With my political aspirations behind me I'm back to concentrating on my charter business and lobstering.
This mild winter as been great to take inventory of my gear ( traps) and make sure it's ready to fish this coming May. My 1st mate and I have held non-commercial lobster licence's for years which is 10 pots per person. There is nothing like a fresh bug (lobster) 1hour after you take it out of the water. I never use butter because the meat is so sweet when it's that fresh.
Tom and I like to fish the 2x3 ft traps not only because we can fit them all on the boat but because we are getting older and pulling the traps by hand can get abit much when a commercial lobsterman lays his 10 pot troll on top of our single pots.
Every year we check with the Massachsetts Marine Fisheries for the non-commercial lobster regulations.
This year Min. size is 3 1/4 thats placing a gauge from the eye socket to the bottom of the body.Max.size 5".
!0 traps, Escape Vent 1 15/16 x 5 3/4 Bag Limit 15 per day.
As the season gets closer I'll talk more about the gear and the differences between male and female lobsters because you can't take the females. There's nothing like a fresh bug.....
My wife took me up to Maine for a weekend last May for my birthday. We had lobster cooked a million different ways and then stopped down in Seabrook for some fresh ones. That time of year-with a hard shell-I don't think it gets any better than that.
ReplyDeleteYour right Murph, the lobsters have from July to the following June to grow into their new shells. By May they are full of meat and begin to molt and shed their shells. Has many of you know when you buy a lobster in July and Aug. they are soft shelled and have litte meat in the claws and tails.
ReplyDeleteThe spring is the best time to harvest or buy lobsters but that is also the most costly time to buy. Right now lobsters wholesale off the boat at 2.99 a pound retail at 4.99 a pound. It's tough to make a living as a commercial lobsterman,between the fuel and the flats of herring for bait. I've heard that some lobsterman in Maine are holding there catch in shallow tidewater pens till the price comes up.