Lobsters and Crabs - Oh My!

A look at the commercial side of things

Trap Buoys at Stock Island

The plot and a lot of the action in Wood’s Bones surrounds the commercial fishing of stone crab and spiny lobster.

Sportsman’s Season, a two-day free-for-all a week before the lobster season opens in August and the first few days of opening are well known in the Keys. The relatively shallow and protected water that lobster inhabit make it a fun family activity.

Keys residents also eagerly await the October 15th opening for Stone Crab. Recreational anglers are able to fish five traps each.

I’ve done both with some success.

Although there is plenty of fodder for stories about the opening of lobster season, Wood’s Bones features the commercial side of things.

Stone Crab from our traps

A two-person limit

The waters of both the Atlantic and Gulf sides of the keys are cluttered with colorful buoys from August through May. Many people think they are a nuisance, which they are, but they also tell a story.

Though heavily restricted, commercial fishermen with the proper tags and licenses do well with both lobster and crab. With overlapping seasons many fish for both, though the techniques and bait differ.

Lobster traps are larger, 3’ x 3’ x 2’ and are baited with short (juvenile) lobster. The spiny lobster is a communal animal and the smaller lobster and the structure and apparent shelter of the trap are both attractants. Once the trap is pulled, the lobster are kept alive in large live wells aboard the commercial boats.

Stone crab traps are 2’ x 2’ x 2’ and are baited with almost anything. Hogs feet are a go-to as they last. I’ve personally had the best success by jamming the trap with fish carcasses. Mackerel and bonito seem to be favorites. The stone crab will eat everything from standard baits to table scraps to - you’ll have to read the book.

Wood’s Bones gets into both methods as well as the identification of the traps and vessels. Each commercial operation has a designated color and pattern for their buoys. These are required to be submitted to the state and displayed in an 8” circle on the boats wheelhouse and a 20” circle on the roof. Also displayed are the saltwater products license, vessel registration, and endorsement number.

The markings make it clear from a distance it the license holder is working their own traps or as in the case of the story, poaching.