It's a celebrated item on restaurant menus around the globe. There are so many ways to prepare it-boiled, baked, stuffed, curried, thermidor, in a roll-and it's always delicious, though ordering it usually requires paying a rather outsize bill. But the great thing about lobster is that, in the right places, you can catch it and cook it yourself.
First of all, there's not just one type of lobster. Sure, the most well-known is the two-clawed American (or Maine) lobster found along the coast of New England and Canada. But there's also the California spiny lobster found on the West Coast, and the Caribbean spiny lobster found in Florida and the Caribbean islands. Fortunately, we have expert advice on how to catch all three from your boat. Start melting some butter.
WEST COAST
Hoop-Netting at Night
California spiny lobsters represent a hot commodity in more ways than one. The state's commercial landings hover anywhere from 650,000 to 950,000 pounds each sixmonth season. Yet it's hard to find a California spiny lobster in a US fish market or restaurant. That's because of skyrocketing demand for these delectable crustaceans in Asia, France and elsewhere.
Though they might grow to 20 pounds, most California spiny lobsters are much smaller, usually around 2 pounds. Unlike the American lobster, spiny lobsters have no claws. Most are caught in the warmer waters of Southern California below Point Arguello, and many seafood aficionados claim the tail meat is the most succulent of all lobster species.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1498743624/1677480720/articles/MaNyYJzr61679895303300/1986117561.jpg]
That's why most California spinys caught in commercial traps are shipped to gourmet outlets overseas, where diners gladly pay a premium for some of the world's tastiest seafood. If you can find a lobster to buy here, you'll pay dearly. Retail prices in the US for live California spiny lobster at press time ranged as high as $40 per pound.
On the recreational side, increasing numbers of California boaters are getting into lobster fishing, thanks in large measure to a boom in a technique known as hoop netting. In years past, divers harvested the lion's share of sport-caught California lobster, but today's boaters need not acquire expensive dive gear, become scuba certified or brave chilly waters to catch their fair share of bugs. All they need are hoop nets. Unlike lobster traps (which are illegal for recreational lobster fishing in California), a hoop net is open above, allowing lobsters to crawl in or out. The nets are baited with fish such as bonito, mackerel or sardines, then strategically placed on or around prime underwater habitats such as rocks, kelp beds and wrecks. A polypropylene line and marker buoy connect the net to the surface.
But there's a catch: It must all occur at night. That's because California spinys, like Florida spinys, are rock lobsters that take sanctuary by day in nooks and crannies found amid craggy reefs and wrecks along the California coast and offshore islands. Put down a hoop net during the day, and it will likely come up bereft of lobster. Under the cover of darkness, however, lobsters venture from their lairs searching for food in what is known as a "crawl." Lobsterhungry boaters bank that the bugs find their way into awaiting hoop nets.
Hoop-netters usually let each net "soak" between 30 and 60 minutes between pulls. You never know if lobsters are in the nets or not before a pull, and therein lies the great fun and anticipation of hoopnetting. While empty nets are a fact of life, a net with one or more tail-snapping lobsters ignites a celebration of cheers and high-fives. The puller need not pull exceedingly fast, but rather maintain a steady retrieve to help keep the bugs from kicking out of the net.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1498743624/1677480720/articles/MaNyYJzr61679895303300/fRDkjcZqb1679895485448.jpg]
Hoop-netters should be aware that they are likely to catch more than just lobster. Any number of underwater denizens, such as rock crabs, moray eels, stingrays, scorpion fish and even swell sharks, slither inside the nets. Sometimes these come up in combination with lobsters, and can inflict painful pinches, vicious bites and poisonous stings, so identify all contents before placing your hands inside a net at night.
If you're lucky, you'll catch your daily limit-seven lobsters per person and head home to treat the family to a sumptuous lobster dinner that gourmets around the world pay big bucks to enjoy.
To learn more about hoopnetting for lobster in Southern California, visit boating mag.com/how-to/californialobster-battles.-J.H.
