recreational trapping is illegal The lobster must remain whole—separating a lobster’s tail from its body is prohibited in state waters. It is prohibited to catch a spiny lobster with any device that could damage or puncture its shell.
Which Florida Key is the best for lobstering?
The best lobster spots are located on the Gulf (Bay) side of the Middle Keys just north of Marathon, south of Long Key and the 7 Mile Bridge This is due to the abundant natural Lobster Habitat found in the area including: Duck Key, Long Key, Conch Key, Lower Matecumbe Key.
Can you lobster at night in Florida?
Florida lobsters can be caught at night or during the day , but the techniques for catching lobsters are completely different. During the day, lobsters are hiding under rocks and coral and can be difficult to find. You are best to snorkel or scuba dive with a tickle stick and lobster net to seek out these hiding places.
How many lobster traps can you have in Florida?
Daily Bag Limit: Trap Fishery: None Bully Net: 250 per vessel. Dive Fishery: 250 per vessel in state and federal waters off Broward, Dade, Monroe, Collier and Lee counties.
Can you use a hoop net in Florida?
Hoop nets are prohibited within 100 feet of the mouths of the following St. Johns tributaries: Getout Creek, Blue Springs Run, Wekiva River, Deep Creek, Alexander Springs Creek, Spring Garden Creek, Shell Creek and DeLeon Springs Creek.
Where is the best lobster fishing in Florida?
Jupiter, Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami all have good Florida lobstering grounds and a fraction of the divers. South Florida has another advantage — you can go lobster fishing after sundown. Lobsters are great travelers and they tend to move around more at night.
What is the best time to catch lobster?
April, May and June Prices will peak in early spring, but as the weather warms, lobster fishing picks up and prices drop in May and June. May is typically one of the best month of the year to buy live lobsters. The supplies are very good as the demand from summer resorts has yet to kick in.
What is the best bait for lobster traps?
Salted Herring is the prefered bait fish used by lobstermen to lure and trap lobsters. When there is a Herring shortage, bait prices increase, impacting the lobstermen’s bottom line. Bluefish, Cod, Mackerel, and Menhaden (known as Pogeys) are also used as bait.
Can you catch lobster from shore in the Keys?
Harvesting in Florida Keys Local Waters: When and Where? During the July two-day sport season, and regular lobster season (Aug. 6 – March 31), NO snorkeling or diving is allowed within 300 feet of residential or commercial shoreline allowed This includes canals and any public or private marinas.
Can spiny lobsters hurt you?
Spiny lobsters do not have claws and therefore cannot pinch unsuspecting humans Despite the lobster lacking claws, they are equipped with sharp spines. Sharp spines positioned on the head, antennas, and tail inflict deep wounds when improperly handled. To avoid puncture wounds, wear gloves.
How deep are lobster in the Keys?
Lobster in the Keys are often found in less than 10 ft of water, so using a tank is not required.
Do you need a license to catch lobster in the Keys?
No, you do not need a sport fishing license to catch lobsters from a public pier (Fish & Game Code Section 7153). Please be mindful, however, that the regulation is very specific about what constitutes a public pier (14 CCR Section 1.88).
How many lobsters can you catch?
The daily lobster bag and possession limit is seven Any lobster kept must be at least 3 ¼ inches long measured in a straight line on the midline of the back from the rear edge of the eye socket to the rear edge of the body shell.
Can you keep female lobster?
Recreational Fishing Regulations All female lobsters with eggs are also prohibited in both the commercial and recreational fisheries.
Are lobster snares legal in Florida?
Plenty of divers use snares and prefer them to tickle sticks and nets. Florida regulations prohibit the use of any snare that could harm the lobster when it tightens down , but there are plenty of snares available that won’t harm lobsters when tight and also eliminate the chance that the bug will jet free from a net.
How deep are lobster traps set?
The funnels are about 11 or 12 inches deep, and therefore extend about halfway to the center of the pot. They taper rapidly and form a strongly inclined plane, up which the lobsters must climb in their search for the bait.
How deep do you fish for lobster?
Method 1 of 2: Catching Clawed Lobsters. Go to an area with colder waters to catch clawed lobsters. You can find clawed lobsters in rocky, coastal waters between 13.1–164 feet (4.0–50.0 m) deep.
Do Florida lobsters bite?
Wherever “Florida man” goes, there is something crawling, slithering, lurking, hiding or lying in wait to bite, sting, poison, strangle, rend, digest or draw blood from an unsuspecting victim. Add spiny lobsters to that long list of Florida’s things that will bite.
Can you spear lobster in Florida?
You can’t spear a lobster or use any device that will puncture, penetrate, or crush the flesh of a lobster. Recreational trapping is prohibited – meaning no lobster traps.
Can you scuba dive for lobster in Florida?
While you can catch Florida spiny lobsters from Pensacola to Key West, the heaviest concentrations are found in three areas. Monroe County boasts the largest lobster population in the state and draws the most lobster divers.
