It’s bug season….in more ways than one.
By John Piotrowski
Well, it is mid-summer and the heat is on! As the afternoon thunderstorms and tropical systems drop a lot of moisture, it creates the perfect environment for those pesky mosquitoes and other biting bugs. My father’s day gift this year was a new technology bug zapper. That’s gotta be telling me something.
When it comes to fishing and boating, we usually pray for light winds, but light winds mean more bugs. The only thing that can be done to avoid the bugs on land and the waves on the surface is to get in the water below both! How lucky are we that mid-summer means a bug season of a different kind – the spiny lobster “bug” season. First, we have a mini season, which for many of us is like a local holiday. Then, a few weeks later, the regular season opens. What a wonderful pastime to do with the family. You can get some exercise, work up an appetite, catch some dinner and avoid the biting bugs.
Although you can certainly snorkel our first reef, which is primarily located at depths of 10-20′, diving for lobsters with a scuba tank off our coast is by far more productive. There is a second reef between 25 – 50′ and then another reef between 60′-90′. Nowadays, many boaters have gotten CMOR-enabled machines and can see hyper-accurate scans of the seafloor. This can be really helpful in finding coral heads or reef edges.
Although when I think about searching for lobsters, I can’t help but remember the good ‘ol days when we would drag each other behind a boat in the keys in 4-8’ of water. Like high-speed snorkeling – or trolling for JAWS as we would joke. (By the way, I think this year may be the 50th anniversary of the first Jaws movie — where two musical notes were made famous. Hopefully, everyone gets to have a stormy movie night and watch that classic.)
When you found a spot that looked promising while dragging, you would drop off and look closer. If you found a bunch of antennas, you would signal the boat over, throw the anchor and come up with a game plan where everyone gets involved. So much fun!
I think I still prefer the tickle sticks and nets to snares but those snares can be quite effective. There are a number of captains all up and down the coast who will take you lobstering. Sometimes that is a better and easier way to go. I think I will find a few guides to take my family this year.
If you fins yourself on the west coast of Florida don’t fear — you can have an equally fun summer fishery that gets you below the bugs — scalloping! Lets be more specific — bay scallops.
All along the Gulf Coast of Florida, on the grass flats, there are scallops. They are about the size of your palm, and they can be quite pretty. These scallops can be found in 3-5 feet of water, hiding in the seagrass. While they may not be able to scoot away from you or hide in a rock, they can be tricky to find with an untrained eye. You sometimes need to fan the grass with your hand or fins to find them. Scalloping can be a lot of fun for the whole family if you find an area with a thick population.
You can essentially work a 50-yard area with what looks like a chum bag tied to your belt and get a great meal. These bay scallops are pretty small, so you’ll need to get a large quantity — but scallops in linguine with a white wine sauce make for a tasty dinner.
I seem to recall that the areas around Steinhatchee were quite good. I’m sure the rental property groups and fishing captains would love the business after living through those Hurricanes over there last year. So, this year, avoid the airborne bugs and get in the water and try your hand at lobstering or scalloping.
For more information, don’t hesitate to check out the Lighthouse Point Saltwater Sportsmen’s Association. LHPSSA.org.
