Guide
How to Choose a Squid Jig: A Beginner's Guide for Australia
A beginner's guide to choosing a squid jig in Australia: what the size numbers mean, why sink rate matters more than colour, cloth versus foil colour, UV versus glow, hooks, price tiers, which brands and models to start with, and how to match the jig to your rod and line.
Publisher disclosure: SquidFishing.com.au is the educational publishing site of RUI Fishing Tackles, edited by founder Rui Tang. RUI models below link to our store, eging.com.au. Where we name Yamashita, Shimano, Daiwa or Yo-Zuri, it is because beginners ask about them and they are good jigs, not because we sell them. Treat every model here as a condition-based starting point, not a ranking.
Choosing a squid jig looks complicated because the wall at the tackle shop has two hundred colours on it. It is not complicated. Squid respond to size, sink rate and the way the jig moves; colour is the last decision, not the first. This guide walks a beginner through the six decisions in order, then gives you a three-jig and a five-jig starter box with specific models and prices, and finishes with the rod, line and knot that make the jig work.
If you want the broad “what is the best squid jig” discussion rather than the step-by-step buying method, read Best Squid Jig Australia. If you have never caught a squid at all, start with How to Catch Squid in Australia and come back here when you are ready to buy.
The 60-second answer
| Decision | Beginner answer | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 3.0 first, then 3.5 standard, then 2.5 | Casts well on light gear, sinks slowly enough for weed, big enough for calamari |
| Sink rate | About 3.2 to 3.5 seconds per metre for a 3.0 | Slow enough to stay above weed, fast enough to reach squid on a pier |
| Colour | One natural, one glow, then pink or orange | Natural for clear daylight; glow for low light; loud colours for stained water |
| Features | Sharp crown hooks, durable cloth, stable nose-down sink | These decide whether a squid stays on; rattles and 3D eyes do not |
| Price | AU$15 to AU$25 per jig | Below that you lose hooks and sink stability; above that you pay for brand |
| Rod and line | Egi-rated rod 8’3” to 8’6” from shore, PE 0.6 to 0.8, 8 to 12 lb leader | A light outfit lets you feel the jig sink and the squid grab |
What a squid jig actually is
A squid jig (egi in Japanese, 木虾 in Chinese) is a prawn-shaped lure with a weighted keel on the belly and one or two rings of barbless hooks, called crowns, at the tail. Squid grab it with their tentacles when it sinks or pauses, and the crowns hold them as you lift.
The parts that matter when you are choosing one:
- Body and cloth. Most jigs have a plastic body wrapped in cloth. The cloth gives squid something to grip and carries the colour you see on the shelf.
- Foil or base. Under the cloth is a foil layer, usually silver, gold, red, rainbow or a glow material. In the water the foil does more work than the cloth, because light passes through the cloth and bounces off the foil.
- Keel sinker. The lead or tin weight on the belly. It sets the sink rate and the angle the jig sinks at. This is the single most important part of the jig and the one beginners ignore.
- Crowns. The rings of fine, barbless hooks. Sharp crowns hold squid; soft or blunt crowns drop them at the surface.
- Eyes, feathers and fins. Cosmetic or minor. A small fin or feather can stabilise the sink; the eyes are for you, not the squid.
Step 1: Pick the size
Squid jig sizes run from 1.8 to 4.0. The number is a Japanese length measure, so it describes body length, not weight. A 2.5 is about 75 mm, a 3.0 about 90 mm, a 3.5 about 105 mm. Weight rises with length and sets the sink rate.
| Size | Typical RUI weight | Body length | When a beginner uses it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.8 | 5 g | about 55 mm | Very shallow water, tiny squid, finesse; not a first jig |
| 2.5 | 10 g | about 75 mm | Shallow, calm, clear water; cautious squid; small arrow squid |
| 3.0 | 15 g | about 90 mm | The first jig. Piers, jetties, bays, 2 to 5 metres |
| 3.5 standard | 20 g | about 105 mm | Wind, current, depth, long casts, bigger calamari |
| 3.5 slow sinking | 19 g | about 105 mm | Full-size profile over shallow weed; a labelled variant, not the standard 3.5 |
| 4.0 | 25 g | about 120 mm | Strong current, deep drifts, big southern calamari |
Why 3.0 first: it is light enough for a bream-class rod, slow enough that you can count it down above weed without snagging every cast, and large enough that a decent calamari commits to it. Most Victorian pier anglers end up throwing a 3.5 more than they expected once wind and current are part of the day, but you learn faster on a 3.0.
