Monster lobster Weigh in..(show em if you got em)

[SeeHawk]

My first monster bug (12-13lb) off of long Beach California in 30-40 feet of water.
I am 6ft 1inch tall and I weigh 245lb.

The small one is leagle by a 1/4 inch

 

[GoAnywherePhoto]

I caught my first ever lobster this evening while snorkeling and was really proud of it. Eaten so fresh the head was still twitching in the bag next to me while I ate the tail. Unfortunately there wasn't a pot around big enough to boil it whole.

 

[drbill]

Of course many of us in the SoCal dive community would ask why you keep such monster bugs. Taking the larger ones removes individuals which have a higher reproductive potential and skews the age distribution in the population towards the small ones. They used to be much more common in the 50s and 60s and many of us are trying to get divers to return them to the sea after a photo op. Maybe you did.

If you ate both of them, which one tasted better?

 

[SeeHawk]

Well this was my first monster bug and the third legal one I have ever caught. If it was a female I might have returned it to the location I was diving to promote the species. But since it was a male I kept it and ate it with family the next day. I have been told that the bigger ones don’t taste as sweet. This was most definitely not the case with this one. I don’t know what it has been feeding on but it was ridiculously the sweetest lobster I have ever tasted.

I hear what you are saying and it has given me plenty to think about.

 

[Speardoggin]

9lbs off Florida this past summer. Friend got a 16 and a 14 this past year....bastard!

 

[Rhone Man]

Spiny lobster don't seem to get as big down here in the Caribbean (certainly not as big as in Cali...) - I have caught several 9 pounders, but never anything bigger than that. On the plus side, I have probably caught more 8-9 pounders in the last few months than the rest of my life combined, so maybe global warming is making 'em grow bigger.

For the record, I am 6'4" and my Dad (pictured) is 6'2". I have no idea how big my son is in the bottom photo.

 

[porgyhunter]

Come on northern folk where's your bugs??????

 

[sink-er-swim]

Here's a good size bug from this summer. Photo was taken in Rockport Ma. The lobstah was too big to keep. For scale you can see my hand on his claw.

 

[porgyhunter]

Thanks S/s....Nice bug!!!!!!!!! Looks like a big ole crusty bastid Love that big ''Crusher''

 

[Mantadiver]

THis might be a dumb question but do you North Eastern lobster divers bring rubberbands or something to tame those claws or do you just shove the lobsters in a bag?