What is the best method for catching spiny lobsters?

[shaller]

I know this sounds a little crazy, but have you heard of the old island method of using a mop. It supposedly will get them tangled up without leaving any of them behind. If a leg falls off under the rock, supposedly it scares any other lobsters off from coming back. I have 0 experience with this, but figured I would just throw it out there.

 

[Rhone Man]

I know this sounds a little crazy, but have you heard of the old island method of using a mop. It supposedly will get them tangled up without leaving any of them behind. If a leg falls off under the rock, supposedly it scares any other lobsters off from coming back. I have 0 experience with this, but figured I would just throw it out there.

I have heard of this, and another variation is to use a boat hook or other long pole and tie a set of panty hose on the end.

I am sure it would be very effective (hard enough to get the buggers out of a mesh bag...), but it just slightly runs contrary to my inner sense of what is "fair" when hunting lobster. Plus, if you snag up a pregnant female, it is going to be pretty hard to get her untangled without ripping off lots of parts that she was counting on to survive her pregnancy.

 

[Scubaarchery]

I have heard of this, and another variation is to use a boat hook or other long pole and tie a set of panty hose on the end.

I am sure it would be very effective (hard enough to get the buggers out of a mesh bag...), but it just slightly runs contrary to my inner sense of what is "fair" when hunting lobster. Plus, if you snag up a pregnant female, it is going to be pretty hard to get her untangled without ripping off lots of parts that she was counting on to survive her pregnancy.

I agree with Rhone man and would add to it. Trying to swim with a mop and insert it into crevices where the lobster are hiding would be difficult and potentially create collateral damage on a reef.

Lobster tend to cluster together, sometimes you find one, sometimes you find 6 in the same hole. You have to be able to capture, measure and release shorties and females with eggs without injuring them. That would be hard to do with a mop. You would end up entangling several at one time and good luck either keeping the big ones and untangling the rest of them.

I would not imagine that a mop would be legal due to the inability to release safely but would not recommend it considering the snare and the tickle stick are simple and safer alternatives.

 

[fdarden]

(8) No person shall harvest or attempt to harvest spiny lobster using any device which will or could puncture, penetrate, or crush the exoskeleton (shell) or the flesh of the lobster, and the use of such devices as part of, or in conjunction with, any trap is also prohibited.
Pretty certain the above applies to mops, panty hose, bras, and jock straps too.

Also before someone brings it up, bleach works incredibly well, but it too is illegal.

(9) No person shall harvest or attempt to harvest spiny lobster using or with the aid of bleach or any other chemical solution. The simultaneous possession of spiny lobster and any plastic or other container capable of ejecting liquid, by any person engaged in diving, is prohibited.

 

[Scubaarchery]

Thanks for the research. Tickle sticks and snares work fine, so I would recommend sticking to those. You could probably create an extra long tickle stick if you really wanted to drag it around with you. Personally, a normal tickle stick and net work fine for me since the biggest challenge is typically finding them vs. catching them. and that is much less of a challenge these days thanks to several years of GPS coordinates.

 

[mattpatton]

I carry a large 64" speargun, stringer, and lobster bag on me when I'm spearing. I find it's too cumbersome to carry any other tools to catch lobsters.

My strategy: Hold one hand out in front of the lobster and wiggle your fingers to distract him. As he focuses on that hand, use your other hand to slowly sneak your speargun in behind him. If successful, you can slip your gun right behind him and into his hole, blocking his escape. (Or at least slowing him down significantly). When he starts backing up and hits your speargun, reach in with that distractor hand and grab an antenna as low as possible, and HANG ON! Our Lobsters up here will send you spinning, ha ha. It's a funny site sometimes!

Good luck!

 

[murphdivers286]

I know this is an old post, but wanted to add something. I made an expandable tickle stick from a short golf ball retriever from Wally World. I cut off the end and glued an aluminum rod at the end with a slight bend. when collapsed, it's about 2 foot long, but extends to 15 feet. works great.

 

[Rhone Man]

I was actually thinking about this thread the other day. I spent a long weekend at a hotel owned by my brother on one of the more remote islands in the Caribbean. He buys his lobster from local fisherman, and he offered to have them take me lobstering with them one morning. By local law they free dive rather than using scuba, which obviously makes it a lot harder, but other than that I was pretty pleased to see that their technique was nearly identical to mine. They were just better at it. Slightly different design of lobster snare, but their version probably works better with the shorter time periods you have to work with free diving.