HINOTSU - EGI CLAW SQUID HOOK 2.5/3.0 SQUID JIG SQUID FISHING

Hinotsu Egi Claw Squid Hook — Size #2.5 / #3.0

The Egi Claw is an egi, not a sutte. The difference matters: a sutte is the plain barrel bait hung off the branch lines of a vertical rig, while an egi is the weighted shrimp-shaped jig that is cast out, jerked, and allowed to glide back down on its own — the squid grabs it on the fall. Hinotsu builds this one around a sinker profile aimed at casting distance — what shore, beach and pier work needs — and a Super Glow finish on the eyes and body edges so squid can pick it out at dusk, at depth or in stained water. The claw-shaped hook crown catches and holds tentacles. Sizes #2.5 and #3.0 are the two standard egi sizes.

Key Features

• Egi-class squid jig with a weighted sinker for casting distance
• Super Glow effect on eyes and edges for dusk, night, deep and murky water
• Claw-shaped hook crown designed to grip and hold squid tentacles
• Two standard sizes: #2.5 at 105 mm and #3.0 at 120 mm
• Seven colour finishes for matching water clarity and light

How To Fish It

• Sink count to find the layer — Cast, then let the jig fall on a controlled slack line while counting seconds. Add five to the count each cast until a squid comes, then repeat that exact count. Squid sit in layers, and the count is how you return to one.
• Shakuri jerk and long fall — Tip low, snap the rod sharply upward two or three times so the jig darts forward, then drop the tip and let it glide back down for several seconds. The jerks bring squid in; the controlled fall is what they take.
• Never strike — A squid hugs the jig with its arms; it does not bite. If the line stops falling, goes light or drifts sideways, sweep smoothly into the weight instead of striking. A hard hookset tears tentacles straight off.
• Keep constant tension — Wind slow and even with the rod loaded the whole way up. Never pump the rod: the slack it creates is the most common reason a hooked squid is lost at the boat.
• Charge the glow, work the shadow line — Glow finishes need charging under a torch or lamp before the cast and fade over time. At night, cast past the lit water and bring the jig back along the dark edge, which is where squid hold and ambush.

Target Species By Region

• Southeast Asia — Bigfin reef squid (sotong torak) and cuttlefish (sotong katak) on candat sotong trips off Terengganu, Pahang and Johor, plus jetty, breakwater and beach casting around lit harbours.
• North America — Market squid off California piers, moorings and lit harbours from Monterey to San Diego.
• Japan & East Asia — Aoriika is the classic shore eging target for #2.5 and #3.0; kensaki-ika on boat drifts, with the same sizes fished in Korea and Taiwan.
• Australia, Middle East & Europe — Southern calamari and cuttlefish over seagrass in South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania; European squid and cuttlefish on Mediterranean and Atlantic eging marks.

Specifications

Colour codes: LBR, LPO, LPK, LPB, LOR, LBL, LBB.

Recommended Pairing

• Egi rod of 8'–8'6" rated for 2.5–3.5 size jigs for shore casting
• 2500–3000 size spinning reel with PE 0.6–0.8 braid
• Fluorocarbon leader of roughly 8–12 lb, one to one and a half rod lengths
• Long-handled squid net and an ink-proof bag for landing