The squid fishing world has known for a long time that light will help gather their prey. In this time many DIY versions built with floodlights, car lights, etc… have substituted for a more professional device.

Thankfully, manufacturers have keyed in on this market and are making products that will help you attract more and bigger squid.

People catch squid with a variety of tools, but they all know they are best caught at the same time most other fish are caught. This is early morning, night, and late evening.

When these times come baitfish will search out the light like moths, which will attract all manner of creatures including squid. Making sure you only get squid can be possible, but don’t rule out the possibility to catch something completely different.

Best Squid Fishing Light

You will find all manner of squid fishing-specific light out there on the market. You are free to try to make your own DIY and it will work just fine. I think it is best to leave lighting up the sea to the professionals.

Specifically United States veterans who have created a fantastic product.

Squid Fishing Light Setup

There are several ways to go about getting the proper light setup when you are going squid fishing. One of the biggest ones is being the old bulbs vs LED. This is all personal preference, but you must first realize one thing.

You don’t need your own light to catch squid. Many piers and boats have super bright lights on them that can be utilized just for this function.

They will naturally do that job for you. What having your own light setup will give you is location and color advantage. You will need the following things from the list below

• Halogen or LED light

• Marine Battery or Generator

• Inverter with battery clips with around 1000 watts

Squid Fishing Light Bulbs

Halogen bulbs run hot and don’t last that long because of it. They are not very efficient and don’t utilize space very well. LED lights are basically the complete opposite of that because they were made to be a better option.

They use low energy and generate almost no heat. They can be in a small space and produce a bright light per lumens. Its all thumbs up right? Well they are more expensive because they are the newer technology. That would be your downfall.

Halogen Bulbs

Now I would like to say that halogen bulbs aren't wrong or don't work. Many people successfully use these as squid lights without any problems. You will also find that these are cheaper to start with.

However, these bulbs don't last as long as LED lights and you may want to invest more in your setup if you are going to do this more often. 

LED Lights

Light Emitting Diodes are great because they don't use much  energy and they have a very bright light. They also don't need to be replaced for a long time.

That is a great feature since they cost a bit more. The prices for LED are going down over time as the technology is becoming more common place. 

Color Changing LED

A benefit of using an LED is that it can easily change colors in case you want to try green and blue out and don't want to have to use multiple bulbs.

It is always better to go easier especially when your hands are covered in fish slime. You will also be able to try out other colors to see if there is something else that works beyond the norm. 

Best Squid Fishing Light Color

The best color to use is green. Some people also like blue, but green I believe is just a little better. You can tell this by results and just search Google to see, which version you see more.

Both of these spectrums of light will cut through the water well and alert squid in the area. So when you are thinking squid fishing think green light!

Underwater Squid Light

Another thing you have to think about is the fact that you may make the light go deeper if it is already underwater.

Light will refract and be dispersed before it reaches the water so you can hypothetically prevent that by having an underwater squid light.

Flood Light For Squid Fishing

You can obviously use a floodlight for fishing, but will it be bright enough? Will it last long enough on your battery system? These questions can only be answered by you.

It is definitely a cheaper way to go if you are just getting started. If you are just geting started this is suggested. No reason to spend an absorbent amount of money on something you are not sure of.

Squid Fishing Boat Lights

Just like from a pier you can have your lights hooked up to a marine battery that you have on the boat. You can also have this set up professionally installed on the boat if you plan to do this for a long time.

Then your light will always be in the right spot and built into the system of the boat, which will mean the battery is always getting charged!

Does Light Attract Squid?

Light does attract squid. It also attracts baitfish that are looking for cover in the open ocean when it doesn’t exactly exist. There is always some sense of safety in the light. I am not sure what it is but every living animal seems to know that.

Do Lights Attract Fish At Night?

For the most part, the baitfish are going to be attracted by the light the most. Then the predator fish are going to start swarming around the light to start feeding on the schooling fish.

It is perfect for you because you have a more active group of fish within your casting distance. It is like a form of chumming that can only be done at night.

What Time Of Year Is Best To Catch Squid?

During the Fall and Winter, seasons is the best time to catch squid. It is mostly because of the weather that happens during the fall.

It is widely thought that this time is bad, but they are usually deep down in the weeds and they are usually very big at this time of year. 

Your best bet is during high tide at night. You can even use your squid fishing light to attract them to the top for an easy meal.

Like many fish, squid will follow other squids they think have food. It is like when a seagull steals a sandwich from a beachgoer. You will hear a lot of noise and see a single seagull getting chased by all the other seagulls on the beach.

What Is The Best Bait To Catch Squid?

The best bait you can use is whatever kind of baitfish that comes into your rivers from the ocean regularly. For many people, it is some kind of herring. Shrimp are one of the best things to fish with, but it is best if it is live bait. If you want to do use artificial lures, I would promote using one of the best squid jigs that I talked about in another blog post.

They will follow the schools just like bluefish and striped bass do. A lot of fish movements happen with bait. Great White Sharks do the exact same thing. They go wherever the food is because that is what it takes to survive.