Summer is in full swing in South Florida, but if you’ve been down here at any point in the last few months or you own a thermometer, you’re probably aware of that.
With the calendar rapidly approaching the last week in July, it’s easy to get down about summer coming to an end, but it also means we are closing in on the most wonderful time of the year.
No, I’m not talking about Christmas. It’s spiny lobster mini season here in the Sunshine State.
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The Florida Keys is known for drawing in large species like swordfish, but landing one of this size requires specialized deep-sea techniques. (iStock)
If you’re unfamiliar with mini season, it’s basically a time where commercial fishers aren’t allowed to catch any lobsters so that anyone who does so recreationally can have first dibs.
It happens the last Wednesday and Thursday of July every year, and every hotel along the Florida Keys braces in anticipation for the mass pilgrimage of both natives and visitors who will make the trek down to participate.
For those who wish to partake in the wonders of mini season, there are some rules you must follow.
You are limited to 12 lobsters per person per day, unless you are diving in Monroe County (home of the Florida Keys). If you’re staying there, your limit is six per person per day.
Also, keep an eye out for protected areas and National and State Parks, as those are obviously no-take zones.
In addition to the limit, you must also make sure the carapace (the part from its head to the beginning of the tail) exceeds 3 inches in length. You must also have a lobster permit, which you can easily obtain by going to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s website.
After all that is taken care of, the fun really begins.
A family displays their haul of spiny lobsters from mini season in the Florida Keys (2012). (Austin Perry)
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I’m not even a big fan of eating lobster at a restaurant, but I have happily devoured pounds of Florida spiny lobster that my friends and family have caught while staying in The Keys.
Much like with fish, you will never have a more delicious lobster than the one you caught yourself.
One of the beauties of diving for lobster during mini season is that you don’t need any fancy gear to have a great time, either.
Sure, it helps to have dive tanks and SCUBA gear, but plenty of spots along the Gulf waters are shallow enough – particularly in the Upper and Middle Keys – that all you need is a mask, snorkel, a pair of gloves, and a kayak to hit your daily limit.
The lobsters love to hide in little holes, crevices, and even underneath old sunken personal items, so be sure to leave no stone unturned (literally).
I would recommend staying the whole week even though the actual season is only from Wednesday through Thursday so that you can partake in the other activity that area is famous for: fishing.
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When you aren’t out diving for lobster, there is plenty of world class fishing to be done all up and down both coasts of the Florida Keys.
Bradford Todd Picariello reportedly ran a self-owned business called Outlaw Fishing Charters in Marathon, Florida. (iStock)
As a native Floridian, my summers never feel complete without taking the journey down to our state’s most famous archipelago in late July, and I’m hoping some of you are able to experience that magic for yourselves.
Summer is all about creating memories that last a lifetime, and I can’t think of a better place to create some new ones than the Florida Keys during spiny lobster mini season.