Lobster at what depth?

[phoneman]

When looking for lobster it's my understanding that you want to find structures that they use for thier habitat (reefs,wrecks ect..) but does depth play any part in this? What is the deepest one could find them or how shallow could they be found if the haitat is suitable? No real point for the question just a newbie trying to fill in some off the many blanks I have.:babycrawl

 

[DivePartner1]

I'm not sure how much depth is an issue as much as temperature.

Off Delaware and Maryland I've see the kind of lobster at 80 to 120 feet that you'd see in shallower water in New England. Under 60 feet it pretty much never seems to get warmer that 55 degrees Fahrenheit north of the Virginia coast.

 

[WetDawg]

Since the water temp is fairly consistently warm and most of the diving depths are shallow, down here in FL water depth and temp. are not as important as structure.

Lobster like to hang out where they can hide. If they not, they don't survive. Pretty much any critter in the ocean that can fit a lobster in it's mouth will eat them and lobster are keenly aware of their self worth as table fare.

The key to finding lobster is to find structure (ledges / holes/ rock piles) that have not been picked over by other divers. This means getting your own ride and not heading to the common spots that all the other charter boats are going to. If you do book a charter ask them how often they dive a certain spot. If it's more than a couple times a month you can be fairly certain that the legal lobster have been eaten.

More challenging dive sites also present opportunities. When I used to live and dive in CA we heard of a spot in Laguna Beach called "1000 Steps" that sounded intriguing. Turns out to be in a residential area (read no public parking) and the hike down the cliff to the beach was only something like 250 steps. Now remember, in CA you have cold water so that means, 7mm suit, hood, gloves, the whole nine yards... had to park something like 5 blocks away to find a legal spot, then start the hike (all geared up) down the street, and down the stairs. The good news is that most folks where not as willing to go through this pain and suffering to get to the spot, turns out everyone in our little group limited on lobster -- AND scallops in two dives. Never had such a bountiful feast in the US in 20 years of diving.

On the hike back up we learned why they call it "1000 Steps" when it's only 250 - the climb up feels like more than 1000 steps -- but well worth it.

 

[Zoomer]

In the Keys I have seen bugs (spiney lobster) under the doc at a rental home, so that is back in a cannal that is no more than 15 feet deep at it's deepest point.... I have also seen them in 80 feet of water.... structure is the key....

 

[Johnoly]

When looking for lobster it's my understanding that you want to find structures that they use for thier habitat (reefs,wrecks ect..)

For SE Florida, I'd take wrecks off your list. It is not the type of hiding structure that they like and they are too easy eaten by larger prey.

Stick to the reefs (not artificial structure) and remember that bugs move on a daily basis. Find a good captain and use his local knowledge and experience.

 

[archman]

With Atlantic spiny lobster at least, their minimum preferred depth is seasonally cued. They tend to go deeper in the winter. I believe their maximum occurring depths can be well in excess of 200 feet.

Nowadays one has to factor human consumption into the formula. Lobsters are more commonly encountered deeper, 'cuz fewer people are likely to visit. I haven't seen any giant-sized lobster shallower than 60 feet since the late 1990's.

 

[JustAddWater]

In central Cal. I've hunted bugs in depths from 15' to 90', usually in areas of rocks and crevices. They seem to have a knack for knowing exactly where it's illegal to hunt them. Find a posted area and there will be a congregation of lobster.
Hey WetDawg, that photo reminds me of Shaw's Cove- I've hiked those steps a few times.

 

[avpro4]

When I was a kid growing up on Long Island Sound I used to work on Great Captain's Island. The island was (and still is) a park owned by the Town of Greenwich, CT and I would get picked up every AM by the super on the island at the police dock in town. The super had 13 lobster pots that we'd pull every day or so on our way out to the island, and we'd average 1 or two "keepers" per pot each time we pulled 'em up! So I asked him what his secret was, and he said he tries to place his pots near the trenches on the bottom, or anyplace the depth charts showed was deeper than the surrounding area.
His theory was that lobsters are basically lazy critters, and as scavengers they hang out where the food (dead critters and bits of dead critters) tends to concentrate... in the cracks and crevices.

Worked well for us! We'd band the lobster claws and stick 'em in a car below the low tide line until we got enough to take into town and sell to the market. Unless we wanted lobster for lunch. Sometimes he'd ask me to surface dive down and bring a couple up for lunch when we'd boil 'em up and scarf 'em down along with tomato salad cut hot and sweet from his garden and a couple o' nice cold Rheingolds. Man! ... That was a good time... (If you're ever bored, try swimming in deep water with an angry two pounder in each hand and no mask or fins! It's an adventure!)

So I'd recommend you look at the depth charts in your area, check out the theory and report the results.

Bon appetit!

 

[Steele]

When I was a kid growing up on Long Island Sound I used to work on Great Captain's Island. The island was (and still is) a park owned by the Town of Greenwich, CT and I would get picked up every AM by the super on the island at the police dock in town. The super had 13 lobster pots that we'd pull every day or so on our way out to the island, and we'd average 1 or two "keepers" per pot each time we pulled 'em up! So I asked him what his secret was, and he said he tries to place his pots near the trenches on the bottom, or anyplace the depth charts showed was deeper than the surrounding area.
His theory was that lobsters are basically lazy critters, and as scavengers they hang out where the food (dead critters and bits of dead critters) tends to concentrate... in the cracks and crevices.

Worked well for us! We'd band the lobster claws and stick 'em in a car below the low tide line until we got enough to take into town and sell to the market. Unless we wanted lobster for lunch. Sometimes he'd ask me to surface dive down and bring a couple up for lunch when we'd boil 'em up and scarf 'em down along with tomato salad cut hot and sweet from his garden and a couple o' nice cold Rheingolds. Man! ... That was a good time... (If you're ever bored, try swimming in deep water with an angry two pounder in each hand and no mask or fins! It's an adventure!)

So I'd recommend you look at the depth charts in your area, check out the theory and report the results.

Bon appetit!

great story!