PREPARING FOR MINISEASON

Fishing License Renewal

With miniseason only a few weeks away its time to start preparing so that you are ready to go at that first slack tide. The most important thing every lobsterman needs (after their net and tickle stick) would be their lobster license.

Available at a variety of locations a fishing license is an essential requirement if you are planning on catching some bugs this July. Prices can be found at the FWC's website, but for a cost analysis breakdown the only place to go is... right here. 

For out-of-state residents its pretty simple, if you are only planning on fishing in FL for miniseason the most logical option is the $17, 3-day saltwater fishing license with the added $5 lobster permit. Obviously, if you'll be here longer the 7 day or Annual licenses are also available.

For Florida residents the age old question lingers... to buy the lifetime license or not? Well here is our completely unscientific breakdown:

Current Rates (assuming you are over 13, because if not just buy the damn lifetime license):

Lifetime: $301.50

Annual License: $22 ($17 + $5 lobster permit)

Basically, if you were to continue buying the annual license you would break even after 13 years of miniseasons. However, if you take into account increases in license costs (in 2010 the lobster permit increased $3),  inflation, and online purchase surcharges, and you are more likely to break even in about 9 or 10 years. 

Of course 10 years sounds like a long time, but seeing as how this is my 6th year I'm kicking myself for only buying the lifetime license last year. Plus if you add in the added benefit of not needing to remember to renew your license every year, it just starts making sense.

As a bonus the money spent on lifetime licenses actually goes to a really awesome conservation program. The money collected is not allowed to be spent, but all of the interest that it earns goes to funding fish and wildlife programs. 

P.S. I have totally lost count of how many years I've gone, but I think 6 is pretty close.

Recipes for a Mini-Season Feast

Grilled Lobster Tails

Grilled lobster tails are a great way to mix it up from the normal steam bath that tails typically get.

Ingredients

1. Tails
2. Melted Butter
3. Garlic
4. Fresh Lime
5. Salt
6. Pepper

Directions

Follow instructions on how to de-shell the lobster. Once you have the tails out of the shell get a nice hot grill. We will be cooking the tails directly on the fire.

Mince and smash fresh garlic and add it to a tablespoon or two of butter. Melt the butter with the garlic in it.

Brush both sides of the tails with the Garlic butter. Add a small amount of salt and pepper to taste (remember most butter has salt in it and if the tails are fresh they just came out of salt water).

Place the tail meat directly on the HOT fire. Cook for about 1-2 minutes and flip. Squeeze a little lime juice on the tails. Cook for another 1-2 minutes or until the tail has a little color on it.

AMATEUR HOUR

Grabbing the Antennae

It is easy to get caught up in the moment and try to pull a bug out of his hole with your bare hand. Every lobsterman has tried it at some point. Those antennae sticking out from underneath that rock just look too tempting. However, as you will quickly learn this is a fast way to not only scare your catch farther into his crevice but to also sentence it to death.

Spiny lobsters don't have claws to defend themselves, that means their antennae server as their main defensive weapon. Despite this, a lobster will quickly shed its antennae and limbs if they are grasped by a predator. There is no way that you will catch a lobster by grabbing it by anything other than its carapace, so don't even bother to try. Not only will you not have a way to clean the bastard if you do manage to catch him, but he has become an easy meal for smarter predators than you. Studies have shown that the survival rate for a lobster without antennae is substantially less than that of one with even one antennae.

Likewise, you also want to be careful when removing a lobster from your net and measuring it because at that point the lobster is extremely threatened and will easily drop its appendages in an attempt to escape. Remember, those shorts will some day be legal sized and if you rip off its legs and antennae then some fish, and not you, is going to be the one eating it.

PIRATE MUSIC

Brine and Bastards - The Fog

EVOLUTION OF THE FLAG

For those of you out there who are history buffs, I figured I would give you all a glimpse into the creation of our official logo. The original design was hastily created during an epiphany. It was a crude mock up of my ultimate vision, but it formed the basis of what would eventually become the infamous pirate lobster flag.

The legend continues after the jump...

UM... HOLY SHIT!

Two Months to Miniseason

Thanks to being distracted by the end of the world and without all of last year's activities, like creating the flag, logistics of the coozies, designing the t-shirts, and the relying on the monthly countdown, I will have to admit that the immanency of miniseason has escaped me. My fellow lobstermen, I kid you not, but there is a mere two months until the first bugs of the season will be slaughtered.

So request time off from work and start your training routines because this is really happening. Of course, now that I've realized how close we are the time will probably just pass that much more slowly. Oh well, at least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

INDIAN KEY

If you manage to catch your limit with some time to kill, one thing you might want to check out is the Key's very own ghost town, known as Indian Key. At one point in time this island was the county seat for Monroe County, but now it is a State Park. Along with Key West, the island was the only part of the keys to remain populated during the Second Seminole War. That is, until the Seminole Indians staged a raid of the island and massacred 13 of the residents while forcing the other 50 or so people to flee the island.

There is not a whole lot to do on Indian Key, but it has an interesting history and there are still some remnants left from the people who lived there. There is a nice boat dock and a lookout tower provided by the park service, but I don't remember there being a whole lot else. I do remember it being really hot, with not much shade on the walking paths. Its a tiny island and only takes a short time to explore, so if you happen to be boating by with some time to kill be sure to check it out.

While you are there, try to guess what the "deep opening" is in the town square... because thanks to this placard we know that the Florida Park System has no idea. Hey, at least they're honest.