Full size-by-size detail, including when to go up or down, is in the Squid Jig Size Guide.
Step 2: Check the sink rate and sinking angle
This is the step the tackle shop will not tell you about, and the step that catches squid.
Sink rate is how many seconds the jig takes to fall one metre. A jig that falls too fast buries itself in weed before a squid sees it; a jig that falls too slowly never gets down in a current. RUI labels the rate for every size on the packet and the product page. Not every brand does, so you often have to look it up or test it.
| RUI size | Labelled sink rate |
|---|---|
| 1.8 (5 g) | about 6 to 8 sec/m |
| 2.5 (10 g) | 4.2 to 4.5 sec/m |
| 3.0 (15 g) | 3.2 to 3.5 sec/m |
| 3.5 standard (20 g) | 3.0 to 3.5 sec/m |
| 3.5 slow sinking (19 g) | 5.0 to 5.5 sec/m |
| 4.0 (25 g) | 2.8 to 3.3 sec/m |
For comparison, Yamashita lists its Egi-OH K at roughly 3 seconds per metre with a 3.0 at about 16 g and a 3.5 at about 22 g, so a RUI 3.0 and a Yamashita 3.0 fish the same water column. Shimano and Daiwa publish similar standard rates and also sell “shallow” or “slow” variants for weed.
Sinking angle is how the jig hangs as it falls. A good jig sinks nose-down at roughly 45 degrees, with the crowns trailing. A jig that sinks flat, tail-down or rolls side to side looks wrong to squid and tangles your leader. You can test it in a bucket or off the side of the pier: lift, let it fall on a slack line, watch. We filmed the method in Squid Jig Sinking Angle: Test Balance in Water.
The full chart and how to read your line while the jig sinks are in the Squid Jig Sinking Rate Guide.
Step 3: Choose colour, in this order
Colour is where beginners spend their money and where it matters least. Use a simple rule and move on.
The cloth colour you see
- Natural (mullet grey, whiting silver, sardine blue, olive): clear water, bright daylight, pressured squid. This is your first jig.
- Soft pink and white: the classic all-rounder in Australia; works in clear and slightly stained water, dawn and dusk.
- Orange and red: stained water after rain or wind, low light, squid that follow but will not commit.
- Glow, chartreuse and bright green: dawn, dusk, night and dirty water.
The foil underneath
Silver foil flashes hardest in bright light. Gold is warmer and shows up better in green or slightly stained water. Red foil reads dark and solid against a grey sky. Rainbow or holographic foil splits the light and suits mixed conditions. If two jigs have the same cloth and different foils, you own two different jigs. The detail is in Squid Jig Foil Colours.
UV and glow are different jobs
A UV-reactive cloth or pattern reacts to the ultraviolet light already present in daylight, dawn and dusk. It looks brighter to a squid in those conditions and does nothing in total darkness, because there is no UV to react to. A glow body stores light and emits it; it needs charging with a torch or daylight and it works at night and in deep or dirty water.
We filmed one RUI jig under white light, a 365 nm UV torch and with the lights off so you can see the difference. The full 56-second take is unedited.
For the complete colour logic by water clarity and light, read Best Squid Jig Colours Australia, or use the Squid Jig Colour Selector before a session.
Step 4: Features that matter, and features that sell
Worth paying for
- Sharp, fine crown hooks. Press a point gently against your thumbnail; it should catch, not slide. Soft or blunt crowns are the main reason cheap jigs lose squid at the surface.
