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How to Fish for Spiny Lobsters

To fish for spiny lobster in Florida, you must catch them during the two lobster seasons: the mini-season in July, which is the last Wednesday and Thursday of the month, and the regular lobster season which is Aug. 6 through March 31. Depending on the season and where you fish, expect bag limits of six or 12 lobsters per person per day. Also, you must ensure every lobster is the proper legal size, or at least 3 inches from the hard part of the forward edge between the horns to the rear edge of the carapace, before removing it from the water.

Things You'll Need

Puncture-resistant gloves
Tickle stick
Hand net
Lobster gauge
Bug bag with one-way door and drawstring
Dive flag
Durable shirt
GPS, LORAN
Diving gear
Saltwater fishing license with a lobster stamp (in Florida)

Instructions

- 1
  Search in locations where spiny lobster swim. Check out small patch reefs with big coral heads surrounded by turtle grass. Spiny lobster like these grasses to hunt at night. Dive down into the caves under the coral heads without touching the coral and examine for lobster with a flashlight. Look for wrecks, which spiny lobsters especially like, but know the laws about the types of wrecks where it is legal to remove lobster.
- 2
  Look signs and clues that spiny lobsters may be in the vicinity. One sign is a ring of bare sand surrounding the structures where spiny lobsters hide. This may indicate that lobsters have been foraging in the area. Look for their long spiny antennae to peek out from their hiding spots, but they may not be visible. Look for fish activity. Spiny lobster and swarms of fish seem to attract one another.
- 3
  Use the tickle stick to steer the spiny lobster into the net. A tickle stick is generally a 2-foot-long fiberglass rod with a bend at the end. After homing in on your lobster, tickle it with the tickle stick around its tail, sides and antennae. Tickle the underside of the tail to get it to move forward. Do not make quick or jerky movements because it could frighten the lobster and make it flee or wedge itself in a hole. Steer the spiny lobster with tickles to its sides and antennae so that when the lobster is close to the net with the tail aimed at the center of the hoop, you can tap its head so that it will swim backwards into the net.
- 4
  Untangle the lobster from the net, being careful not to injure the lobster since you may not be certain it is the correct legal size or carrying eggs. If it is too small or bearing eggs, you must release the lobster back into the water or risk a fine. If there are holes in the net, use the tie wraps to repair them. Grab the spiny lobster and hold it firmly by the tail to measure for legal length. Take the lobster gauge and hook it over the notch between the horns on its head, ensuring not to include the membrane between its eyes. Keep the lobster if it is the appropriate size. Place it into the bug bag tail first so that the spines don't catch on the netting.

Nature