Southern Calamari

Squid, Calamari

Sepioteuthis australis

BEST BAITS

Squid Jig, Prawn

METHODS

Jetty, Shore, Boat

EATING QUALITY

Excellent

Overview

Southern Calamari are a favourite family catch from South Australian jetties and seagrass shallows, taken on squid jigs. They hover in loose schools around structure, grab jigs and small baits readily, and their sweet white flesh makes them one of the best eating catches in the state. Fun to catch, easy to clean and genuinely exciting on light gear, squid are a perfect target for beginners and kids.

Quick Info

DIFFICULTY

Beginner

TYPICAL SIZE

20–35 cm mantle

MAXIMUM SIZE

Up to 50 cm+ mantle

HABITAT

Seagrass, Jetty structure, Weed edges

BEST MONTHS

Year-round; best in late spring

ENVIRONMENTS

Jetty, Shore, Boat

Identification

A squid with a broad, diamond-shaped body and wide rounded fins running almost the full length of the mantle. Colour changes rapidly from pinkish-brown to mottled orange-red with mood and surroundings, and the size of the swimming fins is a good guide to the size of the squid on your jig.

Long fins extending nearly the full mantle length (the 'longfin' squid), 8 short arms plus 2 long tentacles, flashing chromatophore colours, and a clear plastic-like internal quill rather than bones.

SIMILAR SPECIES

Gould's Squid (shorter fins, more offshore waters) — any squid caught around SA jetties, bays and seagrass shallows is almost certainly Southern Calamari.

Where to Find Them

SeagrassJetty structureWeed edges

Typical depth: 1–15 m

Fishing environments: Jetty, Shore, Boat

When to Fish

Poor

Fair

Good

Excellent

Best monthsYear-round; best in late spring

TideRun-in tide and low-light periods near structure

Time of dayDawn and dusk, especially on a moving tide

ConditionsClear water with a slight chop around structure and seagrass edges

Seasonal movementCaught year-round across SA, with the most consistent catches in late spring and again through autumn. Squid move in close to structure and shallows when water is clear and warm.

How to Catch Them

Cast squid jigs toward seagrass edges, jetty pylons and anywhere small baitfish gather. Work the jig with a slow lift-and-drop retrieve near the bottom and around structure — squid often follow the jig in, so occasionally let it sit dead still before lifting again.

Cast a quality squid jig, let it sink, then lift-and-hold the rod tip in slow, jerky pulses so the jig sinks back down naturally between lifts. Natural and pink colours cover most SA situations.

Slow and erratic — a lift-and-drop cadence. Squid grab on the pause, so hold the rod tip up and lift in sharp little hops rather than winding continuously.

BITE BEHAVIOUR

Weight on the line rather than a thump — the squid wraps its arms around the jig and simply feels heavy, then pulses with jets of water as it tries to escape.

HOOK SETTING

Lift the rod tip firmly and steadily once the weight comes on. Squid hook themselves on the jig's barbless crown — keep steady tension and wind down; violent strikes simply tear the arms free.

BEGINNER TIPS

Buy a couple of quality jigs in natural and pink, fish them slowly near structure at dawn or dusk, and keep the retrieve simple. Squid ink and jet water when landed — stand back and expect to get wet.

COMMON MISTAKES

Retrieving jigs too fast, fishing open water away from structure, lifting the jig out of the strike zone too quickly, and stopping the retrieve while a squid is still chasing rather than letting it drop.

Best Baits

Squid Jig

The dedicated lure for Southern Calamari - cast and retrieved with a jerky motion around jetties, weed edges and lighted areas at night.

Prawn

A great all-rounder for whiting, garfish and bream.

Current SA Fishing Rules

CURRENT SA FISHING RULES

All other SA waters

OPEN

Minimum sizeNo minimum legal length

Daily bag limit15 per person

Daily boat limit45

Combined limitBag and boat limits apply to combined numbers of Calamari and Cuttlefish: 15 per person and 45 per boat (3 or more people) for Calamari and Cuttlefish together.

Gulf St Vincent & Kangaroo Island

CLOSED

Do not target, take or possess this species in Gulf St Vincent & Kangaroo Island.

Spencer Gulf

CLOSED

Do not target, take or possess this species in Spencer Gulf.

False Bay cephalopod closure (Whyalla)

Always – Always — False Bay, Spencer Gulf (near Whyalla)

Southern Calamari closure — Gulf St Vincent & Kangaroo Island

1 May 2026 – Ongoing — Gulf St Vincent & Kangaroo Island

Southern Calamari closure — Spencer Gulf

1 May 2026 – Ongoing — Spencer Gulf

LAST CHECKED: 30 September 2026SOURCE: PIRSA

Always check current regulations before fishing. Fishing rules and closures can change.

CHECK CURRENT PIRSA RULES

Keeping Your Catch

HANDLING

Handle by the body, never the arms. Watch the sharp beak between the arms and the hard chitin edge of the body — use pliers to extract the jig.

BLEEDING

Not required for squid — dispatch quickly by spiking between the eyes or with an iki-jime spike, then gut immediately.

ICING

An ice slurry immediately after capture keeps squid firm and white — squid spoil quickly if left warm in a bucket.

Cleaning & Filleting

CLEANING

Pull the head and arms away from the body, remove the clear plastic quill, the gut and the ink sac (keep the ink if you like it for cooking), then peel away the mottled skin.

FILLETING

Squid are not filleted — the cleaned hood (tube) and tentacles are the table fare. Score the inside of the hood in a light crosshatch so it curls when cooked.

SKIN

The thin mottled skin peels away easily once cleaned; most cooks remove it for clean white calamari, though a little left on is harmless.

BONES

Squid have no bones — instead there is a clear, plastic-like internal shell (the quill) that simply pulls free from the body cavity.

Cooking

Flash-frysalt and pepper stylecrumbedmarinated then grilled

Score the hoods and flash-fry in hot oil for 30-60 seconds until they curl — overcooked calamari turns rubbery. Salt and pepper squid from fresh Southern Calamari is a classic, and tentacles are great on the same hot pan.