Stone crab season in Islamorada Florida Keys!

Well as of October 15th it's been stone crab season in Islamorada all the way through May 15th next year!  These guys have delicious claws which people all over love to feast on!  If your a florida resident your allowed 5 traps to fish for stone crab in islamorada.  You can buy the traps for many different retailers throughout the keys, including Dixie Aluminum.  Simply fill the bottoms with concrete and bait them and you should be good to go!  How to catch stone crab in the florida keys?  Well you'll see lots of traps all throughout the bayside and oceanside, mostly commercial.  This can give one a good idea where to set, but dont set crossing anybody elses line paths.  Most people put their traps out in a straight line.  Florida Keys Stone Crab can be in deeper water as well as in just a few feet, try different areas.  For bait we mostly use fish carcasses as there are plenty of them in our line of work, though people also use chicken necks, pigs feet, or even cans of cat food with holes punched in them.  When you catch stone crab in islamorada be careful as they are very strong and can do a number on your fingers.  Your allowed to keep both claws if they measure out, 2 3/4 inch currently though double check each season.  Islamorada stone crab claws are usually boiled for 7 minutes or so and served either hot or cold.  Spicy mustard sauce goes great with them, horseradish with some mustard and mayo is a simple version.  Good luck stone crab fishing!