Nets or Snares ?

[Tsalagi]

With the Florida lobster season around the corner I'd like to get opinions and comments, pros/cons of using a net or snare to catch lobsters.

Seems everyone has an opinion either way. What do you prefer and why?

 

[Loneranger]

Nets are ok to use out in the open (grass flats) in places such as the keys. The net can be placed behind the lobster and can be tickled into it. For reef diving it is much easier to use the snare to reach into holes and catch the lobster without having to get it completely out of the hole which is pretty much the case with the net.

 

[LiteHedded]

are my regular mares reef gloves good enough to keep my hands from getting shredded?
they have leather palms and fingertips

 

[DMdoogie]

The snare is better for two reasons: If you're on a reef or ledge, like you will be if you're in West Palm Beach or Jupiter, the holes and uneven bottom make it easy for the bug to escape under the edge of the net. I've lost many bugs this way. With a snare, you can take them on any horizontal or vertical surface if they're out of their hole.
The other reason is that a snare does less damage to the bug than a net. It's common to catch a bug and find him a little short when you measure him, or find eggs on a female. A snare dosen't damage the legs, and you can release him intact. With a net, the legs and antenna get caught in the mesh and often break off, reducing his survivability when you release him.
The best reason is that with practice, the snare is much easier and more effective. Get the green snare, the one that locks in the closed position.
DMdoogie

 

[Scubaguy62]

are my regular mares reef gloves good enough to keep my hands from getting shredded?
they have leather palms and fingertips

They are if you don't mind spending an additional $30 to replace them.

Go to Home Depot, or any other hardware store and get a pair of braided gloves with rubber on the palm and the fingers. They're cheap and they are the best for lobstering.

 

[Scubaguy62]

The snare, when closed, also doubles as a tickle stick. Be careful, though, with the snare called "The Equalizer," which is the one that snaps shut at the touch of a button. Many people I know have gotten themselves in a whole hip of trouble because they "shot the snare" a little too close to their face and had their masks break; not a very pleasant feeling. The one I have is the Green Snare, which locks in place when closed, but requires a tug to snare the bug. It also allows for a lot more finessing.

 

[KeyLargoBrent]

I too, prefer the Green Snare.

Pros: less to carry, less damage to catch and reef, more effective.
Cons: more expensive, takes a bit of practice to become effective.

If you've never lobstered before, the "Tail Tamers" video, while corny, is very helpful.

Keep an eye on your air supply (mine goes twice as fast when I'm hunting), and enjoy!

 

[Tom Winters]

I used a net for a while. It worked pretty well except sometimes a big lobster could be a pain to get out of the net without shredding holes in it. When that got all banged up and torn, I replaced the original green netting with a fishing net that was deeper - maybe 2' so that once the critter was in it, it stayed in until you grabbed it and flipped the net inside out.
Keeping it all neat got to be too much hassle though so I just went back to the green snare. I keep the tickle stick and snare clipped together so it's a lot neater to carry and deploy.