Mini Season in Islamorda

Well, Capt. Jim was right about there not being as many lobster on the reefs
this year. We had to really work for the 19 that we took home.
We arrived to beautiful viz on Monday and Tuesday and just scouted out some
old areas we usually hit and knew it was going to be slim. Did some nice
diving at Alligator Light and hit some grouper on the outside of the light
with the spear gun.

People were doing good with the new rules for the most part and the only
major thing that popped up was some idiot got caught with 400 shorts at
Snake Creek............what an idiot! The marine patrol was out and they
came out to check us and were very nice and pro about everything they were
doing and all in all my hat is off to those guys and the swell job they did
this year.

We saw a larger amount of idiot boat pilots this year even though it was
calmer than most years in the past. One pilot drove a multi million dollar
yacht hard aground just north of Holiday Isle. He was trying to hit the
markers for Snake Creek and instead headed into Tropicl Reefs
channel.........very bad day for him!

Anyways we made it through another Mini Madness with no injuries, citations,
mishaps......other than a speared cooler while loading the truck........long
story.

Steve

Thanks for the report. We're headed down Mon. night for opening day on Wed.
We're not expecting much either. Bringing along spearguns also. Going down to
Marathon. It's been slim pickings for the last several years so my instinct is
it's just going to get worse. Something pretty drastic has got to be done.
Like limiting traps or no mini season or something. Whatever few lobsters are
there get slaughtered during mini season. We were in the Tortugas in late June
spearfishing and we came in with a lot less grouper and hogs than we have in
the past.

I hope to see the tag system put in place soon. That is going to be the
only way that we get it back to the old days. To me that makes a lot more
sense than worrying about the divers getting under your dock.

There were a lot of grouper and hogs off where we stayed in the Middle
Keys. We did Tortugas last year and did very well. I hope they keep
busting these idiots that ruin for the rest of us.

The start of regular season seems to be worse than the mini anymore. There
was an interesting letter to the editor of the Keynoter today about how
upset this rich p#$@% was that folks came up HIS cannel in "rusting boats"
to dive for lobster.
I plan to write to the same editor to complain how all the buildings I see
on Duck Key have ruined the Keys that I remember
"MHDiver" <mhdiver@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030802171129.04924.00001088@mb-m26.aol.com...
> Thanks for the report. We're headed down Mon. night for opening day on
Wed.
> We're not expecting much either. Bringing along spearguns also. Going
down to
> Marathon. It's been slim pickings for the last several years so my
instinct is
> it's just going to get worse. Something pretty drastic has got to be
done.
> Like limiting traps or no mini season or something. Whatever few lobsters
are
> there get slaughtered during mini season. We were in the Tortugas in late
June
> spearfishing and we came in with a lot less grouper and hogs than we have
in
> the past.
>

You are right about Duck Key. Can they get those homes any closer together???
I certainly wouldn't want to live there. I'm over on Marco Island and we're
starting to get "squashed" here too.

Re the lobsters...we did some spearfishing/lobstering about the last week of
season back in March [in Marathon] and did pretty good. Came up with 3 grouper
and 5 lobsters in 1 dive. Seems the little "bugs" replenish themselves after a
few months. But in between opening day and beginning of March it's pretty
empty out there.

Dive Safe!!!!

MHDiver wrote

> Thanks for the report. We're headed down Mon. night for opening day on
Wed.
> We're not expecting much either. Bringing along spearguns also. Going
down to
> Marathon. It's been slim pickings for the last several years so my
instinct is
> it's just going to get worse. Something pretty drastic has got to be
done.
> Like limiting traps or no mini season or something. Whatever few lobsters
are
> there get slaughtered during mini season. We were in the Tortugas in late
June
> spearfishing and we came in with a lot less grouper and hogs than we have
in
> the past.

Interesting. Hogfish, to the best of my knowledge, are not caught on hook,
line or net. They are almost exclusively taken by spear. Assuming that's
correct, guess who gets credit when the stocks are diminished.

Like you, I'm a spearfisherman and, in previous years, made annual trips to
the Tortugas. As a rule, we limit the fish we take and, more particularly,
the hogfish we take. We hunt the big ones, leaving the naive youngsters to
grow to "worth the effort" size.

Lee

"Steve Lane" <slane3@cfl.rr.com> wrote in message
news:gsVWa.11106$K4.460158@twister.tampabay.rr.com ...
> Well, Capt. Jim was right about there not being as many lobster on the
reefs
> this year. We had to really work for the 19 that we took home.
> We arrived to beautiful viz on Monday and Tuesday and just scouted out
some
> old areas we usually hit and knew it was going to be slim. Did some nice
> diving at Alligator Light and hit some grouper on the outside of the light
> with the spear gun.
>
> People were doing good with the new rules for the most part and the only
> major thing that popped up was some idiot got caught with 400 shorts a
> Snake Creek............what an idiot!

And how many more out there do you think there are that didn't get caught?
This does not only happen during mini-season. Why do you think the reefs
are depleted? There are the usual bunch on the shallow end of the gene pool
that have no clue what conservation is. Then you have the people that are
conservationally (sorry, new word?) intelligent, such as Lee Bell in this
thread, and yourself. Unfortunately, you and Lee are in the minority.
Capt. Banny in Marathon had told me they should probably cancel the "season"
to give things a chance to regenerate, but canceling everyone's bread and
butter was a problem. Banny, correct me if I'm wrong. Capt. Wyatt, feel
free to ring in on this one. Banny told me more damage is done to the reef
system in the lobster season than at any other time during the year. How
many years do you think it will take until it's devastated?

George


The marine patrol was out and they
> came out to check us and were very nice and pro about everything they were
> doing and all in all my hat is off to those guys and the swell job they
did
> this year.
>
> We saw a larger amount of idiot boat pilots this year even though it was
> calmer than most years in the past. One pilot drove a multi million
dollar
> yacht hard aground just north of Holiday Isle. He was trying to hit the
> markers for Snake Creek and instead headed into Tropicl Reefs
> channel.........very bad day for him!
>
> Anyways we made it through another Mini Madness with no injuries,
citations,
> mishaps......other than a speared cooler while loading the
truck........long
> story.
>
> Steve
>
>
>

> Banny told me more damage is done
> to the reef system in the lobster season than at any other time during
> the year. How many years do you think it will take until it's
> devastated?

I'd say Banny is right. Some of these people will knock coral heads over to
take a short female lobster.

--
Jim Wyatt
PADI Master Instructor #4612/IANTD Instructor
Florida Keys Reef-Divers, Inc.
www.reef-divers.com

Glad you said "some" Jim. We dive off the reefs towing over the area
looking for grouper holes. We use GPS to find some structure but we ALWAYS
stay off the reef while looking for lobster. There are folks that come down
there and give the rest of us a bad name and I will continue to turn them in
as I see them.

I dive one time out of the year for lobster and I do it by the rules. I
continue to suggest that we need a tag system to better control the whole
season. I am so frustrated to see people limit out two and three times a
day.

steve
"Jim Wyatt" <Jim@reef-divers.com> wrote in message
news:Xns93CDCDCDC78FDJimreefdiverscom@65.82.44.187 ...
> > Banny told me more damage is done
> > to the reef system in the lobster season than at any other time during
> > the year. How many years do you think it will take until it's
> > devastated?
>
> I'd say Banny is right. Some of these people will knock coral heads over
to
> take a short female lobster.
>
> --
> Jim Wyatt
> PADI Master Instructor #4612/IANTD Instructor
> Florida Keys Reef-Divers, Inc.
> www.reef-divers.com
>
>