HOOP-NET GEAR
One of the most popular hoop nets is the Promar Ambush ($64.99 without a rope or buoy, fishermanswarehouse.com). It has a conical design with a 32-inch-wide ring at the base and slightly smaller ring above, supported by a series of stays. A small buoy floats the polypropylene harness above the net.
Sea lion-resistant bait tubes ($24.99, meltontackle.com) snap to a small ring at the bottom of the net. Removable end caps let you stuff it full of bait.
A polypropylene line connects to the harness and runs up and through the pointy end of a pot buoy and out the flat end. Obviously, you need to make sure there's enough line to reach the bottom.
Lobsters dwell in waters as shallow as a few feet in nearshore areas to depths of 150 feet or more. A 5-ounce torpedo weight secures to the bitter end of the line to prevent any of the slack line from floating on the surface and fouling a prop.
Light each buoy by drilling a 1/2-inch hole, then press in a Cyalume glow stick. On the opposite side, drill two or three 1/2-inch holes and press in 1-ounce egg sinkers so the glow stick stays upright. Number the buoys (e.g., 1 through 10) to keep track of which ones produce the best.
Reflective peel-and-stick address numbers work well for this purpose.
OTHER LOBSTER GEAR
Gloves for handling lines, nets and lobsters.
Scotty Trap-Ease Pot Puller gunwale-mounted pulley ($49.49, boatzon.com)
Rain gear and rubber boots
Flashlight for spotting the net buoys
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1498743624/1677480720/articles/MaNyYJzr61679895303300/2885119211.jpg]
NORTHEAST
Working the Pots
For those aspiring to catch lobster from their own boat in the Northeast, it's important to realize the past decade has been a tough go in waters south of Cape Cod. American lobsters, especially the scrumptious kind with big, juicy claws, thrive in the cool waters of the region. It's true that warming water temperatures plus lobster shell disease and a huge influx of predatory black sea bass and scup have reduced the biomass from the glory days. But you can still catch lobsters from your own boat using these tips.
Inspect a modern lobster pot and you'll find it an ingenious contraption. With a rectangular shape, low profile and wire-mesh construction, it's designed to rest on the bottom without tumbling in mild to moderate currents. The outside of the trap features two mesh funnels inviting lobsters inside. A third funnel, inside the trap, leads to an inner chamber called the parlor, where a bait bag stuffed with racks of porgy, sea robin, cod or other fish remains. Lured by scent, lobsters entering the trap quickly find their way to the raised inner funnel and drop into the parlor, from which there's no escape save for a pair of vents allowing undersize specimens to exit.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1498743624/1677480720/articles/MaNyYJzr61679895303300/2199899896.jpg]
Setting and hauling lobster pots requires a little resolve and a healthy back because they can be heavy, especially if you need to secure more than a couple of bricks to the inside bottom edges of the cage to rapidly sink and steady the pot in deep water. Thus, lift with your knees when moving pots around or hauling a trap to the surface. To this end, a boat with a low gunwale is a plus. I set my pots from a 1994 Aquasport Osprey 20-foot center-console; it's just right, being relatively low to the water and beat up enough that another ding doesn't matter. Late last season, however, I set some pots from a friend's 24-foot Privateer Renegade and enjoyed the extra room, so figure any relatively open-deck or center-console vessel in this size range should suffice.
Keeping the need for cool water (55 to 65 degrees F) foremost in mind, I set my pots along rocky sloping points, preferably in submerged boulder fields in 12- to 50foot depths. Initially, I'll drop them about 100 yards apart, working from shallow to deep, and relocating later based on results.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1498743624/1677480720/articles/MaNyYJzr61679895303300/9585516669.jpg]
Generally speaking, I find lobsters move around and enter traps best during periods of softer tides, so I avoid setting on full- and new-moon tides. May, June, October and November have been my most productive months, averaging a keeper or two per trip for a fivepot spread. Farther up the coast from Rhode Island to southern Massachusetts, where waters are slightly cooler, June and July tend to be the top months for recreational catches.
