I always wondered about how aggressive they are.
Thanks, Art
I’m glad you enjoyed the vid Art. Good luck with the squid!
Great article and underwater video. Thanks.
My pleasure! Be safe out there and good luck if you give it a shot.
Mornin Ryan, I’m from New Jersey but I fished Cape Cod beaches many times for strippers. I am 82 years young and still enjoy fishing. fresh and saltwater. What a great video. You are so fortunate growing up on the beach. Your wife always does a awesome job. Hope to be up there in May. LEO
Very informative. I liked the video too.
The underwater video of the squid hitting the jigs is one of my favorite. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Great article and I loved the video
I really enjoyed that footage of the squid underwater as well John. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Great repost I haven’t done any squid fishing but one of these days I will thanks for the Tackle info Awesome video and Lauren did a great job on cooking the squid
Thanks Mike
I’m glad you enjoyed the post Mike, and yes the calamari was delicious. Hopefully I can get out there next week and catch some more. Tight lines!
Fantastic
R u using a go pro?
How do you rig it to get those up close shots?
Hey Tom ??
Yes I use a GoPro 7 to capture a lot of my underwater images. However, this video was filmed using a Spydro camera, which is attached the my fishing line.
LMK if you have any other questions ?
Super cool video Ryan! It’s so great to be able to eat what you have caught! Nice job Lauren! Thank you ocean gods!
Thank you ocean gods is right!!! ?
THAT’S PROFESSIONAL VIDEO SHOOTING IVE CAUGHT A FEW SQUID AND THEY INK OUT THE BAIT WELL BUT NEVER SEEN VIDEO GOOD JOB MAN
Glad you enjoyed that video John! More to come soon I hope!
Awesome footage Ryan….It’s very cool anytime we get a peek of what’s going underneath the surface. It’s amazing and an entirely different world.
You’re right Steve, I could watch the underwater footage all day long! It’s so exciting when I am editing these videos, because often I will spend minutes staring at a “blank” screen, when suddenly a big squid or tautog appears from out of nowhere. I get the same jolt of adrenaline as when I am actually out there fishing. LOL.
Ryan, fantastic video, never really knew how squid baits worked and once again you have opened our eyes to nature’s way.
Glad you also like that video Mike. I was really impressed with how the squid “reach out” with their tentacles to grab the lure.