- Durable cloth. Squid beaks shred thin cloth in a few sessions. A tightly woven cloth that does not fray at the seams lasts a season.
- A stable, nose-down sink. Covered above. If the jig rolls or sinks flat, nothing else about it matters.
- A tin or lead keel that is centred. Hold the jig by the nose ring and let it hang; the keel should sit dead centre.
Nice, not necessary
- Rattles. Can help in dirty water or at night; can also put off pressured squid in clear water. Buy one rattle jig after your first five, not before.
- Internal flash plates, 3D eyes, holographic bellies. These are what the premium price buys. They look superb and they catch squid; they do not catch more squid than a well-balanced plain jig on most Australian piers. The sales data behind Are Fancy Squid Jigs Worth It? makes that case.
Step 5: Price tiers and brands, honestly
Australian squid jigs fall into three price bands.
| Tier | Price per jig | Brands and models | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | under AU$8 | Supermarket and no-name jigs | Often soft crowns, loose cloth and an unpredictable sink; fine to learn casting with, poor for landing squid |
| Mid | AU$12 to AU$18 | RUI (about AU$15), Daiwa Emeraldas Peak, Yo-Zuri Aurie-Q RS on sale | Sharp crowns, printed sink rates, stable keel, full size range, replaceable price when you snag |
| Premium | AU$18 to AU$30 | Yamashita Egi-OH K and Egi-OH Live, Shimano Sephia Clinch Flash Boost, Daiwa Emeraldas Nude, Yo-Zuri Aurie-Q | Excellent finish, stabilising fins, internal flash systems, Japanese retail reputation |
What the premium tier genuinely adds: the Yamashita Egi-OH K has a small rear fin and a flat-sided body that keeps it very stable in wind and current; the Shimano Sephia Clinch Flash Boost carries an internal spring-mounted mirror that keeps flashing while the jig is paused; Daiwa Emeraldas jigs are known for a sharp side-to-side dart. These are real features and experienced anglers value them.
What RUI adds for a beginner: the same sizes and labelled sink rates, a nose-down sink and sharp crowns, at a price where losing a jig to a weed bed is an annoyance rather than a reason to stop fishing. RUI is Australian-run and designed around Port Phillip Bay and Western Port conditions, with the range sold through eging.com.au, eBay, Amazon, Anaconda and BCF. We have sold roughly a million of them, which is where the size and colour advice on this page comes from.
The brand-by-brand comparison, including Kmart and Harimitsu, is in Best Squid Jig Brands Australia. Whether Japanese jigs are worth the extra for Australian water is argued fairly in Made in Japan Egi: Value for Australia.
Step 6: Match the jig to your rod, reel and line
A jig only works if you can feel it sink and feel the squid grab. That needs a light outfit.
- Rod. An egi-rated rod covering sizes 2.5 to 4.0. About 7 feet 3 inches for boats, kayaks and tight platforms; about 8 feet 3 inches to 8 feet 6 inches for piers, breakwalls and beaches, where casting distance helps. A light bream or whiting spin rod rated to about 10 g to 20 g will get you started.
- Reel. A 2500 size.
- Main line. PE 0.6 to 0.8 braid. Braid lets you see the line and feel the jig; mono stretches and hides both.
- Leader. 8 to 12 lb fluorocarbon, about a rod length. Fluorocarbon resists squid beaks better than mono and is less visible in clear water.
- Connection. A small egi clip or a loop knot. Both let the jig swing freely so it sinks at the right angle. Avoid heavy swivels and large snaps.
RUI makes two eging rods, the K-Crusher Pro 703M at 7’3” and the 803M at 8’3”, and the matching chart of which rod suits which jig sizes is in the Eging Rod Guide. The whole outfit, with line and leader choices explained, is in Squid Fishing Rod, Reel and Line Setup.
