‘These are huge, nothing like the Keys’: How one captain finds spiny lobster in the deep Gulf
When Capt. Anthony Fantauzzo returns home from fishing trips, even his neighbors are surprised by where his catches come from.
“They see what’s in the box and ask where I caught them,” Fantauzzo said. “I tell them right in our backyard.”
Fantauzzo offers unique charters for anglers looking to explore in the Gulf of Mexico. Not only does he take people fishing for grouper, snapper, amberjack and more, he also gives spear fisherman and divers the opportunity to catch one of the delicacies of the Gulf, Florida’s spiny lobster.
“Targeting lobster in the Gulf is hard. But I discovered years ago on grouper hunts when diving we started to see them. Grouper, eels and lobster seem to share the same area. If we go digging for grouper between 90 and 120 feet we’ll drop a couple divers, they’ll look in the holes and we go from there,” explained Fantauzzo.
Florida’s spiny lobster are more associated with the Florida Keys and Caribbean Sea. The regular season began Aug. 6 with a six per person daily bag limit. A minimum size carapace of 3 inches is required for keeping.
“What’s awesome about the deep Gulf is they are huge, we don’t have to measure any of them. I don’t honestly remember the last time I measured one,” Fantauzzo said.
“The average size is probably seven to 12 pounds. These are huge, nothing like the Keys. Down there every other one you’re probably measuring. The thing we look for over here is if they have eggs we let them go.”
Over the last few years, divers in inshore and intercoastal waters have been encountering more lobster. Many have been seen along areas where stone crabs are seen among rocky bottom and ledges. These are typically smaller, not like what Fantauzzo and his divers encounter when offshore. Inshore lobster tend to move around, while the offshore ones seem to stick to a spot.
Keeping notes of diver sightings has allowed Fantauzzo to know where lobster are even when the season closes after March 31st. From his experience, they don’t go far once they find a home.
“I think the lobsters here find a spot they like and stay there from what I’ve noticed,” he said. “I’ve seen them out of season and marked on the GPS ‘Lobster here.’ Three months later we’ll come back and they’ll be in the same spot.”
The big news from this week relates to one of the most popular charter fishing targets. After August, red grouper will be closed due to the 2022 recreational annual catch target of 1.84 million pounds projected to be reached. When this occurs, Fantauzzo will change locations, but keep lobster as an option for those who want it.
“Red snapper will close for us on the 18th and then red grouper at the end of the month,” he said. “We’ll start going to wrecks for amberjack and other species. But there’s always the chance for lobster when people get down to the bottom.”
