by Captain Chad Carney
Every last Wed & Thurs in July, (28 & 29 this year), Sportsman Lobster Season opens & SE FL and the Florida Keys go crazy! AKA “Lobstermania!!” Then it closes for 7 days until Regular Lobster Season opens Aug 6 – Mar 31. The 4th of July is way calmer than this 2 day jam of too many divers and boats into these narrow coastlines!
The difference between SE FL & SW FL spearos/buggers: The former concentrate on bugs, and if they spear at all they’re overloaded with every bit of lobster & spearing gear. Usually they boat their limit of bugs by drifting in current on the extensive reefs, then maybe get their 1 barely legal hogfish. (Technical spearos & serious freedivers are the exception.) The latter are serious spearos and they rarely drag bulky bug gear – bags, nets, tickle sticks or snares, which are counterproductive while swimming long broken ledges, rubble fields, potholes and wrecks. Usually they fill heavy fish stringers of grouper, snapper and big hogs, but often find no bugs. But just sometimes a fish leads them to 1 or 2 bugs on a good hole. I call it being a “Lucky Bugger!”sara
Bugs in the Gulf are big and old after migrating up from the Yucatan and Dry Tortugas. You never see a “Short”, but keep a gauge and check for eggs. I’ve never seen hatchlings up here. The Goliath grouper population is huge now in the Gulf, since 1990 protection, and they suck ’em right out of holes.
Bugging Tips: Poking a big speargun in a hole behind a beast, makes a great back up blocker. Or take a freeshaft out and tickle them with the butt, to a good side – down current helps because silt is bad in low current. A mounted/removeable UK mini Q40 light is great! Poly-coat Dyneema or Kevlar gloves make good 2-handed grabs, especially on big slow bugs. Grab the two secure antennae bases, (“knuckles”). A bug will kick & kick unless you let him hold something, like a gauge console or a bug bag. If you snare a beast grab it fast, as snares can snap. My blue bag has a big velcro snap shut mouth & bottom zipper to dump in coolers. It rolls up narrow to relieve drag if not used. Of course, go to myfwc.com for all the regulations.
I won my “Bug-Zilla” mount in a Gulf spearfish tourney, it weighed 8.5#, and carapace is 7.5” long! LOA BZ is still 34” after losing antenna tips at dive shows. (Caught a 10# soon after I got BZ.)
Hope you’re a “Lucky Bugger!” Capt. Chad
Captain Chad Carney – Diving Instructor & Journalist
mobile: 727-423-7775
e-mail: chad.carney@yahoo.com
https://www.facebook.com/floridaskindiver/
https://www.deeperblue.com/beginners-guide-spearfishing/