Squid fishing at the Solidor Slipway, Saint Malo: technical but incredibly addictive.

"Overall, in three hours of fishing, you can catch up to five to six in one go. No wonder I spent all my Tuesday evenings and weekends there!"

Squid fishing is the most well-known and popular activity at the Rance estuary. It offers sizeable and numerous catches. More experienced fishermen will tell you that a few years ago, the catches were two to three times higher. It's a common sentiment that things were better in the past... Anyway, it still suits me fine.

Squid fishing in Saint Malo takes place during autumn, with its peak in October, where squids gather at the Tour Solidor slipway. It's a fairly challenging, light-night fishing, but it can yield substantial results.

Solidor slipway Solidor Tower Saint Malo Fishing in Brittany Fishing squids — The Solidor Tower and the Saint Servan village in winter. Rare to see snow in Brittany.

First of all: a magical spot !

The Tour Solidor and the Aleth hill are ones of the most beautiful spots in Saint Malo for me. There are located in the Saint Servan village (district of Saint Malo), situated between two excellent parks: the Parc des Corbières and the Cité d’Aleth. At low tide, the unobstructed view of Dinard is stunning.

"The best is to go there at sunset. The landscape is beautiful. It's perfect because it's also when the fishing session should start!"

Where are the squids ?

Squid caught on the Solidor slipway (Saint Servan) with a jig

In October, it's best to arrive a bit earlier than the other anglers, around 5:30 PM.

According to the local anglers here, squid is only fished once night falls. I've had numerous squid fishing sessions at the Solidor pier, and I don't share that view. In my opinion, the reality is quite the opposite.

A big squid caught on the Solidor slipway, Saint Malo

The best times for my best catches were just before, during, and shortly after sunset, roughly from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM. The reason is likely quite simple: during these few hours, most fishermen haven't arrived yet, but the squids have. Therefore, the fishing pressure is lower.

However, between 8 PM and 11 PM, it can be challenging to find a spot, especially on weekends. In this case, it's better to master your casting!

"My best catches at Solidor? Between 6 PM and 8 PM, at dusk. The fishing pressure is still low, and the squids are hunting vigorously."

On this fishing spot near Saint Malo intra-muros, squids are abundant. Regardless of the tidal coefficients, cephalopods are always present.

However, there is a prevalent challenge to overcome nearly every evening: fishing pressure. The Solidor dock is a well-known spot among all Saint Malo fishermen for its quality of fishing.

Which technique ? My advice.

The techniques used for fishing seem quite simple, but considering the competition, I often try to stand out.

The jigs I use for my squids' fishing game. My favourite: a white Yamashita

On this spot, many anglers add weights to their setups to reach the bottom. Given the terrain, a decent budget for squid jigs is better! I did this at first.

Quickly, I befriended an experienced local angler with exceptional catches who gave me this advice: do the complete opposite! And I started to have great success without breaking the bank.

So, my first advice is to fish "light," especially with size 3 squid jigs, without adding any additional weight to get an ultra-glide motion.

The ideal fishing trip.

Once I arrive at the spot, I like to start with a white Yamashita size 3, a color not commonly used for squid but extremely effective!

The first small squid doesn't take long, and several others will follow until around 9 PM. By this time, the fishing becomes calmer as many squids have already hunted well (or have been caught).

At this point, I use my attractant and UV lights. Not very well-known for eging, attractants are highly effective on squid jigs because, with their fabric coating, they retain odors persistently.

This spot is also known for its famous maritime lamppost that illuminates the water in the harbor all night, attracting sand smelts and rockfish, sometimes leading to squid hunting in the middle of the night.

For those aiming for larger catches, they'll need to wait for the tide to decrease to reach the edge of the water stream created by the quay and make long casts from that point.

"Final tip: if you're heading to Solidor, have a second spinning rod equipped with a jig or soft lure ready in case there are schools of bass or mackerel, which are quite abundant around the quay in the autumn."

My rod for squids and one of my catches during the fishing evening at Solidor

Good to know / Where is the Solidor slipway ?

No fishing license is required for sea fishing. Squid fishing takes place from October to May, peaking in December, January, and February.

Dress warmly: in autumn and especially in winter, the wind can be freezing.

How to get to the Solidor quay? By car (5 minutes from the intra-muros) or on foot (15 minutes from the intra-muros). The quay is located in Saint Servan, near the Tour Solidor, opposite Saint Père beach.