A beginner’s first box
Three jigs, about AU$45
| Jig | Role |
|---|---|
| RUI GS05 Mullet Grey Silver, 3.0 | Natural cloth over silver foil for clear water and daylight; your first cast |
| RUI KR56 Red Head Glow, 3.0 | Glow body with a red head for dawn, dusk, night and stained water |
| RUI GS05 Mullet Grey Silver, standard 3.5 | Same natural finish with more weight for wind, current and the deep end of the pier |
Five jigs, about AU$75
Add a RUI GS05 in 2.5 for shallow, calm, clear water and cautious squid, and a RUI AK10 Aurora UV Pink Silver Belly, 3.0 as the pink all-rounder for slightly stained water and low sun.
If you would rather compare against the Japanese benchmark, swap one 3.0 for a Yamashita Egi-OH K 3.0 in a natural or pink pattern. You will learn something about both jigs, and both will catch squid.
Tie it on and fish it
- Tie a small egi clip or a loop knot to the end of your fluorocarbon leader and clip the jig on by the nose ring.
- Cast and count it down. On a 3.0, count about three seconds per metre of depth. Over 3 metres of water above weed, count to seven or eight, then start.
- Lift sharply two or three times, rod tip from nine o’clock to eleven o’clock, then stop and let the jig sink on a slack-ish line. Squid grab on the sink and the pause, almost never on the lift.
- Watch the line, not the water. A tick, a slow draw or the line going slack means a squid has it. Lift smoothly; do not strike like you would on a fish.
- Keep tension and gaff or net it at the water. Lifting a squid up a pier by the leader is how beginners lose them and their jig.
The full retrieve, with the three things your line does after a squid taps the jig, is in How to Work a Squid Jig and When to Strike. If you keep getting snagged, read Stop Your Squid Jig Snagging before you buy more jigs.
Five buying mistakes beginners make
- Buying by colour first. Six colours in one size teaches you less than three sizes in one colour.
- Going too small. A 2.5 feels safe but it drifts in wind, falls slowly in current and gets ignored by big calamari. Start on a 3.0.
- Buying the cheapest jigs on the shelf. Soft crowns drop squid at the surface; you blame the spot, not the jig.
- Ignoring the sink rate. Two 3.5 jigs from the same brand can sink at 3 and 5 seconds per metre. Read the packet or the product page.
- Buying a rattle or a specialty jig before the basics. Rattles, deep jigs and 4.0s are for specific days. Earn them with a season on a 3.0 and a 3.5.
Where to buy squid jigs in Australia
- Online direct: eging.com.au for the full RUI range with sizes and sink rates listed; Yamashita, Shimano and Daiwa through their Australian distributors and major tackle retailers.
- Big-box retailers: BCF and Anaconda both stock RUI alongside Yamashita, Shimano, Daiwa, Yo-Zuri and Harimitsu, so you can hold the jigs side by side.
- Marketplaces: eBay and Amazon Australia list RUI and the Japanese brands; check that the seller is Australian so you are not waiting three weeks for a jig.
- Local tackle stores: the people behind the counter know which colour has been working on the nearest pier this week. RUI’s stockist locator lists the independent stores that carry the range.
Sources and methodology
This guide is published by SquidFishing.com.au, written and reviewed by Rui Tang, and informed by his Victorian eging experience since 2008, approved Australian customer fishing reports and long-term RUI sales and customer feedback. RUI weights and sink rates are RUI’s labelled package and product specifications. Competitor weights and sink rates are taken from the manufacturers’ published specifications and may differ by colour and variant; check the exact model before you buy.
Sales data shows which sizes and colours anglers repeatedly choose. It does not prove that one jig will always catch more squid than another. Everything above is a starting point that you adjust for depth, wind, current, structure and how the squid respond on the day.
Keep reading
- Best Squid Jig Australia 2026: the broad selection discussion once you know the basics.
- Squid Jig Size Guide: every size from 1.8 to 4.0 and when to change.
- Squid Jig Sinking Rate Guide: the full chart and how to read the line on the sink.
- Best Squid Jig Colours Australia: colour by water clarity, light and season.
- Eging Rod Guide: matching rod length and egi rating to the jigs you throw.
- Land-Based Squid Fishing: the pier and jetty setup from start to finish.