One thing I particularly helpful when setting and hauling pots is having a standardized routine. For me, that means coiling 2 feet of tra...
First of all, there's not just one type of lobster. Sure, the most well-known is the two-clawed American (or Maine) lobster found along the coast of New England and Canada. But there's also the California spiny lobster found on the West Coast, and the Caribbean spiny lobster found in Florida and the Caribbean islands. Fortunately, we have expert advice on how to catch all three from your boat. Start melting some butter.
WEST COAST
Hoop-Netting at Night
California spiny lobsters represent a hot commodity in more ways than one. The state's commercial landings hover anywhere from 650,000 to 950,000 pounds each sixmonth season. Yet it's hard to find a California spiny lobster in a US fish market or restaurant. That's because of skyrocketing demand for these delectable crustaceans in Asia, France and elsewhere.
Though they might grow to 20 pounds, most California spiny lobsters are much smaller, usually around 2 pounds. Unlike the American lobster, spiny lobsters have no claws. Most are caught in the warmer waters of Southern California below Point Arguello, and many seafood aficionados claim the tail meat is the most succulent of all lobster species.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1498743624/1677480720/articles/MaNyYJzr61679895303300/1986117561.jpg]
That's why most California spinys caught in commercial traps are shipped to gourmet outlets overseas, where diners gladly pay a premium for some of the world's tastiest seafood. If you can find a lobster to buy here, you'll pay dearly. Retail prices in the US for live California spiny lobster at press time ranged as high as $40 per pound.
On the recreational side, increasing numbers of California boaters are getting into lobster fishing, thanks in large measure to a boom in a technique known as hoop netting. In years past, divers harvested the lion's share of sport-caught California lobster, but today's boaters need not acquire expensive dive gear, become scuba certified or brave chilly waters to catch their fair share of bugs. All they need are hoop nets. Unlike lobster traps (which are illegal for recreational lobster fishing in California), a hoop net is open above, allowing lobsters to crawl in or out. The nets are baited with fish such as bonito, mackerel or sardines, then strategically placed on or around prime underwater habitats such as rocks, kelp beds and wrecks. A polypropylene line and marker buoy connect the net to the surface.
But there's a catch: It must all occur at night. That's because California spinys, like Florida spinys, are rock lobsters that take sanctuary by day in nooks and crannies found amid craggy reefs and wrecks along the California coast and offshore islands. Put down a hoop net during the day, and it will likely come up bereft of lobster. Under the cover of darkness, however, lobsters venture from their lairs searching for food in what is known as a "crawl." Lobsterhungry boaters bank that the bugs find their way into awaiting hoop nets.
Hoop-netters usually let each net "soak" between 30 and 60 minutes between pulls. You never know if lobsters are in the nets or not before a pull, and therein lies the great fun and anticipation of hoopnetting. While empty nets are a fact of life, a net with one or more tail-snapping lobsters ignites a celebration of cheers and high-fives. The puller need not pull exceedingly fast, but rather maintain a steady retrieve to help keep the bugs from kicking out of the net.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1498743624/1677480720/articles/MaNyYJzr61679895303300/fRDkjcZqb1679895485448.jpg]
Hoop-netters should be aware that they are likely to catch more than just lobster. Any number of underwater denizens, such as rock crabs, moray eels, stingrays, scorpion fish and even swell sharks, slither inside the nets. Sometimes these come up in combination with lobsters, and can inflict painful pinches, vicious bites and poisonous stings, so identify all contents before placing your hands inside a net at night.
If you're lucky, you'll catch your daily limit-seven lobsters per person and head home to treat the family to a sumptuous lobster dinner that gourmets around the world pay big bucks to enjoy.
To learn more about hoopnetting for lobster in Southern California, visit boating mag.com/how-to/californialobster-battles.-J.H.
HOOP-NET GEAR
One of the most popular hoop nets is the Promar Ambush ($64.99 without a rope or buoy, fishermanswarehouse.com). It has a conical design with a 32-inch-wide ring at the base and slightly smaller ring above, supported by a series of stays. A small buoy floats the polypropylene harness above the net.
