Spearing or stringing of slipper (shovelnose) lobster

[magicwanz]

if not bearing eggs...they aren't regulated

That's quite a paradox you have yourself there.

From another thread, in your buddy's own words:

Ironically I am going to have to admit I am wrong on the number of regs governing slipper lobsters, there is a fed law after all as they are under the Spiny FMP and spears are not an allowable gear type.

Regards,
Chris

 

[Zieg]

AND I should add, there is no question about wheather I speared them or not.

 

[magicwanz]

It is illegal to posess egg bearing slipper a.k.a. shovelnose lobster and if you spear one and find out too late it has eggs you just killed it for no good reason.

Yup.

I much rather keep them alive and fresher.

That's a good point too. The meat becomes trash very soon after you spear and kill them. I learned that the hard way many years ago in the Bahamas with a polespear. It might be different with the meat in slipper lobster, but there's no good enough reason to find out.
BTW, I can put them in a Rob Allen lobster bag 10x faster than any of these guys can string them.

But I have digressed, the thread is also about shooting them with a gun.

Regards,
Chris

 

[cldomson1]

i said the size and number of slippers taken is not regulated. please don't quote me out of context .

second, lobsters taste great even after being killed. all the lobster you eat in the bahamas has been speared or gaffed...i've shot lobster with a hawaian sling in the bahamas and it tasted excellent....i've grabbed slippers(I DON'T SPEAR THEM) and put them on my stringer and they taste great....and we tail our lobster in the keys and freeze them for months and they also taste great. magicswan can you post some pics of your slipper lobsters you've caught??

regards,
charlie

 

[Ana]

So what about the spotted lobster?

I understand there are no "seasons" for those.
I happen to agree with the post that described the shovelnose as suicidal bugs, and like to put them in a bag after they come to my hand. But since the talk is about spearing/stringing, how about he spotted ones?

By the way, where do you guys pierce them? doesn't it ruin that area? Now that I think about it I wish I could put all the stuff we get in a bag, I give my husband a hardtime if he shoots a grouper to far in the body because it ruins the filet (or steak) in that area. Definetly upsets me when I stick the flounders too far from the head, the last thing I want to see in my catch are holes without a purpose.

Also, there was a generalization made in a post above about the Bahamas. Not ALL the lobsters there are caught with a piercing device, several people I know get them with just their hands (no holes)

So it looks like there is no law against it, good. There are way too many laws about too many things. Still don't see the need for doing it but by all means...pierce away everyone!!! I'll skip the piercing until the lobster is in the plate and the fork will be the only one doing the piercing.

 

[Zieg]

I give my husband a hardtime if he shoots a grouper to far in the body because it ruins the filet (or steak) in that area.

I'll bet that doesn't happen often.

 

[magicwanz]

and we tail our lobster in the keys and freeze them for months and they also taste great.

Yes, if you can tail them they taste excellent and you cannot notice any difference.

magicswan can you post some pics of your slipper lobsters you've caught??

There's 55 pictures in my profile, about half of them are lobster. I never posted any slipper pictures because honestly I haven't considered any that I've taken to be that remarkable. I will post some slipper lobster pictures too when they are handy (I'm working now) if that would make you happy.
I have literally hundreds of fish pictures from the last 15 years or so that aren't posted either. Some of them are pretty remarkable if you would like to see them, I'd be happy to PM you if you are interested.

Where are YOUR pictures?

Regards,
Chris

 

[cldomson1]

i usually post my pictures on another site...and i save the remarkable ones for the magazine.

i'd love a bunch of your pics if you'll give me permission to put them in my magazine...

 

[magicwanz]

i'd love a bunch of your pics if you'll give me permission to put them in my magazine...

PM sent, off topic.
RE: Pictures.

Regards,
Chris

 

[Wayward Son]

this is the largest shovel I've caught. It was taken this year In fact, it was taken while diving off Pat's boat:

If I have a bag I'll put them in the bag. But usually if I'm spearing I don't haul a bag around & if I catch a shovel I just string it. I like to run the stringer through the base of the tail, where it meets the carapace, right in the center of the tail. They'll live a long time strung like that.