Gear: 'Jugit' Marker Buoy

Locating lobster is hard, using maps, GPS, and one of the best resources, your eyes, you can eventually find them, (check out our guide on how to find lobster spots.) Once you see them, you need something to tell you where you saw them. With the waves, current, and the wind sometimes you will find a spot than almost immediately lose it. There are several marker products available for purchase; however, the best product we’ve found is called ‘Jugit.’

Using a marker buoy is important when checking your spots for lobster because most of the time you don’t have a perfect mark on your spot and have to spend some time searching the area for the ledge, rock, or hole you have marked on your GPS. The marker buoy is a good way for both the diver(s) and the captain operating the boat to stay in the general area of the spot without getting too far off track and losing the mark.

We’ve used a few different marker buoys over the years but have always had issues with them. The problems we’ve encountered are, the line not being long enough for the depth, all the line being let out resulting in the weight being drug off the original mark, or not being easily visible at a distance. Through exploring the internet, we came across the Jugit and it has changed the way we operate during mini season.

On our boat, we’ve transformed the name Jugit into a verb. When approaching a spot, we will yell, “JUG IT!” meaning to grab the Jugit and get ready to lob it over the side of the boat when we navigate over our spot. The Jugit is a counterweighted buoy that floats on the top of the water and has 200 feet of cord attached to a 2 lb anchor weight. The counterweights are used to keep the buoy in place without releasing unnecessary line in rough conditions. It also has an orange paint job making it easily visible from a reasonable distance away from the boat.

The Jugit is a must-have piece of gear that we ensure is on the boat at all times and is a crucial part of our week hunting lobster. After several years of abuse, we still have it today and, it is and will continue to be, our marker buoy of choice for the foreseeable future. We would highly recommend it to anyone looking to upgrade from a standard marker buoy, or the beginner who wants to skip the hassle of the usual marker buoys available.

The Jugit can be found for purchase, here

-JL