Got up super early yesterday to go out at the beginning of mini-season. My neighbor Al had been out scouting and had come back with big news of a large area where there where tons of lobster. He was so excited it was infectious. So I agreed to take my boat first thing in the morning along with some of his friends to the spot so we could pillage it.

We got up around dawn and headed out to the spot, unfortunately the spot was well known being close to Key West and there where already a bunch of boats on it. Some of the boats already had divers in the water with flashlights, before dawn. It was a bad sign. We jumped in at dawn, caught a few lobsters, but then it started to ridiculous This guy mike and I where diving on a rock in about 12 feet deep, i had already pulled a lobster out of it, and there where more. We were catching our breath on the surface and this guy on scuba goes right underneath us and starting working the rock we are on top off. Then my other friend get a lobster out of rock and this other guy swims in and tries to take it. At this point I am thinking we should get out if here, if we want to get some lobster and avoid possible confrontations.

So we got out of there, which is kind of pain in the ass with a group of people. Everyone has a schedule that they want everyone else to follow. So essentially Dustin and I bailed on everyone and went out to the reef.

What a difference a little drive makes, flat calm blue crystal clear water on the reef , a few boats but everyone minding there distances. The lobsters where everywhere, we pretty much limited out in no time. We started getting picky just trying to find bigger lobsters. It was great, peaceful, and productive. As much as its cool to catch lobsters a stones throw from Key West , it doesn’t seem worth it to deal with the yahoos.

Went out Friday the 25th with Catherine and Brian, Catherine had to work in the morning and Brian had to be home before too late because he is taking a trip to Cancun. So we went out around 12:30-1:00 pm and were back by around 5:30. Conditions were good, 10-12 knot wind from the east . Visibility on the reef was a chalky 30-35 feet, and on the bar it was about 55 feet. There was a 1.5 knot west bound current on the bar.

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Beautiful day yesterday, Cal, Brad , Catherine and I went out. It was flat calm most of the day with less than 10 knots of wind. The plan was to run west but once we got out near Boca Grande the vis on the main reef was less the 20 feet so didn’t go any further. In the deeper water the vis was a hazy 50 feet.

Water was hot, and fish where scarce, did a lot of drifting in around 50 feet. Didn’t see much, picked up a barely legal black off some rocks.

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Went out yesterday with Brian and Catherine. It nice at first , 10-12 knot wind 40-50 feet of visibility on the main reef. We hit some rocks in front of Key West.

We shot some hogs and some mangroves didn’t see much else we were only in 25 feet of water and it was kind of dead on the bigger fish.

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Went out in front of Key West with Catherine , the conditions were awesome, around 100 feet of visibility all day. A 1 knot or so west or northwest bound current and flat calm seas.

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Went out yesterday with Catherine, didn’t really need any fish so I left my gun in the boat. I took some pictures and Catherine practiced free diving onto the schools of spawning mangroves. She is excited to be able to hunt the fish in 40 feet of water now, as was I a little bit ago. She is at the level now where her depths will increase rapidly, I think. I think such a big part of free diving is just mental, I went for being happy with shooting stuff on the bottom in 35 feet, to shooting at stuff at 60-70 feet pretty quickly. I don’t think there was a major physiological change in my body. I just relax more, and the good visibility helps.

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