Early October is when both recreational and commercial seasons begin locally for a favored delicacy, spiny lobster. We are lucky munchers to live where spiny lobsters are abundant because they are abundantly delicious. They are typically found from Point Conception southward into Baja waters.
Recreational season opened on Saturday, Oct. 3, and commercial season has been underway since Oct. 7.
Marine scientists tell me spiny lobsters make lots of babies during El Niño years and we have been through a prolonged series of El Niño events, so chances are good that there will be loads of young lobsters and growing numbers of keepers over the next several years. Recent seasons have shown the resource to be surprisingly robust.
For do-it-yourselfers, catching lobster can be fun and rewarding. Stop by Hook, Line & Sinker fishing center, 4010 Calle Real, Santa Barbara, to ask about lobster licenses and gear for diving or hoop netting, then get in the water from the beach or from a boat and catch your own.
Hoop netting lobster from boats and kayaks has gained immensely in popularity over the past several years and can be quite productive. Buy some mackerel, anchovies or sardines, put it in a bait cage, connect it to the hoop net and head offshore at night.
If you know some boat wreck sites, your chances are great. Otherwise, drop the hoops next to kelp or rocks. Pull the hoops every couple of hours and move the empty ones to another spot.
For most folks, buying lobster to cook at home is the best way to go. Our local commercial fisherfolk are great people. I know many of them and consider them to be fine people who will give you a fair deal and happily share stories of their adventures at sea. They love what they do for a living and it shows.
Santa Barbara still has its beloved Fisherman’s Market on Saturday mornings, 7-11 a.m. on the Navy Pier near Brophy’s.
Coming to the Fisherman’s Market is like a combination of great shopping and a chance to get to know some seafaring characters who have saltwater flowing through their veins. I highly recommend this specialty shopping experience and getting to know some of the members of the Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara.
Seafood dinners don’t come any fresher than buying it live from a commercial fisher or catching it yourself. A lobster dinner at home or at a friend’s place is fabulous fare and great fun. Lobster season runs well into March and hopefully the delicious critters will be readily available all through the season.
October, however, is the beginning and the most fun and exciting part of the season.
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
