Italy and Sicily in particular, are located in a specific geographical position. The region of Sicily, considered between the best fishing in Italy is an island located exactly in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy peninsula and Africa’s northern coasts. The geological structure of the island has a big drop-off on the east coast, also home of the biggest Volcano of Europe The Mount Etna. The sea is the Ionian, that separates Sicily from Greece. The Ionian sea, as well as some points of the Sicilian Channel and Tyrrenian sea, are known also for its depts, very close bathymetric that jumps into 1000m under the sea level, just in a couple of miles, reaching 2500m as soon as you navigate a bit more. This give the chance to fish for unique animals.

A particular Ionian sea fishing technique is fishing for squid and often giant squids.
Giant squids of the Mediterranean Sea, (scientific name “Todarodes Sagittatus”) can reach 15kg of weight, being more common between 2 to 4kg. It is a very aggressive and powerful cephalopod and compared with animals of the same species, can give unexpected fights. Depending on the equipment or the fishing depth the technique varies and to hear a spooling reel is not difficult if using the light gear.

This species likes deep waters but at night is possible to fish them even on the surface in some conditions and season of the year. During the day, big specimens are caught in deeper waters, usually with electric reels.

Is a good action at the end of the fishing day or for a dedicated night fishing session. Big squid on manual reels will seriously test the ability of the most experienced fishermen. On the right spot, is usual to have multiple catches, resulting in a fun experience for everyone aboard.

Squid can be prepared as a good meal, with many local recipes. The best preparation for us remains the Squid fried rings recipe, similar to the Calamari fried rings, a very delicious dish for everyone.