Would those in the know be kind enough.......

[dave4868]

Thanks guys......

I am sure I will have more questions about technique after my first lobster dive....

Not necessarily.... The lobsters are pretty good at answering all the questions on the first lobster dive!

One issue that sometimes doesn't come up right away: Remember to respect the power of the claws! A bigger lobster can cause long-term nerve damage if they clamp onto a wayward finger! And try not to scream or pull back, as that just makes them hold on tighter and longer.... :shocked2: Playing dead can help.... you'll already be wishing you were....

More lobsters will be migrating back to the shallows when the water warms up above 50 degrees F. That will be around late May on the North Shore.

Good luck!

Dave C

 

[AfterDark]

In Nova Scotia they don't allow recreation lobster catching and as a result on pretty much every dive you will see at least 2 lobster out of their holes during the day.

I had always been a supporter of underwater hunting when I couldn't do it, but as I hear more stories of the changes in animal behaviour I am leaning against it more and more.

Did any of you dive in the same areas before they allowed the rec lobster hunting? Did you notice behaviour changes? I read the DMF rec lobster guide and I see that no females are allowed so there isn't great harm from a population perspective I guess.

Most likely they now come out of their holes during the day because there's more bugs than the food supply can support due to an increase in their numbers from not being harvested like they should be. They don't get enough to eat at night they are hungry.

 

[paulthenurse]

You don't need any special equipment. What you do need is experience to recognize them when you see them. When we first started out we would come back to the boat with one or maybe two bugs while everyone else was bagging up. After a while you learn the knack of seeing them without actively looking for them. I bet I see more out of the corner of my eye then I do directly. You'll learn to spot the antenea, or see the white of the 'teeth' on the claws. I run hot and cold on tickle sticks. I never used them at all, then I used them for a while, now I use them depending on the bottom. In the end we get more by just manning up and sticking your hand into the hole. ('Man up' is probably not the best expression since my wife caught this 12 1/2 lb monster. BTW, she just stuck her hand in the hole and yanked him out, after giving serious thought to just swimming away.)

And yes, it is a male and yes it is legal, caught somewhere east of Cape Cod. Or rather it was, till it went swimming in very hot water.

PTN