Lobster opening night reports...

[drbill]

Well, I got 47 of them all by my lonesome. Of course they were "taken" by video rather than by hand. Sigh, why do folks still insist on taking the big ones that have few natural predators. Why can't the bulls be left to reproduce? Hmmm... why can't I be left to "reproduce" (or at least practive at it)?

Dr. B.

 

[PhotoTJ]

I have a 5/7 rule myself, 5lbs. female/7 lbs. male, anything larger are photo ops only. So far, I havn't had to enforce that rule, I got a 5 pound male last year, nothing bigger. *sigh*

I had hoped to have to make a trip back to the ocean opening night, to return the 12 pounder after winning the Sport Chalet contest. Oh, well, I'll get him next year.

Dr. Bill, you are not fooling me, I have seen all the lady divers giving you the big eye over in the park.

 

[whalerkyle]

Wow, it only took 3 days for the flames to start, lol. We should focus more on the thousands of comercial traps that litter our coastline and rape the bug population.

Kyle-original post edited, no need for explanations.

 

[drbill]

PhotoTJ- Boy I must be blind. What ladies are eyeing me in the Park? Tell them to hit me over the head with a hammer (preferably a rubber mallet) so I know it next time.

Whalerjyle- I am only referring to the large ones. Most of these are too big to enter a trap so the commercial guys aren't the ones catching them, sport divers are. No question that the commercial guys take plenty of bugs... I wonder what the ecology would be like if they didn't. I'll bet we wouldn't see the urchin barrens we do in some areas if lobster were more abundant. However there are relatively few commercial guys and LOTS of sport divers who take. I wonder what the comparative numbers are.

I have little problem with sport divers taking bugs if they follow the law. I elected nearly 30 years ago to stop taking them. That's my choice. I will still eat one if invited to dinner by friends who take.

Dr. Bill

 

[whalerkyle]

If the bigguns are so important to the ecology of the reefs, then we should have slot limits, then the big boys would be left alone. Minimum carapice of 3-1/4" and a maximum of 5" could be a starting point, or something like that. The carapice on my 8 pounder was about 6". He tasted great and I have some good pics.
Does anyone know where to get the number of bugs pulled each year by the So Cal Commercial guys? Obviously the sport diver counts are nowhere to be found. I'm sure there has been some sort of study on this, or maybe not.
Maybe restrictions need to be placed like the White Sea Bass, sometimes of the year the limit is 3, and other times it's 1, and I'm fine with that.
Now I know what I'm doing today. Research.

Kyle

 

[BSheffron]

Went out Sat. night. Two went in, five came out. By the time we got back to our cars there were like 6 other divers there. Guess there are no secret spots anymore.

Can't wait till next weekend. There was a monster that backed so far down a hole I he will be waving chop sticks at me next time.

Dive safe,

B.

 

[miket]

Went to Leo Carillo Sunday Night, got into the water around 8:30pm. We entered in the cove just to the right of the lifeguard tower. Vis was non existant at times, sometimes opening up to a nice 5 feet

There were three of us, we got one 4.5lb keeper, and returned three shorts to grow up for next time.

The vis looks so good in Laguna right now, I think we will try that later this week.

- MikeT