Chokka (Tjokka) - Squid Used For Fishing Bait
Chokka is a term that has been given to the Squid baits that anglers use to catch fish. The Afrikaans word Tjokka, also refers to the same thing. Chokka is pronounced Ch - aa - ka.
Chokka are caught all along our coast line every
year by commercial and recreational fisherman. A special lure is used to
catch these squid, called a Chokka Jig. This is a wooden lure with 2
lines of sharp spines where the hooks would normally be on a lure. This
is because once the squid attacks the lure, it cannot get free.
Once the Chokka has been caught it is either cling wrapped or vacuum packed and distributed to tackle shops. This where you purchase it. You get different size Chokka, for different applications. You also get Bay Squid and Baby Chokka.
Chokka is the perfect bait in my mind, and you can target any saltwater fish species with any bait you have made up. Any species can be targeted, but Chokka is a favourite of many Rays, Kob and Sandsharks.
The best thing to do with a Chokka when preparing a bait is:
- Tenderize it with a mallet
- Keep the ink sac, guts and tentacles
- Cut it into thin strips (Strip bait)
- Wrap it around your hook (Blob bait)
