Squid Jigging Glossary: Terms You'll Actually Run Into

Traditional squid jigging carries its own vocabulary, most of it inherited directly from Japan where the technique — known there as eging — was developed. This is a working reference, not a dictionary — short, plain definitions for the terms that actually come up once you’re past the basics.

Egi — the jig itself: a shrimp-shaped lure with a weighted keel, a cloth or foil outer wrap, and a row of barbless prongs at the tail instead of a traditional hook. Squid grab the body, not a hook point.

Eging — the Japanese name for the technique: fishing a squid jig with a snap-sink-pause retrieve, designed to make the jig move like fleeing prey. Covered in full in why a real squid jigging rod matters.

Tip-run (eging) — a variation worked more vertically over deeper water, where you read the bite off the movement of the rod tip itself rather than feel alone. The name comes directly from that — you’re watching the tip, not just holding the rod.

Sun sizing — the Japanese sizing system for squid jigs, based on a traditional unit of measurement (a shade over an inch per unit). A “3.0” jig is roughly 3 sun long. Sizes commonly run from around 2.0 (small) up through 4.0+ (large), with 2.5–3.5 covering most general use.

Load point — the spot on a squid jigging rod’s blank where it stops bending under the jig’s weight and starts actually transferring your snap into the jig’s action. A rod with the load point in the wrong place never gives you a clean, sharp jig action no matter how good your technique is — covered in more depth in why a real squid jigging rod matters.

Snap-sink-pause — the core squid jigging retrieve: snap the rod up sharply a few times in quick succession, let the jig sink back down on a controlled line, pause, repeat. The pause is where most strikes actually happen.

PE line — braided fishing line rated by a Japanese sizing standard (PE 0.6, PE 0.8, etc.) rather than pound test alone. Common for squid jigging because it’s thin, low-stretch, and telegraphs a subtle pickup far better than mono.

Fluorocarbon leader — a length of fluorocarbon tied between PE braid and the squid jig, protecting the thin braid from abrasion and staying less visible underwater than the braid itself.

Under tape / outer cloth — the two color layers on a squid jig’s body. The under tape (foil) shows through the cloth and is chosen for ambient light conditions; the outer cloth is chosen for water clarity. Covered in detail in squid jig size & color.

Lumo / glow — a phosphorescent finish that charges under light and glows in the dark — one of the standard color choices for night squid jigging under a lit pier, which is most of how Puget Sound squid jigging actually happens.