Scouting dives key to early lobster success
For South Florida divers, the annual two-day lobster miniseason is the highlight of the summer. That’s because it’s the first opportunity for recreational divers to catch the tasty crustaceans, which are known as “bugs” because of their insect-like appearance, since the regular lobster season closed April 1.
In addition, divers in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties can keep 12 lobsters per day, which is double the regular-season limit and the mini-season limit in the Keys.
The mini-season is the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July, which this year is July 27-28. So now is the time to prepare if you would like to have a safe, successful mini-season.
One of the best things you can do is go diving before the mini-season.
“I tell people to get in the water, it’s 84 degrees,” said lobstering expert Jim “Chiefy” Mathie, author of the book “Catching the BUG: The Comprehensive Guide to Catching the Spiny Lobster,” which is sold at local dive shops and online at chiefy.net.
Diving now is a great way to make sure you and your dive gear are ready for the mini-season, especially if you haven’t dived in awhile. Both your skills and your equipment might be rusty after a long layoff.
If you need to repair or replace equipment, the sooner you do that, the better the chances you’ll make it out for the miniseason. “You’re getting really critically close,” Mathie said. “It usually takes a week to 10 days for turnaround for any of your gear to get serviced.”
Mathie expects legal lobsters to be plentiful for mini-season. A lobster’s hard shell, or carapace, must measure more than three inches. A year ago, bugs that didn’t quite measure up, which are known as shorts, were everywhere.
“Last year there were a ton of shorts,” Mathie said. “You’d look in a hole and there’d be six. Two of them would be good, the other four would be short. And they were just short. So we think this year is going to be a great year, based on that.”
Divers who don’t have access to boats can still get in on the mini-season fun by diving off the beach in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, where the reefs are a few hundred yards offshore.
The town is celebrating the mini-season with its 10th anniversary BugFest.
BugFest features up to $10,000 in cash, dive gear, other prizes and awards for divers competing in the Great Florida Bug Hunt, which costs
$30 to enter. Registration for the Bug Hunt is now open online at www.discoverlbts.com/ bugfest and at Gold Coast Scuba in Lauderdale-bythe-Sea, and runs through 6 p.m. July 26.
You don’t have to enter the contest, or even be a diver, to enjoy BugFest’s activities, which include parties, concerts and a lobster cooking competition. BugFest begins July 26 with a free lobster hunting seminar by Mathie from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Plunge Beach Resort. That is followed by a mini-season kickoff party from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
The Great Florida Bug Hunt starts at 12:01 a.m. July 27, and lobster hunters can earn cash in a variety of categories. The heaviest lobster caught anywhere off a boat wins $500, with $250 for the second-biggest and $150 for the third-place bug. The heaviest bug caught off the beach that day wins $500, with $250 for second and $150 for third.
Weigh-in stations are open at El Prado Park, 4500 El Mar Dr., Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, from 12:20 to 2 a.m. and from 1 to 5 p.m., and at Sands Harbor Marina, 125 N. Riverside Dr., Pompano Beach, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Divers receive a raffle ticket for every lobster they weigh in, which means those who catch their limit get 12 tickets. Raffle prizes include dive gear, dive charter boat trips, hotel stays and a grand prize of a two-night stay at Neal Watson’s Bimini Scuba Center in the Bahamas.
A lobster chef competition, with amateur and professional chefs preparing their favorite spiny lobster recipes for a panel of judges – they also hand out samples to the audience — is 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. July 27 at the beach pavilion at the end of Commercial Boulevard. The Great Florida Bug Hunt awards and raffle are 7 to 9 p.m.
BugFest activities resume July 29 with a benefit concert at Plunge
Beach Resort from 6 to 9 p.m. The concert raises funds for “Scuba for Good,” a non-profit that teaches people with disabilities how to dive. The organization partners with Gold Coast Scuba to coordinate boat dives for adaptive divers.
BugFest concludes July 30 with an underwater cleanup at Anglin’s Pier from 8 to 10 a.m. Divers who want to help remove fishing line, hooks, sinkers and other debris from the water around the pier can make a reservation by calling Gold Coast Scuba at 954-616-5909.
IF YOU GO
Lobster seasons: The annual lobster miniseason runs from 12:01 a.m. July 27 through midnight July 28. The regular season is Aug. 6-March 31.
Licenses: You must have a saltwater fishing license ($17 for residents) and a spiny lobster stamp ($5).
Limits: The miniseason bag limit is six lobsters per person per day in Monroe County and Biscayne National Park and 12 per person in the rest of the state. The regularseason daily bag limit is six lobsters per person.
Legal lobsters: Spiny lobsters must have a minimum
AAAAcarapace length of more than 3 inches and must be measured in the water. Possession and use of a measuring device is required at all times. Lobsters must remain in whole condition while in or on the water. No eggbearing females may be taken.
Other regulations: Night diving is prohibited in Monroe County during miniseason. Taking lobsters in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is prohibited during miniseason. Harvest is prohibited during miniseason and the regular season in the Biscayne Bay/Card Sound Spiny Lobster Sanctuary, Everglades National Park, Dry Tortugas National Park, no-take areas in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (visit http://floridakeys. noaa.gov) and in the five Coral Reef Protection Areas in Biscayne National Park (visit https:// myfwc.com/fishing/ saltwater/ recreational/bnp).
Dive flags: Dive flags on boats must be at least 20 by 24 inches and have stiffeners to keep the flags unfurled. Dive flags on floats must be a minimum of 12 by 12 inches. Dive flags on boats must be displayed above the vessel’s highest point so the flag’s visibility is not obstructed in any direction. Boats must make an effort to stay at least 300 feet from dive flags on open waters and at least 100 feet from flags in rivers, inlets or navigation channels.
Information: Visit https://myfwc.com/ fishing/saltwater/ recreational/lobster. To report lobster violations, call Wildlife Alert at 888404-FWCC (3922).
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