The fact of the matter is live squid are available year round in La Jolla. Available to fish willing to swim the dark depths of the submarine canyon (which is 2,500' deep in a couple of spots). In theory, Swordfish are available year round in La Jolla too
. The squid spend most of their lives hiding in the depths (depths that are deeper than most guys fish), wouldn't you if every other creature in the ocean is drooling to find you?
It's usually pretty much impossible to catch live squid until they move in for a full blown spawn, or periods post spawn as the masses dwindle. If guys in power-boats (with full light set-ups) can't catch squid in La Jolla, good luck finding a couple of straglers with your squid jig. I saw a bird pick up a live squid from a school of Yellowtail that popped up for a few seconds a couple of months ago, and squid have periodically been in the stomachs of rockfish and Yellowtail since August. Some have been seen in lights at night a few times in the last couple of months, but I haven't heard of one being caught by a kayak angler, not even one.
Don't take this the wrong way, I'm not trying to change your fishing strategy for your next adventure. As a matter of fact, I would be first in line with a squid jig the next day if you were successful, so feel free to drop me a p.m.
.