Key West welcomes lobster hunters each and every July as they try to snag their take of the year’s lobster bounty during the area’s official lobster season. Actually, the Keys have two lobster seasons consisting of the two-day mini-season and the traditional eight month season that takes place from August 6 to March 31 of each year. On the last Wednesday and Thursday of every July, the lobster mini-season attracts lobstermen from far and wide as they make a mad dash towards their favorite lobster spots. Whether you have your own boat or opt for a professional charter, the delicious spiny lobsters plentiful throughout the crystal clear waters of the Keys lay waiting to be caught.
Key West Lobstering Season
Like every year, the 2013-2014 lobster season begins on August 6 and ends on March 31, and the two-day mini-season took place on July 24th and 25th. After two fun-filled days of lobsters galore, the regular season opened a week later, marking the start of another terrific year of lobstering in the Keys.
The Key West Lobstering Experience
Typically taking place in only three to eight feet of warm Caribbean waters, lobstering in the Keys is a wonderful activity that can be enjoyed by nearly everyone. Best of all, you will get a chance to witness the beauty and plentiful ocean life of some of the Keys’ premier reefs. Well-known for being a little off of the beaten path, these often unvisited and unmarked reefs are rarely ever hunted and teeming with the area’s delicious spiny lobster.
To ensure you have the most enjoyable lobstering experience possible, you may want to consider a professional charter with an experienced captain who can lead you to the lobster goldmine. Whether you want to catch enough lobster to fill up your freezer or simply enjoy your fresh catch at one of the area’s fine restaurants, there are numerous lobster charters throughout the Keys that can provide you with hours of lobstering fun.
Spiny Lobstering in the Florida Keys
One of the most popular delicacies in the Keys is the Florida Spiny Lobster. This delicious lobster species is abundant in the azure waters surrounding the Keys, and thanks to very few rules regulating recreational spiny lobster harvesting, it is not difficult to fill your tanks with a respectable number of these delicious sea creatures on every outing. You can learn the exact regulations for lobster harvesting in the Keys, including the acceptable size limits, by contacting the Florida Fish and Wildlife Association.
The Lobster Mini-Season
This two-day event is always held at the end of July each year and draws a healthy crowd of lobstermen eager to kick off another plentiful lobster season. Following the same rules as the regular season, the lobster mini-season allows each person to catch six spiny lobsters every day. Each person must also carry a measuring device in order to ensure that the lobster’s carapace is at least three inches in length from its tail to its eyes.
Although the lobster mini-season always starts at midnight, those lobstering in the night must only do so by bully netting, because divers are not allowed to enter the water until daybreak. Bully netting is done through the use of a light and a long pole with a large net attached at one end. Lobster like to travel throughout the nighttime hours, and you can pinpoint their position by looking for the reflection illuminating from their eyes.
Most people prefer to go lobstering during the day and dive through the Caribbean’s crystal waters to unveil lobsters hiding underneath rocks and coral scattered throughout the area's waters. However, the lobster mini-season and the first few weeks of the regular lobster season are extremely busy, with nearly 30,000 visitors flocking specifically for the lobstering. Thus, it is much more difficult to find the perfect lobster spot.
Key West Lobster Spots
There numerous ways to find lobster honey holes throughout the Keys. You may be able to find a gps spot online every now and again, but you will not be able to find a detailed list of free waypoints. Other than the occasional guy using eBay to sell gps locations, most lobster spots seem to be well-guarded family or professional secrets. After finding a spot, people tend to return their every single year, so you can rest assured a professional charter with years of experience will put you on the lobster time and time again.
Finding Lobsters in the Keys
Unless you know exactly what to look for, spotting lobsters in the Keys can be a tricky affair. At first, you may swim right over a spiny lobster and never even see it. However, as soon as you dive down and explore the sea floor, they will often appear right before your eyes. Lobsters like to hide under rocks and coral, and they do a fairly good job of staying hidden, but their antennas can become easy to spot after a little practice.
Luckily for visitors, there are numerous dive boats that specialize in providing people with a terrific lobstering experience. Thanks to the cost of extra equipment and licensing fees, lobstering charters may be slightly more expensive than a traditional dive trip, but the experience is well worth the price.
Visit During Lobsterfest
It may get a little busy, but the best time to go lobstering in the Keys is during Lobsterfest, which is held during the first four days of the annual lobster season. Over the years, the event has become the biggest summer party in the Keys.
Thursday night features a lobster boil feast. On Friday night, festivities get taken to Duvall St. for the infamous Duvall Crawl. On Saturday, the sand streets of Key West are filled with concert goers and a bustling street fair. To cap off the festivities, you can experience a sumptuous brunch on Sunday. After all, what else would you expect from a Key West lobstering experience?