Squid

Long-finned Squid (Loligo pealei)

Pearl Squid (Mark Gustavson)

HOOK	Eagle Claw 254 #4/0
THREAD	White
TAIL	4 pink flashabou under two off-white, two medium gray, light blue, pink, violet and amber medium-wide saddles surrounding the shank and a few splayed
BODY	Pearl body braid, wrapped and create a bump ⅜" behind hook eye to flare the collar.
COLLAR	Equal amounts of white, pink, light blue and pearl gray bucktail blended and tied in surrounding the hook shank, cinched against the bump to slightly flare the bucktail; in front of the collar and just behind the hook eye tie in a white marabou by the tip and wind back 3 times and tie off. Dub some webby feather material to fill in the gap between the bucktail collar and the marabou.

Notes

Time of Appearance: throughout spring and summer.

Most grow to about 12 inches. Individuals migrate seasonally, moving offshore during late autumn to overwinter in warmer waters along the edge of the continental shelf and inshore during the spring and early summer.

The long-fin squid live for less than one year, grow rapidly, and spawn year-round. Individuals hatched in summer generally grow more rapidly than those hatched in winter. They swim in large schools during the day but may dig itself a depression in the sand at night to rest. Squid are aggressive hunters. A school of squid can decimate a school of herring, leaving only heads and tails in their wake.

Coloration: The color cells in the skin are able to change quickly, causing considerable and rapid changes in color and pattern to match the surroundings. They may be red, pink, brown, blue or yellow, with many iridescent reflections.

Saltwater Flies & the Naturals