I'll try to help you out a little, Keep in mind these are just my expirences and others will have excellent ideas also.
seaboyforever:
My questions pertains to me planning a trip back down at the beginning of the season.
1. How plentiful will the bugs be at the start of the season?
The 2 day Mini-season is on July 26 & 27. Honestly if you are on an early morning boat on the 26th and you can't get your limit of 12, then either your captain dropped you on the middle of sand, or you need to take a lesson on catching bugs. They will be swarming all over the reef that morning and everyone should be able limit. The 2nd day of the 27th, well the easy ones are already gone and it's going to get a little harder, but still do able to limit.
Then the regular season opens up on Aug 6, which just happens to be a Sunday this year and everyone will be on their boats completely overloaded with gear, and alcohol. Unfortunately we usually lose a diver if conditions get testy. Bugs are still on the reef, but you will now have to start switching tactics and stop going where everyone else is going. In otherwords, if everyone is working the front of the reef, then you need to move to the back or the top to find the bugs.
The remainder of August is still very productive, again just try to hit those places that fewer people hit and you should still be able to catch your limit.
seaboyforever:
[I2. Is it worth waiting a couple weeks or months?
In my opinion, no. If you can come down for mini-season, doit! Bug hunters don't start to slack off until November when the water temps drop below 79. Then the warm water wimps pack up their gear for the season, but the die-hards are still diving through the entire year. Bad news is that the die-hards are pretty good at what they do and don't make many mistakes so you'll need to cover alot of area (ie: burn alot of air) to find the bugs.
seaboyforever:
3. Also I want to buy a tickle stick that has a automatic spring that closes the loop without having to pull it(if that makes sense), where can i purchase one online?
If you look at the veteran bug hunters on the boats, I've never seen anyone of them use the spring loaded loop. The problem with them is that they are either fully open or fully closed. That just doesn't work for SE FLA. Most of our holes are just barely big enough for the bug so the big open loop get's caught on the sides of the hole. When using a looper, sometimes I go over the top, sometimes on the side and sometime between their legs to snatch the tail. If you want a looper, use the green looper by Oceanus. It will give you much more control if you practice with it. You can find it at most online stores.
Also don't think that a looper is the best. I continuouisly get my butt kicked by a person with a tickle stick and net. And when neither of them work, you need to catch them by hand (possibly getting bit). Different situations call for different tactics. If you need a lesson, some boats will hook you up with a good teacher.
seaboyforever:
Now since i will be staying with my brother in Boco Roton, its easy to find charter boats local, rathar then paying for a hotet at a great distance.
This trip will only consist of bug hunting, and spearfishing...
For your type of diving, I would highly recommend Capt. Tony of the Diversity boat. If you tell him what you want, he will put you on the spot. Because he is very good, he also sells out fast, especially for mini-season. You should be calling now, if you want a morning spot on July 26th.
Enjoy your dives and hunting, Boca is a great area and can be very productive. Please remember that no fish nor bug is worth your life. It's the hardest thing to wave bye bye to a honey hole of 10 lobsters walking around as you ascend with 500psi. Be legal & Dive safe, they will be there again.