Guide
Do Fancy Japanese Eging Actions Actually Catch More Squid?
Flashy Japanese eging jerks look the part, but do they catch more squid land-based in Port Phillip Bay and Western Port? Here's why simple jigging often wins.
Quick answer
Flashy Japanese eging jerks look the part, but do they catch more squid land-based in Port Phillip Bay and Western Port? Here's why simple jigging often wins.
Short answer? Not necessarily.
Japanese anglers are famous for those aggressive, flashy jerk patterns - sharp multi-rips, rapid rod work, long darting slides. It looks the goods, and there’s no denying it films and photographs beautifully. But looking like a pro and actually putting squid on the deck aren’t always the same thing.
The trick is understanding why they fish that way in the first place. If you want the basic retrieve cycle first, read how to work a squid jig, then come back to this page for the Port Phillip Bay and Western Port version.
The action makes sense - for where it was developed
A lot of Japanese eging happens off high breakwalls into deep water. From up there, the job is to drag squid in from a fair way off, so those big aggressive actions earn their keep - they make the jig flash, dart and stand out across a wide patch of water. The whole style is built around finding and pulling in squid that might be holding well away from you.
Port Phillip Bay and Western Port - especially land-based - are a different kettle of fish:
- shallower water
- more weed beds
- squid already sitting tight to structure
- much shorter strike zones
In that situation, hammering away with a long aggressive sequence can do the exact opposite of what you want. You end up ripping the jig up and away from a squid that was sitting right there under your rod tip, ready to have a crack.
When the bite actually happens
Underwater footage tells the same story over and over: squid almost never grab the jig during the jerk.
The usual run of play is:
- Jig darts away
- Squid follows
- Jig pauses and starts to sink
- Squid grabs it
The action attracts. The pause and the sink are what get you the bite.
That’s why a lot of switched-on squid anglers use surprisingly plain rod work once they’ve found fish. One sharp jerk and a clean, controlled sink will out-fish a long flashy combo more often than not. The squid jig sinking rate guide matters here because the lure still has to fall naturally after the action.
Most local anglers copy the action without the reason
Here’s the bit that gets missed around the bay: plenty of local blokes are running full Japanese-style jerk sequences without really getting what each part of it is for. They’ve seen it on YouTube, it looks pro as anything, so they chuck it everywhere - deep, shallow, weedy, tight to structure - all exactly the same.
And fair enough, those big animated actions do have real value. They add a heap of personality, they look sharp on camera, they pull eyeballs, and they make you look like you know exactly what you’re doing. If you’re making content, or you just enjoy fishing with a bit of flair, that’s a dead-set good reason on its own.
But that’s a separate thing from catching more squid. Specifically for land-based PPB and WP, all that fancy rod work won’t necessarily out-fish a bloke doing plain, simple jigging in front of the same squid. Once the squid’s there, the showmanship doesn’t add fish to the bag - and now and then it’ll spook them right off it.
The same logic applies to gear. A quality egi still matters, but the point is performance, not theatre. If you’re comparing lure finishes as well as rod work, read Are Fancy Squid Jigs Worth It? and the Best Squid Jig Australia guide.
My order of priorities
- Find the squid
- Get the jig to the right depth
- Let it sink naturally
- Then worry about the fancy stuff
Aggressive Japanese-style jerking is brilliant for searching - covering water and dragging squid out of nowhere. A quieter, subtler approach is usually the better call once you’re already fishing right in front of them.
Sometimes the most effective “action” isn’t another jerk - it’s just giving the squid time to commit. When the line stops or loads on the fall, use the when to strike when squid fishing lesson and set the hooks with real weight, not panic.
FAQ
Do fancy Japanese eging actions actually catch more squid?
Not necessarily. Those aggressive jerk patterns were developed for deep water off high Japanese breakwalls, where big actions help find and drag squid in from well away. For land-based Port Phillip Bay and Western Port - shallower, weedier water with squid sitting tight to structure and short strike zones - simple, controlled jigging in front of the squid often out-fishes flashy rod work. The action attracts; the pause and the sink get the bite.
When do squid actually grab the jig?
Almost never during the jerk. Underwater footage shows the same sequence every time: the jig darts away, the squid follows, the jig pauses and starts to sink, and the squid grabs it on the fall. The action attracts the squid, but the pause and the natural sink are what trigger the strike.
Why do Japanese anglers use such aggressive eging actions?
Because a lot of Japanese eging is done off high breakwalls into deep water. From up there the job is to draw squid in from a fair way off, so big aggressive actions earn their keep - they make the jig flash, dart and stand out across a wide patch of water.
What’s the best eging action for land-based Port Phillip Bay and Western Port?
Once you’ve found fish, keep it simple: one sharp jerk and a clean, controlled sink usually out-fishes a long flashy combo. The water is shallow, weedy and tight to structure with short strike zones, so a long aggressive sequence can rip the jig up and away from a squid that was sitting right under your rod tip.
Are aggressive jerk sequences ever the right call?
Yes - for searching. Big animated actions are brilliant for covering water and pulling squid out of nowhere when you haven’t found them yet. Once you’re fishing right in front of squid, switch to a quieter, subtler approach and give them time to commit.