Catching the Ocean View: For spiny lobster hunters, a season to remember


The Chiefy Crew combined with the crew of the Relentless to catch 96 lobsters on the first day of mini season. [Jim “Chiefy” Mathie]

By Jim “Chiefy” Mathie | New Pelican Writer

Having spent the last 40 years diving in South Florida catching spiny lobsters, this past season for me was one to remember. 

It seemed like it lasted forever, even though it always starts every year on Aug. 6 and ends on March 31. This season had some tropical activity to make it a truly memorable one, complete with a strong two-day mini season. 

The weather forecast for the July 26 and 27, 2022 mini season was bumpy and required us to combine crews to dive off a bigger boat. 

The Chiefy Crew was added to the Relentless crew on a 39-foot Invincible. The eight divers were allowed 96 spiny lobsters at 12 per-person. This required a few great drops for each diver and luckily the spots were very productive. For recreational divers this was the most productive we’ve had in many memorable mini seasons.

The second day our combined crew had only six divers, but the forecast allowed us to dive off my 29-foot Sea Vee. We had to search around for a few spots that hadn’t been hit the first day, but we ended very close to our limit of 72. 

It was a great start for the Chiefy Crew.

Opening day Aug. 6 changed our daily limit to six per diver. But the lobsters were still abundant despite the traps in the water.

Hurricane Ian formed at the end of September last year and technically made landfall in the Dry Tortugas, west of Key West and then struck Southwest Florida on Sept. 28 as a Category 4. It moved northeast across the Florida peninsula, exiting around Daytona Beach. 

  • Holding up their limit of spiny lobsters caught a month ago (from left to right) are Julie Higgs, Chiefy, and Susie Maniscalco. [Jim “Chiefy” Mathie]

  • Catching a spiny lobster as it walks out of the reef in the sand. [Jim “Chiefy” Mathie]

  • A nice “honey hole” cluster of lobsters in the reef. [Jim “Chiefy” Mathie]

  • The Chiefy Crew and Relentless lay out their 96 lobsters along the dock. [Jim “Chiefy” Mathie]

While South Florida seemed to escape the majority of damage, the low pressure from the hurricane was enough to create the migratory “lobster walk” about one week after the hurricane left our area. 

Spiny lobsters were everywhere “marching in formation” in 10 feet of water approximately 200 feet from our white, sandy beaches. And this walk lasted for almost two weeks. Divers were catching their limit in just a few minutes a day during this extraordinary phenomena. 

And then we had almost a direct hit from Hurricane Nicole on Nov. 10 as a Category 1, making landfall south of Vero Beach. Luckily for us (probably bad if you were a spiny lobster) we had another “lobster walk.” This walk wasn’t as big as after Ian, but it still produced a large amount of lobsters for about one week. 

Needless to say, this season seemed to have the makings of a historic one for the Chiefy Crew. We did encounter some bumpy winds and rough seas at the start of 2023. However, it just seemed to move the lobsters around. 

Our area only encountered a few cold fronts this year, but our dives were productive until the end of the season. 

These last few weeks we’ve encountered a lot of females with eggs which is a good sign for the future since we’re not allowed to harvest any egg bearing spiny lobsters. 

The State of Florida does a great job managing the spiny lobster fisheries and the Chiefy Crew looks forward to this coming mini season on July 25 and 26. But, for now, it’s time to put away our tickle sticks, nets and snares as we give the spiny lobsters a little break. The 2022-23 spiny lobster season was truly a great one to remember.

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