Giant Humbolt Squid "LOVE" Rockfish

I was in on a conversation with a avid spear fisherman today and he mentioned a conversation that he had with Rick Powers of the New Sea Angler out of Bodega Bay. The set up Done........ Captain Powers is saying these Giant squid are full of Rockfish. Being these monsters come from the unknown deep and in possibly unimaginable numbers....Well.... you do the math. I know that I've never heard of Humboldt Squid till about 5 years ago, and by no means am I anywhere close to the guru type Fish scientist we have ON this site, my Limbic reaction is  "It's On!!!"  ....................Danglin

I am dying to go after the squid and proposed a trip for them but after seeing the responses I opted to hold back.

I am convinced they are eating all the salmon and rockfish. I said that a while back.

-Brian G

I know I have a different feeling about hearing 400 or so of these beast being pulled out @ a time. Hate to feel like they should be nuked but....Scew it!!!

These guys are hear for a reason, and will probably do their thing until it's not so productive. Then who nows what the MPA will blame us for next...Danglin

I say go for it if you like calamari or need bait for crab traps.From the reports I'm hearing from the Monterey Bay the squid they've been catching this year are BIG, averaging 25# with many between 40 and 70#.

The studies I've read found that Humbolt squid prayed largely on deep water species like those blind knifefish-looking things (that's their common name  ).However,I've seen them feed right up to the boat and it seems like anything that will attack a Hawaiian war club would devour anything in its path including rockfish.

Kinda like bringing up a 5 gallon bucket from 500-800ft IMO, but go get 'em if you can use the meat.

I would bet a case of GOOD beer that in an ecological context the "benefit" to rockfish of sport fisheries killing squid would fall somewhere between zero and zilch.  As much as adult squid "love" rockfish, I would also guess that rockfish "love" juvenile Humboldt squid...its a cycle, not a one way street. 

If you want the the fun and like calamari go for it, but don't do it to save rockfish.

 

Based on the examination of 105 specimens as well as beaks recovered from Sperm Whales, the giant squid is not known to attain a mantle length (ML) in excess of 2.25 m (7.4 ft) (O'Shea, 2003). Including the head and arms, but excluding the tentacles, Architeuthis very rarely exceeds 5 m (16 ft) in length (O'Shea, 2003). Maximum total length, when measured relaxed post mortem, is estimated at 13 m (43 ft) for females and 10 m (33 ft) for males from caudal fin to the tip of the two long tentacles (O'Shea, 2003).
Giant squid exhibit sexual dimorphism. Maximum weight is estimated at 275 kg for females and 150 kg for males (O'Shea, 2003).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_giant_squid_specimens_and_sightings

7'4" 605 lbs I'd hate to get pulled over the side bye one or more these. Anyone up for a Giant squid Tourny in Yaks???

giant squid and humbolt squid are different species.

Talking about giant squid. I caught this one a few years ago off the Monterey wharf.

This one was the smallest out of the five caught that day!

it weight over five pounds and measured over 47 inches.

Ya, I thought more reasonable heads would arise out of my  . It just the Monkeys that decide when and where we fish need to take into consideration of how much actual " damage " we as fishermen/persons do. China Trawlers raping and pillaging everything in it's path,  pollution by big industry, everytime I get my tires aligned I always hit a big pot hole...the list goes on and on...I was just curious if anybody else thought if the GiantHumboldt squid were here to take our rockfish...and when it comes down to it, I guess it's more theirs than ours anyway....O.K....I'm good.. ..Danglin

alien that squid is alot bigger then the ones we ate at elk.  you are making me hungary. those perch you cooked looked ono too.

I caught this one a few years ago

nice try Alex.....I've known you for 7 years now and I've never seen you that skinny

I love you Uncle Alex 

Hay Bradzilla,

long time Man!!!  How are Y0u? 

Ya, That squid surprise the heck out of me when hooked it. I almost fell off the wharf. I don't think i would ever catch one that size from the wharf ever in my life time I think it was a freak for them to show up that close in. Unless they fallowed the planted salmon back to that area. We were  flossing for king salmon during that time. Good to know your still around.

Are you still up in Lake Tahoe?


><> Mooch, come on Man... For as long as you know me You always tell me I'm sexy. Trying to say I'm fat now

i think that giant squid should have a rf fishing season from Jan 1 - Jan 2nd. Thats it.

Squids life cycle is only about 18 months, compared to what, 18 years for a rockfish?  With the reduction in large fishes in the ocean, invertibrates like squid are up more than 50% worldwide.  That's 150% of virgin biomass, so don't feel bad about catching them wholesale.

 I saw a video on the Humbolts. There is a guy, Scott Cassell, who wears chain mail and dives down at night to mix in with them. According to marine biologists, their brain size puts them at about the intellect of a Spaniel. Frankly, that's cunning enough, given their size, that I would avoid encounters. They are rapacious also--when they hook one, often enough, they never get it to the surface--its school members eat it. Its factual information about nature and teh cycle of life not sea monster tales. Nonetheless, the marine biologist who thinks they are jsut bug puppies reminds me of that naturalist who thought the same about Grizzly Bears when he lived among them--until they killed and ate him.

Read about it: http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/issues/Issue.03-10-2005/cover/Article.cover_story