One November night six years ago, Jimmie Salazar was invited to go hoop-netting for lobsters by a good friend and fellow kayaker.
It was an interesting combination, Salazar thought, kayaking and hoop-netting for tasty spiny lobsters.
“He had the hoop nets rigged and all the bait we needed,” Salazar writes in his book, “Hoopin' It Up, A Guide to Lobster and Crab Hoop Netting.” “The first lobster dinner was free, and I was hooked. I was so hooked I bought five nets the following day.”
An avid kayak angler and guide who still works as a key grip for the motion picture industry, Salazar isn't surprised hoop-netting for lobsters has become such a huge diversion for Southern Californians every fall and winter. Salazar is known for packing rooms with his seminars as a representative for Promar, the manufacturer of fishing tackle and outdoor products. The sport combines aerobics, hunting, trapping and fishing, with a carnival atmosphere that has anglers dropping a hoop net to capture what game wardens call “red gold.”
“When I start seminars I ask how many have hoop-netted for lobsters before, and it's not unusual to see 50 percent or more who haven't tried it yet,” Salazar said. “It's something to do in the winter when there's all the rockfish closures, and it's just a lot of fun.”
That fun started this morning at 12:01 a.m., the opening of spiny lobster season in California. It's a huge weekend for divers and hoop netters alike, with contests for biggest lobsters, parties and cookouts on the beach and big gatherings at places like Werner Kurn's Ocean Enterprises on Balboa Avenue.
Boats and kayaks are out in force in the bays and on the ocean, something that wasn't the case as recently as six years ago. That's when divers had the fishery mostly to themselves, but in the past five years, hoop netters have turned their method of catching lobsters into the fastest-growing segment in ocean fishing today.
The rapid growth even caught the Department of Fish and Game off guard. Last year, the DFG approached divers and hoop netters with volunteer surveys to get an idea of the amount of lobster fishing effort that was going on. This year, the DFG is requiring all recreational lobster hunters to have a $7.90 Lobster Report Card in possession.
“Fish and Game is going to raise over $500,000 in fees on the first sale of these cards,” Salazar said. “I can only hope that there's an increase in warden pay scale or more wardens are hired or that some of the money goes to lobster research.”
Salazar understands why the DFG had to go to the report cards. Lobster poaching is a huge problem and hit to the resource. The report cards will help stop some of that, but the cards also give the DFG a better idea of how many lobsters are caught by recreational divers and hoop netters.
“I know this is necessary if I want to catch lobsters 10 years from now and for my kids to be able to catch lobsters,” Salazar said.
Salazar has a theory about why the sport grew so quickly.
“About five years ago, guys were posting pictures and stories on the Internet of all these huge lobsters they caught hoop netting,” Salazar said. “I really think that's what got the sport going.”
Salazar's book is a must-read for all who intend to enter the sport. It's the first comprehensive look into hoop-netting for lobsters and crabs, and Salazar lays the information out in a simple, easy-to-read way. There are five chapters that cover all aspects of hoop netting. He includes lobster history, trivia, a check list for lobster and crab hooping and even some fine recipes for lobster and crab.
But he's not all about catching and grilling. He's big on catch-and-release of larger female lobsters to preserve the fishery.
“Hoopin' It Up” retails for $14.95 and is available at most bait and tackle shops. Salazar's Web site is sabaslayer.com, e-mail him at jim@sabaslayer.com or call him at (310) 901-4616 to arrange for a guide trip.
Ed Zieralski: (619) 293-1225; ed.zieralski@uniontrib.com
