Bug Hunting Trip to Florida?

[seaboyforever]

After this last year of Bug hunting in Florida. Most of my Diving was on the Charter boats out of Neptune and along the east coast of Florida.

However I spent my bug hunting at the end of the season.

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?

I2. Is it worth waiting a couple weeks or months?

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?

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...

I tend to bring down with me 2 wetsuites, 2 booties, 3 masks, 1 BCD Aeris XT Atmos, 2 regs setup, 1 hoody, 2 spearguns, 1 c8, 1 D8 lights,1 pocket size light, 1 diver down bouyo 1 blunt tip knife, 1 knife, whistle, 2 pairs of gloves, C-cards, passport, credit cards, cash, Dive log book, 4 catch bags, 1 lobster hotel, 1 citizen hyper aqualand, 2 water proof cameras,Fish Identification chart with limits and seasons,

Thanks Scubaboard. You guys are the best. Dont know how I lived without you for last 20 years.lol

seaboyforever

 

[Johnoly]

I'll try to help you out a little, Keep in mind these are just my expirences and others will have excellent ideas also.

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.

[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.

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.

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.

 

[Christof]

How exactly do you get "bit" by a lobster that as far as I know has no pincers or teeth??
Something I need to know here?

Also, is it feasable to start from central florida in the real early am (like 1 am) and drive down to key largo for the day, or do you have to go all the way to key west to bug hunt? I am a freediver, so shallow (50ft or less) is the key for me... Thanks!


Christof

 

[Johnoly]

How exactly do you get "bit" by a lobster that as far as I know has no pincers or teeth??
Something I need to know here?

Eels and bugs love to hang out together. Eel bites are nasty!!

Also, is it feasable to start from central florida in the real early am (like 1 am) and drive down to key largo for the day, or do you have to go all the way to key west to bug hunt? I am a freediver, so shallow (50ft or less) is the key for me... Thanks!
Christof

The keys is nice, but 6 hours each way make for a long trip. And I wouldn't go during mini-season when it's really crowded, plus lower limits than other parts of the state. For freediving, I'd recommend Wabasso beach (only if Viz) and the whole Lauderdale, Deerfield beach area. But since it's so shallow and shore dives you will have an incredible amount of competition. Since you have a boat you might want to check out some of the 40 foot reefs around West Palm and Lantana that can be good producers of bugs also on the first reef line.

 

[jeadiver]

How exactly do you get "bit" by a lobster that as far as I know has no pincers or teeth??
Something I need to know here?

No teeth or pinchers, but those mandibles can take off a finger (saw it happen in Morehead City, thought I saw some pictures once on this board of someone who lost the tip of their finger!). I had one grab my glove once, and cut through the tip of it. Watch 'em, they will bite!

 

[Christof]

Since you have a boat you might want to check out some of the 40 foot reefs around West Palm and Lantana that can be good producers of bugs also on the first reef line.

So are the reefs easy to find? Do you look for bottom changes or simply structure?
Thanks for the input, my wife is dying to try a florida lobster.... She is already in love with your stone crabs....

Christof

 

[Kirin]

I lived in new england all my life and i gotta say, i dont really enjoy florida lobster in comparison to new england lobster. I find the florida lobster meat is tougher and nothing beats the sweet taste of a lobster clay!

In general, I notice a lot of lobsters at the very start of the season that are a snorkel distance from the shore. Lauderdale-by-the-sea is a good spot, near the pier. But, this spot gets hit hard during the mini-season. At that point, you have to do boat diving to get a good catch.

I notice, not many divers hit the deep reefs (+90FSW) and i have been on a few charters where we hit a reef at 110FSW and found it swarming with bugs.

I suggest you find an experienced dive charter, someone who is in cahoots with the local spear fisherman.

When i go lobstering, i go on the Reef Cat. (www.oceandiving.com). Capt. Jim Mims, knows the area well and knows a few people who spearfish for a living. He usually finds some hot spots, shallow and deep, for lobstering.

If anyone knows of any other good dive charters, let me know also.

 

[yak]

How exactly do you get "bit" by a lobster that as far as I know has no pincers or teeth??
Something I need to know here?

Also, is it feasable to start from central florida in the real early am (like 1 am) and drive down to key largo for the day, or do you have to go all the way to key west to bug hunt? I am a freediver, so shallow (50ft or less) is the key for me... Thanks!


Christof

Ya might wanna ask this guy that question.

 

[SandyBramm]

Ocean Quest Scuba Charters in West Palm Beach is a serious lobster hunting group. Last year stacks and stacks of lobsters came off thier boat, even on day two of the mini-season they were bagging thier limit. Great Boat small group and dive masters are right there to help out the newbies...check out www.oceanquestscuba.com There are many different trip options for the mini-season including three tank and lunches, and a mid night madness trip on Tuesday night. Thanks and Happy Hunting

 

[Scubaguy62]

After this last year of Bug hunting in Florida. Most of my Diving was on the Charter boats out of Neptune and along the east coast of Florida.

However I spent my bug hunting at the end of the season.

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?

I2. Is it worth waiting a couple weeks or months?

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?

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...

I tend to bring down with me 2 wetsuites, 2 booties, 3 masks, 1 BCD Aeris XT Atmos, 2 regs setup, 1 hoody, 2 spearguns, 1 c8, 1 D8 lights,1 pocket size light, 1 diver down bouyo 1 blunt tip knife, 1 knife, whistle, 2 pairs of gloves, C-cards, passport, credit cards, cash, Dive log book, 4 catch bags, 1 lobster hotel, 1 citizen hyper aqualand, 2 water proof cameras,Fish Identification chart with limits and seasons,

Thanks Scubaboard. You guys are the best. Dont know how I lived without you for last 20 years.lol

seaboyforever

The tickle stick you're talking about is actually a snare and you can pick it up at World Watersports/Divers Direct. Here is the link to the item: http://shop.worldwatersports.com/sc...0001999&desc=The Snare - Green Lobster Looper
There are two stores near Boca, West Palm and Davie. The Davie Store is a bit closer to Boca than the West Palm Store, but only by 5 - 7 miles.

You seem to have everything you'll need, except for one thing; your license. If you go to the Davie Store of WW/DD, stop by Outdoor World (bass pro shop) and pick one up. If you're only going to be in town for a few days, there is a 7 day license which you can get, but without one, don't bother trying to pick up bugs; FWCC's tickets are very, very expensive. You'll also need a gauge to measure them in the water before bagging them.

I can tell you that from having dived the reefs quite often, the bugs are just smiling and sticking their tongues out at us, even coming out of their holes to ward divers off, so mini-season is definitely the time to catch them, because at regular season they will have already picked up on the time frame and will be a lot more cautious. They're literally walking across the reef now!