field notes 004 | lobstering

TIDE | San Diego : : -0.3 low @ 2:57pm and a 4.2 high at 9:16pm | Sea Temperature 61.0° F

Moon Phase : :  Full Moon  | Time on Water : : 5:00pm—8:30pm 

Day light drains from the sky and the night slowly covers the coastline. At boat landings tucked into small sheltered bays and harbors, engines grumble in idle, coughing up blue smoke that tastes like steel

We lower and stack the hoop nets onto the deck of my boat. As we push off the dock a warm Sana Ana wind sweeps across the bay, flattening out the swells that pass into our bow. Sheet glass water reflects luminous colors from the sunset making it seem as if we were advancing through an oil slick. We pass the last inlet buoy signaling us to open up full throttle. The boat raises up to plane and our captain guides us towards the hunting grounds.

With eyes fixated on the horizon line he navigates us through the mind field of lobster buoys. As we drift over the edge of the reef we begin baiting all the cages and snapping the glow sticks. We drop our string of nets and circle back to the first one. The lobsters have been hiding all day in the reef and are hungry. They sense the nightfall and begin to move out and scavenge for food. A half hour before dark we tend to pull up the most keepers. Then usually an hour after dark we have a good second push. 

 ............................................................................................................................................................ { M e a s u r i n g  |  U p }  I talked with a Fish and Game officer recently and he said that if you have any question in your mind on if a lobster is border line legal let it go. With fines that can cost you a few thousand dollars its not worth it. With so much commercial and recreational fishing pressure on lobsters your slitting your own throat by taking shorts  ............................................................................................................................................................

{ T a c t i c s }  the art of lobster fishing is deciding where and when to set the traps

+ drop hoop nets about 30 to 45 minutes before sunset

+ bait nets with large salmon heads and large cut mackerel

+ carapace has to measure at least 3 1/4 inches

"if your hoop net is directly on top of the reef be careful of menacing eels lurking in your nets"

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{ T i p s }  Before leaving the dock fill out your lobster card, Month, Day, Location and Gear Code. Our State and Fish and Game are hard up for money and giving out $450 fines for not filling it out  ............................................................................................................................................ 

{ F  a  l  l   B  i  t  e  s }    

Lobster Tacos : :  Sauteed lobster in garlic lemon butter and green onions on a flour tortilla with black bean, avocado, cabbage, salsa and ranch dressing drizzled on top  ............................................................................................................................................ { M o v e m e n t  |  H o m e  R a n g e } The average California spiny lobster in San Diego’s Point Loma kelp bed travel about 400 meters a night scavenging for food, through there was a range of 50 meters to 1 kilometer. The take-home message is that lobsters move a lot and are more active at night.  Lobsters also move among habitats more than expected. Lobsters journey from kelp forest to surf grass and do not return to any specific shelter—a special rock crevice, ledge or rock pile. Instead they seem to cleave to a particular area, usually about 100 square meters with many sheltering areas in it.