by Wayne Nichols
Well it’s July and that means it’s most Floridian’s and many other states favorite time to be in Florida, it’s time to get wet… LOBSTER! We take a much-needed break from land this time of year and head a little further south to the Florida Keys. You don’t have to be an experienced diver to catch these tasty crustaceans. We mainly free dive from 5′-25′ but also use a third lung machine for working structure like big ledges. Scouting is the key to success here. We spend 3 days checking our GPS numbers and scouting new areas. Once we have 3-4 spots with a limit on them, we start scouting new areas. Carrying a speargun with you scouting will usually produce some great eats like grouper, and my favorite the hogfish. Monroe County has different regulations than the rest of the state, so check the size and bag limits for the variety of species you’ll encounter.
This time of year, alligators have finished their breeding season and are already on their nests protecting them from any would be threats, such as raccoons and hogs. This is a time of year you should really pay attention to where you, children and pets are walking around and where you’re fishing. Mother Gators defend their nests with a vengeance and will attack anything that comes near them if necessary. We generally refrain from doing many alligator hunts this time of year to help out the nesting sows and improve hatch rates. Youth hunts and big gators are our focus for July and August, leaving the mid-sizes alone, which are mostly the female gators tending nests.
Hogs are still a staple here year-round and are abundant with all the rain we’ve had lately. Spot n stalk, along with our night time thermal hunts, are hard to beat. With the heat index and humidity hunting at night with our thermal gear is really your best bet on getting on multiple hogs and taking plenty of meat home. We don’t have trophy fees or size restrictions on our hunts. We supply everything you need except a cooler for your meat and generally you can expect to kill 2-4 hogs per person on night hunts.
Back to lobsters… here’s a great way to have some fun with family and friends and put some great food in the freezer at the same time. We’re already hearing great reports from locals in the Keys on the abundance of lobsters this year. Last season the Florida Keys were devastated by a hurricane and are still in the process of being rebuilt. The hurricane resulted in thousands of lobster traps being destroyed along with many commercial fisherman’s livelihoods and many of them are still recovering, along with many homes and businesses. Luckily the house we rent only sustained minor damage so we still have a place to stay. We generally stay for a month, from 7/23-8/20, taking advantage of mini-season at the end of July and the first few weeks of regular season in August. Many of our previous clients that have hunted with us for years have become great friends and come down to hang out and dive with us, it’s a great time. If you’re not partial to the heat and diving, another productive method for lobster is bully netting at night. Simply idle around the shallows with a light and bully netting and scoop them up.
