I have been using Yamashita’s EGI-OH Search range since it first came out, and I still rate it as one of the best squid jig series ever made. That is not a throwaway line. Over the years I have used just about every squid jig worth using, and the Search range has always had a way of finding squid when other jigs are not getting the same attention.
The original appeal was pretty simple: Yamashita built a jig that combined visual, sonic and action-based attraction in one package. You had the 490 Glow, the tuned internal Search Rattle, a good fall posture, strong darting action and, later, the upgraded bodies, colours and sinker designs that kept the range evolving without losing what made it so effective in the first place.
What “Shallow” actually means
The latest shallow models are another interesting addition to that family. The name “Shallow” will make a lot of anglers immediately think they are only for land-based use in skinny water. That is partly true. If you are fishing from a pier, rocks or shallow shoreline and casting into two, three or four metres of water, a shallow jig makes a lot of sense. It sinks slower, hangs in the strike zone longer and gives you a much better chance of working the jig without constantly fouling the bottom.
That slower sink rate is important. Squid jigs are always a balancing act between water depth, current, drift speed, jig weight and how much time you want the jig to spend in the zone. In fast current, a heavier jig is often the better option because it gets down and holds position. In slower current or shallower water, a lighter or shallow-tuned jig can look far more natural. You will never perfectly match the sink rate of a prawn or baitfish, but you can get closer, and that can make a real difference.
The shallow EGI-OH Search models weigh less and sink slower than the standard versions. That makes them extremely useful in the right situation, but it also means you have to use them properly. From a boat, especially in Port Phillip Bay, you cannot just tie one on and expect it to work everywhere. If you are fishing six, seven or eight metres of water and the current is running hard, the jig may take too long to get down. In some cases, the boat will drift back over the jig before it has even reached the bottom.
And with squid fishing, the jig really needs to be getting to the bottom.
Where they fit from the boat
That does not mean these shallow models are only useful from shore. Far from it. In fact, after testing them properly, I think they are going to be a permanent part of my boat-based squid setup. You just need to understand where they fit.
The best way I found to use them from the boat was not necessarily as my main casting jig, although they can certainly be used that way in the right conditions. Where they really came into their own was sitting out the back of the boat as a trailing jig. While I worked a more traditional jig with the drift, I had the shallow Search models hanging behind the boat, almost like a passive presentation.
This is where they became very interesting.
If the current is not running too hard, the shallow jig will sink a metre or two, maybe three, and then just hover and pulse behind the boat. It is not being ripped along. It is not ploughing into the bottom. It is just sitting there, wobbling, flashing, rattling and giving off that subtle appeal. On the day we tested them properly, that presentation was extremely effective.
The test session
We were fishing in around seven metres of water. The water was very clear, the weather was stable, but the day itself was dull and overcast. We had a fog white-out at one stage, so there was not much available sunlight punching through the water. In those conditions, I think the combination of the UV Neon Bright body, the 490 Glow, the foil flash, the Strobe Fin and the 600Hz Search Rattle all helped the jig stand out and pull squid in from a distance.
The results were hard to ignore. We caught around 15 or 16 squid for the session, and I reckon about 10 of them came on the EGI-OH Search Shallow models trailing out the back. That surprised me. I was actively casting and working jigs in front of the boat, yet the shallow jigs sitting behind us were doing most of the damage.
That does not happen often.
The squid were not all the same size either. We caught a mix of solid squid, smaller squid and some big cuttlefish as well, which showed that the appeal was not limited to one particular class of animal. They were simply finding the jig and committing to it.
Colour, glow and fall posture
The new Neon Bright bodies are a major part of the appeal. Yamashita has designed these bodies around different UV reflection colours, with blue, green and red options to suit different conditions. As a general rule, blue is a strong choice in clear water, green suits dirtier or greener water, and red is excellent around low-light periods such as sunrise and sunset. Add the foil strip down the side and the Strobe Fin on top, and the jig gives off a lot of visual signal without looking clumsy.
The other thing Yamashita gets right is posture. These jigs sink beautifully. That matters more than a lot of anglers realise. A squid jig that falls nose-down, rolls too much, spins or behaves unnaturally can lose its appeal very quickly. The Search Shallow models fall with a balanced, controlled posture, and when they are left trailing behind the boat they have a really nice hovering presence. They look alive without being overworked.
Who should be carrying them
For land-based anglers, they are an easy recommendation. If you are fishing shallow piers, weed beds, calm bays, reef edges or slow-current areas, these jigs will give you more hang time and reduce the amount of time you spend snagged. They are especially useful when squid are following but not committing, because that slower fall gives them more time to line the jig up and attack.
For boat anglers, they are a little more situational, but potentially just as valuable. I would happily use them in anything up to around eight metres, provided the current and drift speed allowed it. In deeper water, strong current or offshore areas where you are fishing 10, 12 or 15 metres, they would not be my first choice. In those situations I would rather go to a standard or deeper-sinking jig that gets down quickly and stays in the strike zone.
But in the right depth and conditions, the shallow models are excellent. I will definitely keep using them, particularly as a trailing jig out the back while I work another rod with the drift. On a slow day, that extra passive presentation can save the session.
The verdict
That is probably the biggest takeaway from this test. The EGI-OH Search Shallow is not just a shallow-water land-based jig. It is a specialist tool, and when you use it in the right situation, it can be deadly. It gives you a slower sink, longer hang time, a beautiful fall posture and all the proven Search-series attraction features that have been catching squid for years.
The Search range has always had a knack for getting the job done, and these shallow models are no exception. They are vibrant, well-tuned, easy to fish and extremely effective when conditions suit them.
For land-based anglers, they are a must-have. For boat anglers fishing eight metres or less, they are absolutely worth carrying. And for anyone who likes having one jig working out the back while another is being actively cast and retrieved, the EGI-OH Search Shallow might become one of the most useful jigs in the wallet.
