Does anyone here take lobster by hand?

[musicalmike]

Main lobsters have claws that can crush your fingers for sure. Even with a glove. Pacific lobsters have only spines and can leave a pretty good puncture wound. As far as hoop nets go, you can not be in the water with SCUBA gear if you have hoop nets in the area.

 

[mfalco]

Maine lobsters can't be taken by scuba, but the ones we catch by hand in MA taste the same
I think the new law is a good idea. When I dive in northern MA, where there is an upper size, I see tons of lobsters. In sothern MA, where the is no max, there isn't many lobsters. The people getting most of the giant lobsters are commercial fishemen with drag nets. The Lobstermen are trying to get the catch size reduced for net fishers, so that most lobsters will have to caught by lobster traps.

 

[Tigerman]

No, I dont take lobster by hand as its illegal here. If I take a lobster, even in the lobstering season, while in SCUBA, I can lose all the equipment used in relation to the catching. That would mean my scuba gear, if its a baot dive also the boat. Hell they can even impound my car if I drove there!
Likely? Not really. Worth the risk? Hardly...

Fauna crimes are not what you want to be caught for around here...

 

[OceanObsessed]

do they pose a threat to your hands with those large claws?

Even a very large clawless spiney lobster can pose a threat to your hands and probably take a finger off. I was swimming a large one back to the boat and had my arms wrapped around it. I wasn't paying attention and it slowly pulled my finger into his mouth and bit down. I yanked it out before he bit down full force. It really hurt and it turned my fingernail black. I think he could have taken my fingertip off had I not yanked it out right away.

 

[lowdown]

Hand grabbing the only way to fly!
Rick

 

[caloosa]

Just took a trip in August to NC and got a couple nice spinys with my hand...usually used a snare down in home waters but it seemed the lobsters up there were not as spooked as those in FLA, I was amazed how they seemed to let me get right up on them and grab them, ...also the limit of 2 per day might be a reason that these lobsters were so much bigger than what we usually find down in the Sunshine State...the new amendment sounds like a good one to maintain the lobster fishery.

 

[lowdown]

also the limit of 2 per day might be a reason that these lobsters were so much bigger than what we usually find down in the Sunshine State...the new amendment sounds like a good one to maintain the lobster fishery.

Your joking rite? If you think FL is picked over with only small Lobster come on over to Ft. Pierce and I'll drop you on a ton of them.Way larger than just leagal. I find one short every other trip up to the 8 #er I got a month ago. On one dive on Sat I saw 50 + bugs. Once they take the bag limit down it won't go back up in the lifetimes of you, me , or our children.
Rick

 

[duoderf]

I have a problem with this, what are the percentages of lobster that divers take? .00001%? I don't see us as a community making any impact on the lobster population.

 

[Seashadow]

The average hand is wider in the palm than a lobsters carapace. So if any of it extends past the palm of the hand is is legal in California check your palm width against a lobster guage. It is the law to carry a mesure and use it if its close, Catching by my hand only in California and tickle sticks are illegal here. Seven is your daily limit.

 

[Richesb]

When ever the girlfriend tells me she wants lobster on the dinner menu I take a couple by hand while spearfishing, if they are around the area.
tickle them with a speargun and grab them. Takes a little practice/patience but not really difficult. Pain getting them in and out of a mesh bag.