For cuttlefish
Cuttlefish are bottom-dwelling cephalopods that like to feed on slow-moving prey less than two meters away. Its main method of hunting is from ambush, buried in the bottom, but it will also search and prowl when food doesn't come to it. In either case, she won't hesitate to see a jig passing into her field of vision, so she can size it up and grab it.
Adding attractant to our jigs doesn't attract more cuttlefish, but it does make it easier to decide which ones are curious. A cuttlefish may follow its prey for several meters before trying to grab it, so the attractant takes on its full meaning, leaving an olfactory trail behind the jig, which the cuttlefish will be able to follow up thanks to its highly developed senses.
For squid
Whether fished from the shore or from a boat, squid can be fished with faster movements than cuttlefish, the most effective technique being the bichi-bachi. Squid, like cuttlefish, are highly intelligent predators, not hesitating to assess their prey by sight, smell and touch before seizing it. Although they have no nose, their sense of smell is highly developed, enabling them to detect their prey as well as their fellow creatures.
Attractants are therefore inevitably effective, although they are more difficult to use when jerking as they can quickly dissipate odours in the water. To avoid this, we use gel attractants, which are applied to the entire body of the jig, making sure they penetrate the fabric.
A few tips
Commercial attractants come in two different categories: gels and liquids. Liquids, although they penetrate quickly and easily into the fabric of a jig, diffuse rapidly. They are therefore best used for shore fishing, where they can be added every three to four casts. For drift fishing from a boat, where you may not need to reel in the rig for almost 30 minutes, I recommend gels.
If you find attractants too expensive, you can also use a fatty, odoriferous substance, such as sardine oil, which you simply apply to the jig like a conventional liquid attractant. Be careful not to spill sardine oil or liquid attractants in your bag, as you may remember them for a long time!
