DUEL - EZ-SLIM METAL AURORA 74mm/86mm A1657/A1658 SQUID HOOK

Duel EZ-Slim Metal Aurora 74mm / 86mm — A1657 / A1658 Squid Jig

This is the weighted, hard-bodied version of Duel's slim squid jig. Where the cloth ez-SLIM is an unweighted dropper that needs a lead jig below it to reach the fish, the Metal Aurora carries its own mass — 28g in the 74mm and 40g in the 86mm — so it can be dropped on its own, held in the strike zone and worked as the jig that sets the rhythm of the rig. Aurora is Duel's non-cloth body finish across the ez-SLIM range: a reflective surface that throws back deck lights and moonlight rather than glowing softly, which suits clear water and squid that respond to flash. The narrow section is the point: it drops with very little swing, so the jig stays under the boat instead of streaming away when the tide picks up or the drift is long.

Key Features

• Metal-bodied slim squid jig — weight built into the body, no separate sinker required
• Two weights: 74mm / 28g and 86mm / 40g, covering moderate to deep water and running tide
• Aurora reflective finish rather than cloth — flash and UV response instead of soft glow
• Slim section drops fast and straight with minimal swing, keeping the line near vertical
• Squid crown hooks at the tail
• Two colours: SHRH and SHRM

How To Fish It

• Choosing between the two — Run the 28g in shallower water, slack tide or a slow drift; move to the 40g when depth, current or wind angles the line away from vertical. The rule is the lightest jig that still hangs close to straight down.
• Drop and count off the bottom — Free-spool to the bottom, wind up two or three turns and hold. Squid stack in layers, so once you get a take, count the same number of turns off the bottom on every drop after it.
• Short lift and dead stop — Lift the tip 30–50cm, lower it under control, then stop completely. The take shows in the stop: the jig goes heavy, goes light, or simply stops falling.
• Use it as the weight for a dropper rig — Tie a cloth sutte on a short branch line 50–100cm above it. The metal jig sets the depth and rhythm; the softer dropper picks up squid that will not commit to a hard body.
• Fish the edge of the light — On night boats squid rise to the light line. Work the jig through the outer edge of the lit water rather than the bright middle, and wind at one constant speed once hooked.

Target Species By Region

• Southeast Asia — Bigfin reef squid (sotong torak) and cuttlefish (sotong katak) on candat sotong night boats off Terengganu, Pahang, Johor and the Thai and Indonesian islands, where squid gather under the lamps behind schooling kembung.
• North America — Market squid on the US West Coast, fished vertically from night boats and around lit harbours and piers in California.
• Japan & East Asia — Kensaki-ika, yariika and surumeika on ika-metal boat trips, the discipline this style of weighted slim jig was developed for.
• Australia, Middle East & Europe — Southern calamari and arrow squid over weed and reef in southern Australia; cuttlefish on Gulf marks; European squid and cuttlefish fished vertically off Spain, Portugal and in the Mediterranean.

Specifications

Recommended Pairing

• Short ika-metal or light boat rod with a soft, visible tip rated to around 40–60g
• Small baitcaster or 2500-size spinning reel with a smooth start-up drag
• PE 0.4–0.8 braid — thin line cuts current and keeps the jig hanging vertically
• Fluorocarbon leader of roughly 6–12 lb, kept short so the jig hangs true