Are there lobster in Key Largo?
Key Largo has an abundance of marine life and among them the Florida Spiny Lobster Many of our customers like to hunt for Lobster. There is an abundance of Florida Spiny Lobster that you will see on every dive on the Key Largo reef.
What to do with lobster after catching?
The best way to keep lobsters alive for up to 24 hours is to store them with damp newspaper (or fresh seaweed) in the coldest part of the refrigerator (usually the lowest shelf at the back or in the meat keeper). Keep lobsters in a loose paper bag or in the shipping container. Don’t even think about the freezer!.
Is Bully netting legal in Florida?
Harvesting by Lobster Bully Netting at night with the use of bully nets and lights is legal and fun, and is popular in the Florida Keys and portions of Miami-Dade County.
How many lobsters can you catch a day?
The daily limit of lobsters you can take home: seven lobsters in one bag State law further states you must first consume of or dispose all seven lobsters in possession before you are allowed to return to sea to hunt for another batch. State law does allow one to file a declaration for a multi-day dive for lobster.
Why is there a lobster mini season?
How did miniseason come to be? It was approved in 1974 by the Florida Legislature as a way to ease conflict between recreational anglers and commercial trappers before the regular season started , said Andy Newman, spokesman for the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.
Is netting legal in Florida?
The 2021 Florida Statutes. (1) ILLEGAL POSSESSION OF SEINES AND NETS —No person may have in his or her custody or possession in any county of this state any fishing seine or net, the use of which for fishing purposes in such county is prohibited by law.
Can you hoop net lobster in Florida?
(5) The directed harvest of spiny lobster by the use of any net or trawl, other than a landing or dip net, bully net with a diameter no larger than 3 feet, or hoop net with a diameter no larger than 10 feet, is prohibited.
Do I need a fishing license to throw a cast net in Florida?
Florida residents and visitors are required to possess a Florida hunting, freshwater fishing or saltwater fishing license when engaged in fishing and hunting activities. A license is required to attempt to take fish. If you cast a line or catch and release, you need a fishing license.
Where are most lobsters caught?
Maine is by far the largest lobster fishing state , and lobsters remain critically important for the state’s economy, said Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat. The crustaceans are one of the most valuable fisheries in America, and demand for them has buoyed prices in an era of high catches and strong availability.
What do you need to lobster dive?
- Mask and snorkel.
- Thick, warm wetsuit.
- Weight belt.
- Gardening gloves.
- Swim fins.
- Dive bag.
- Lobster gauge to measure your catch.
- Fishing license and lobster report card.
How do you spot a spiny lobster?
- Caribbean spiny lobsters get their name from forward-pointing spines that cover their bodies to help protect them from predators.
- They have a reddish brown shell, marked with occasional dark spots and two large, cream-colored spots on the top of the second segment of the tail.
Where do you put lobster traps?
Fishermen use wire traps submerged on the ocean bottom to catch lobster. Traps are attached to ropes and marked by buoys on the surface. The traps attract lobster with fish bait and capture them live.
Why is lobster so expensive 2021?
James Ford of family-owned distributor Samuels Seafood points to a variety of causes: the Maine lobster catch dropped off early this year; the Canadian season started two weeks later than usual; labor shortages abound within the lobster industry; and high demand within the US around Valentine’s Day and in China for.
What is the biggest lobster?
The world’s largest recorded lobster was a 44-pounder (20-kg) caught off Nova Scotia in 1977, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Maine lobstermen hauled in a record 100 million pounds (45.4 tonnes) of lobsters last year, due in part to overfishing of predators such as haddock, cod and monkfish.
How many lobsters can you catch in a trap?
In the good fall fishing, you can catch as many as ten to twelve lobsters in a single trap. How often do you haul your traps? A lobsterman will usually haul each of his traps at least once a week, often several times a week. In peak fishing, some fishermen haul their traps every day.
Can you use chicken as lobster bait?
If your out of fishy bait, go to the market and buy the cheapest cuts of Chicken (necks or backs) and and a can of cat food with some holes punched in it (don’t punch too many holes or the cat food will leak out too quickly). This works OK as a last minute way to bait up your nets.
Is squid good for lobster bait?
Baits I’ve caught lobster on: macks, any sort of fish carcass, squid, shrimp, etc. Best bait is some sort of fish Mostly because they stay in the bait cage better.
Where are spiny lobsters found in Florida?
Commonly referred to as the Florida spiny lobster, the Caribbean spiny lobster inhabits tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico.
Citations
https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/commercial/spiny-lobster/
https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/archive/hot_topics/environment/spiny_lobster_regulations.shtml
https://www.instagram.com/floridalobsternets/?hl=en
http://floridalobstering.com/how-to-catch-a-florida-lobster/bully-netting.php
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxNZPwU8FDs