Lobster season: Catch the family fun this season in the Keys

Posted on July 2, 2012 By Editor Our Community

By Nathan and Ted Miller

Everyone loves to eat fresh lobster tail, and there are several different ways in Florida to harvest your own.

One way is to become a certified diver, and head out 30+ miles off the First Coast into 100+ feet of water. If you are bold enough, you can dive down and find some of the largest lobsters you have ever seen living in and around the ocean floor ledges.

But this is not the most family-friendly method. A more kid-friendly method may be to go to your local lobster seafood restaurant and allow your child to select their living meal from the several-hundred-gallon aquarium in the front lobby. Or, you could pay a few bucks and watch him or her try to grab the 15 lb. crawfish with ‘the claw’ that has been in there for decades.

There’s a better way.

Every year, thousands of people head south to the Florida Keys in late summer to participate in the state’s lobster seasons. There are two lobster seasons with which to become familiar: The “sport” and the “regular” season. The sport season is always the last Wednesday and Thursday of each July and only runs for two days. The regular season begins several days later, and runs for several months.

There are many great places to stay in the Keys and you can usually find what you are looking for to fit any budget. Lobsters can be found on both the Gulf and Atlantic side. With a typical afternoon sea breeze coming from the East, and the sun setting in the West, which side you stay on really depends on what scenery you most desire at the end of a great day on the water.

Driving south down A1A you travel roughly 100 miles from Key Largo down to Key west, traveling over some 32 bridges and waterways. These waterways connect the Gulf waters to the Atlantic, and host thousands of acres of shallow grass and rock flats. Many of these flats have rocks and ledges along the bottom where lobsters like to take shelter.

When determining where you will be spending your time looking, it is important to know tides and be respectful of the currents. The further away from the inlets and bridges you are, the less affected you will be by this fast-moving water. The bridges may have good bottom conducive to lobster habitat. However, if the tide is either moving in or out, the current can be very difficult to overcome.

Many of the ledges run along both sides of the channels where the current is the strongest. So it is not uncommon to see a lobster in this area, and before you have time to make a plan to successfully harvest, you have drifted past. This can be very tiresome for adults, and virtually impossible for small children.

The shallows away from the bridges can be a good area to start looking, especially if you have kids who are interested in participating. But it is important to find the good habitat lobsters look for. If you have several adults on board, it can be a good idea to pull one adult behind the boat slowly and carefully to look for ledges, rocks and holes in the bottom. This process can minimize the risk of losing valuable daylight by dropping anchor, only to find you have anchored in an area of sandy bottom with no structure.

The weather is very important and can make the difference between sweet lobster tail or steak dinner. High winds will produce larger waves and currents which will decrease water clarity, making this activity a little more difficult, especially for kids. Overcast days will also hamper visibility. The lobsters are still there during these less-than-ideal situations, but it just becomes a little more of a challenge to search. Jacksonville is a full day’s travel from the Keys, so we don’t have the luxury of planning this activity around the weather. Plan your vacation, and make the best of what Mother Nature gives you.

If you happen to be sitting on a dock after the sun has set while toasting to a great day on the water, you may see lights flashing around the dark horizon by other anglers. Lobsters like to move at night, so this can be a great time to go out and look for them. They will come from their secure ledges and move along the ocean floor, which can make them easy pickin’s. Nighttime harvesting is permitted in the regular season, but not the sport season. Other rules and regulations vary slightly between the seasons so it is important to know them both.

Before you enter the water, you will need a few things with you. Make sure you are wearing gloves. These crustaceans are called ‘spiny lobsters’ for good reason. Use a stick designed to ‘tickle’ them forward and out from their hiding spot. Simply (and slowly) slide the stick behind them and carefully touch their tail. This will entice them to walk forward. Once they walk out, have a net ready to drop down over them. Then reach in with your gloved hand and grab them.

You will need your measuring device to measure the carapace in the water (it’s the law). Another recommendation is to use a dive belt. The sea is more buoyant than fresh water, so it takes more energy to stay on the bottom. A dive belt with 2- to 8-pound weights (for an adult) can help you remain on the bottom while you entice the lobster from their hiding spot. Without the added weight, you may find yourself floating upward which exerts more energy and oxygen to stay down, losing precise bottom time.

This truly is a fun family activity as you can team up and search together. When you see a pair of long-feeler antennas sticking out from a ledge, you will know their location. Don’t be surprised if you see multiple. Now the fun starts of planning your maneuvers. Once you have a game plan in place, it is time to execute. Share the different tasks mentioned above with your kids. Some may like to use the stick, or some may prefer the net. Either way, take your time with it and have fun.

As for your preparation, it is hard to beat a grilled Florida lobster tail. But don’t be afraid to throw a few tails in a fryer! Happy exploring.

Send your pictures, stories and favorite destinations to The Miller Brothers at [email protected] or Ted at [email protected].