HINOTSU - TENTO SQUID LIGHT ATTRACTOR 195mm CANDAT SOTONG SQUID FISHING ACCESSORIES

Hinotsu Tento Squid Light Attractor 195mm — Candat Sotong

The Hinotsu Tento is an underwater light attractor built for night squid fishing — candat sotong in Malaysia. Squid light attractors work by hanging a light at or below the surface, or suspending it on the rig itself, to gather squid and the food chain they follow into one small area. Light draws plankton, plankton draws small baitfish, and squid arrive to hunt the baitfish. Rather than chasing scattered squid over a whole bank, you build a feeding zone and fish inside it. The 195 mm body is rated to 300 m water depth, so it also serves deep-drop work, and it is built to stay reliable in harsh marine environments. It runs on two AA batteries, which are not included.

This is the piece that makes the difference between a slow night and a busy one. Squid are not attracted by the light directly so much as by what the light concentrates, which is why the light needs to be running before the bite starts, not switched on after it has gone quiet.

Key Features

• Underwater light attractor for gathering squid and the bait chain they feed on
• Suited to night squid fishing and deep-drop techniques
• 195 mm body length
• Rated for water depth to 300 m
• Runs on 2 x AA batteries (not included), so spares are easy to carry on a night trip
• Built to stay reliable in harsh marine environments
• Attaches to the surface, to a suspended structure, or in line above the terminal rig

How To Fish It

• Where it sits in the rig — Run the light in the leader above the jig, clipped in with a swivel or snap so it hangs a metre or so above the terminal end. That puts the glow just over the working zone without lighting the jig itself. It can also be hung on a separate dropper line off the boat rather than on the fishing rig.
• Boat fishing (candat sotong) — Anchor up over sand or weed edge at dusk, drop the light and give it time to work — commonly twenty to forty minutes before the squid stack up. Then work squid jigs vertically alongside it with a slow lift-and-drop, letting the jig settle on a semi-slack line, which is when most squid grab it.
• Jetty and pier fishing — Suspend the light off the structure on a cord so it sits a couple of metres down, then cast or drop jigs at the edge of the lit circle rather than into its centre. Squid usually hold just outside the bright core and dart into it to feed.
• Working with egi — The light and the jig do different jobs: the light concentrates squid, the egi triggers the take. Fish a standard eging cadence of two or three sharp upward jerks then a long controlled fall on a tight-but-not-taut line, and pair the light with brighter or glow-finish egi that read well in the illuminated water.
• Depth and tide — Set the light at the depth where bait is showing, and re-set it as the tide changes. On a running tide, position so the light sits up-current of where you drop, and let the bait line form naturally behind it.

Target Species By Region

• Southeast Asia — The core tool for Malaysian candat sotong trips off Terengganu, Kelantan and Pahang for sotong (squid), and used the same way in Thai and Indonesian night squid fisheries; also draws cuttlefish and the small baitfish that bring in tenggiri and queenfish.
• North America — Market squid on West Coast night trips and pier fisheries, plus general use as a deep-drop light on Gulf and Atlantic bottom rigs.
• Japan & East Asia — Ika-tsuri (イカ釣り) for surume-ika and yari-ika, where working lights over the boat is long-established practice, and as an aid to night eging for aori-ika.
• Australia, Middle East & Europe — Southern calamari and arrow squid off Australian and New Zealand jetties and boats; cuttlefish in the Gulf; European squid (Loligo vulgaris) on Mediterranean and Atlantic night trips.

Specifications

Recommended Pairing

• Squid jigs (egi) in the 2.5 to 3.5 size range, glow or luminous finishes for night work
• A light to medium squid or eging rod with a 2500–3000 spinning reel and PE 0.6–1.0 with a fluorocarbon leader
• Use a rated snap or swivel to clip the light into the leader so it can be removed without rebuilding the rig
• Carry spare AA batteries and rinse the unit in fresh water after every saltwater session