BUGGIN’ OUT

By: Capt. Angelia Swanson

ugust brings one of my personal favorite and most exciting times of the year in the Florida KeysLOBSTER SEASON! Even though we have our 2-day mini season the last Wednesday and Thursday in July, as of August 6th our annual season starts and harvesting of these delicious ocean dwellers goes through March 31st of the next year.

Some tips from my personal experience of many years of lobstering would be to first have some hunting spots picked out ahead of time. There are a lot of people out on the reef hunting lobster on opening day, so having some spots picked out ahead of time is an advantage. Most people are staking out their spots well before sunrise and you can see hundreds of anchor lights shining across the reef just waiting for the sun to break the surface of the horizon. Secondly, I highly advise for maximum hunting success to have a formidable partner. These buggers are quick, and they shoot backwards with amazing speed. They are often located within our coral heads that have many holes in them. As one person uses the “tickle stick” in a hole on one side of the coral head, the lobster will shoot backwards and out of a hole on the other side. Having a

Apartner on the other side waiting with a net to catch them as they try to escape is key for teaming up on the lobster and maximizing your efforts.

My most important words of advice on your lobster hunting endeavors is to follow the regulations set in place by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The rules vary from area to area and are strictly enforced. Always measure your lobster while under water with the approved measuring device. Adhere to the legal limit of six lobster per person per day. No double dipping with two trips! Save your enthusiasm for the next day! Make sure to have your dive flag up during your time in the water, and take it down afterwards, even if just moving to another spot. And avoid any areas marked as Marine Sanctuaries. It is illegal to harvest ANY marine life in these sanctuaries and law enforcement is on the water in great numbers to enforce these laws. Also, stay away from the commercial traps. It is a felony to try to remove lobster from commercial traps and there is no recreational trapping of lobsters allowed.

While you are lobstering, please respect our coral. We have been blessed to have over 120 miles of the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States. Standing on or bumping the coral can damage it and anchoring on it will cause severe damage. Always use a mooring ball or anchor in sandy bottom areas.

When in doubt, download the Fish Rules App. It will use your GPS position to give you exact regulations from your location.

— Come out fishing with me by contacting me at: floridasaltycowgirl.com | 813-610-0078