Title: Maine Lobster Fishing Information | USA Today
Headings: Maine Lobster Fishing Information
Maine Lobster Fishing Information
Travel Tips
Hard shell vs. Soft shell
Size Requirements
Travel Tips Video
Egg-Bearing Females
Tourism
Lobster Tours
Fishing in Bar Harbor, Maine
Travel Tips
Fishing Season
Licenses
Saltwater Fishing Areas
Saltwater Species
Freshwater Fishing Areas
Freshwater Species

Content: Hard shell vs. Soft shell
Lobsters go through a molting process as they grow during which time they shed their old shells and produce new ones. Adult male lobsters shed their shells twice a year and adult females shed them once a year. The new shell is soft and pliant for months as it slowly hardens. The meat in soft-shell lobsters, colloquially known as "shedders" is sweeter and more tender than that of hard-shell lobsters. Shedder season in Maine usually occurs around early summer and again around early winter. Size Requirements
Although the regulations dealing with lobster size are more in place to benefit the lobster populations, consumers also reap the benefit. The meat in lobsters that are too big, and therefore too old, is usually tough, stringy and bland. The body portion of a lobster's carapace must be between 3 1/4 inches and 5 inches in order for it to be a keeper. The measurement is taken from the lobster's eye to the point just before the tail. A special tool called a "double-sided gauge" is used to take the measurements.