I started out like most other kids in the fishing industry: long before I had my driver’s license! I’d string lobster bait after school for my father and assemble used, hand-me-down traps that usually had to be repaired just to make them “fish-able”. I’d set these traps in a small, homemade skiff and fish along the beach, pulling the traps along by hand. Before long, I was "out catching" with the old timers. {which did nothing but piss them off!}

That was over 30 years ago. Since then, I’ve run and captained many lobster boats, mostly my own, and have mainly fished the Offshore Canyons and Georges Banks off the coast of Maine and New England.

So, what’s it like to be a Lobster Guy ?:

Our trips usually run 5-6 days, dock to dock and we fish year round. This includes winter fishing during the harsh weather of the North Atlantic. We never stop.

Being away so much has a cost. I’ve missed most of my four children grow up. I’ve missed out on a lot, really. ...Birthdays, anniversaries ... and sadly, the bad stuff too...accidents, deaths ...but, mostly, just being home when I was needed.

60-70 mile an hour winds and 20-30 foot seas are not uncommon during the winter season. It’s a cold, lonely place to be 150 miles away from home, hauling traps while freezing your butt off and working a 20 hour day, most days. Still, the freedom and independence of being your own boss in a place where the ocean is your backyard, can't be replaced by working a land job. I wouldn't trade it for anything!

The One that got away:

On one of our most memorable trips, we were doing REALLY well catching lots of lobster and when the last pot came aboard, it had the biggest lobster I have ever seen! It was SO big that it could only get its claw in the trap! There it was, just dangling as the trap came up...I mean this lobster was well over 30 lbs.

I reached over to grab it with both my hands and fell over the rail as I did. One of my deckhands caught me by the boots and held on as we got that monster on board. We all stood there staring at it and doing the math..it was MASSIVE!....30 plus pounds at $6.00 a pound.... This one lobster was worth over $180.00 all by itself.

HOWEVER, we have a tradition on board that was passed on to me by my Dad, Grandfather and the other "old timers.” The tradition is to always, no matter what, throw back the last lobster caught to ensure that there are more lobster to catch next time.

So, looking down at the lobster, I figured that, after evading our traps for this long, he had earned the right to go back and live out his life at sea...and after all, tradition is tradition. Back he went.          {some of the crew were just a little pissed at me!}

The Perfect Storm-The October Gail:

One of my scariest experiences at sea was during the October Gail when my propeller shaft broke. It was flat calm when it happened, but within three hours the winds were blowing 30-40 knots from the Southeast and were against our favor. We were still 125 miles out and could not move on our own without power. The winds picked up to 50-70 knots and we put out a mayday to dispatch a Coast Guard Cutter.

It took the Coast Guard about 8 hours to reach us. The weather was so bad that the only way they could get a tow line to us was by shooting round, fluorescent "darts" from a shotgun at us. The darts carried leader lines to the tow rope. The seas were so big, that the cutter would rise up in front of us in the swells and the crewmen on the cutter would time there shots on the 30 foot waves!

This was all happening while the Captain of The Coast Guard cutter was driving the boat, from a tower 25 feet up in the rigging, exposed to all the elements!

After about a dozen tries, we got it done, and began the slow ride home, fair wind, thank God! That was some of the best...craziest “boat driving" I have EVER seen, and I can handle a boat better than most!We had sustained winds of 96 knots and seas 42 feet and cresting.I honestly don't know if we would be alive today without the help of that cutter.

 Eat My Lobster:

We ship our "hard earned" Live Maine Lobsters all over the country by way of Fed Ex, Monday thru Friday {some Saturday delivery is also available from Fed Ex}.

We ship strictly overnight direct to your door, and have been doing so since 1996!

We’re proud to say that we get many comments from our customers complimenting us on the care of packing as well as the quality and affordability of our products!

Thanks,

Capt Timmy
The Lobsterguy.com

Ferry Wharf Fish Market-296 Great Island Road-Narragansett, RI 02882 (866)788-0004