Sea lion-resistant bait tubes ($24.99, meltontackle.com) snap to a small ring at the bottom of the net. Removable end caps let you stuff it full of bait.
A polypropylene line connects to the harness and runs up and through the pointy end of a pot buoy and out the flat end. Obviously, you need to make sure there's enough line to reach the bottom.
Lobsters dwell in waters as shallow as a few feet in nearshore areas to depths of 150 feet or more. A 5-ounce torpedo weight secures to the bitter end of the line to prevent any of the slack line from floating on the surface and fouling a prop.
Light each buoy by drilling a 1/2-inch hole, then press in a Cyalume glow stick. On the opposite side, drill two or three 1/2-inch holes and press in 1-ounce egg sinkers so the glow stick stays upright. Number the buoys (e.g., 1 through 10) to keep track of which ones produce the best.
Reflective peel-and-stick address numbers work well for this purpose.
OTHER LOBSTER GEAR
Gloves for handling lines, nets and lobsters.
Scotty Trap-Ease Pot Puller gunwale-mounted pulley ($49.49, boatzon.com)
Rain gear and rubber boots
Flashlight for spotting the net buoys
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1498743624/1677480720/articles/MaNyYJzr61679895303300/2885119211.jpg]
NORTHEAST
Working the Pots
For those aspiring to catch lobster from their own boat in the Northeast, it's important to realize the past decade has been a tough go in waters south of Cape Cod. American lobsters, especially the scrumptious kind with big, juicy claws, thrive in the cool waters of the region. It's true that warming water temperatures plus lobster shell disease and a huge influx of predatory black sea bass and scup have reduced the biomass from the glory days. But you can still catch lobsters from your own boat using these tips.
Inspect a modern lobster pot and you'll find it an ingenious contraption. With a rectangular shape, low profile and wire-mesh construction, it's designed to rest on the bottom without tumbling in mild to moderate currents. The outside of the trap features two mesh funnels inviting lobsters inside. A third funnel, inside the trap, leads to an inner chamber called the parlor, where a bait bag stuffed with racks of porgy, sea robin, cod or other fish remains. Lured by scent, lobsters entering the trap quickly find their way to the raised inner funnel and drop into the parlor, from which there's no escape save for a pair of vents allowing undersize specimens to exit.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1498743624/1677480720/articles/MaNyYJzr61679895303300/2199899896.jpg]
Setting and hauling lobster pots requires a little resolve and a healthy back because they can be heavy, especially if you need to secure more than a couple of bricks to the inside bottom edges of the cage to rapidly sink and steady the pot in deep water. Thus, lift with your knees when moving pots around or hauling a trap to the surface. To this end, a boat with a low gunwale is a plus. I set my pots from a 1994 Aquasport Osprey 20-foot center-console; it's just right, being relatively low to the water and beat up enough that another ding doesn't matter. Late last season, however, I set some pots from a friend's 24-foot Privateer Renegade and enjoyed the extra room, so figure any relatively open-deck or center-console vessel in this size range should suffice.
Keeping the need for cool water (55 to 65 degrees F) foremost in mind, I set my pots along rocky sloping points, preferably in submerged boulder fields in 12- to 50foot depths. Initially, I'll drop them about 100 yards apart, working from shallow to deep, and relocating later based on results.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1498743624/1677480720/articles/MaNyYJzr61679895303300/9585516669.jpg]
Generally speaking, I find lobsters move around and enter traps best during periods of softer tides, so I avoid setting on full- and new-moon tides. May, June, October and November have been my most productive months, averaging a keeper or two per trip for a fivepot spread. Farther up the coast from Rhode Island to southern Massachusetts, where waters are slightly cooler, June and July tend to be the top months for recreational catches.
One thing I particularly helpful when setting and hauling pots is having a standardized routine. For me, that means coiling 2 feet of tra...
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Boating (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 2023