The night before opening day, Big Jimmy's Seafood checked a trap and found it "absolutely loaded." Jimmy Lee Perry planned to head into the Gulf at 5 a.m. on October 15, and the family hoped to have fresh claws ready that same evening. They also knew the claws still had to be steamed, chilled in an ice bath, weighed and sorted by size before anyone could buy them. The Naples Current reported that Friday afternoon was the safer bet.

That trap is where every claw in Naples starts this season. Where a claw ends up, and what you pay for it, depends on how many hands it passes through on the way. In this town, several of the best-known seafood spots have cut out some of those hands.

The Price Gets Set Away From the Boat

At the Blessing of the Stone Crab Fleet in Everglades City on October 3, crabber Macbeth "Mackie" Collins told WINK News that his fuel costs were "double from what we started at last year." He couldn't simply raise his price to cover it.

"I wish I could, but other people tell me what they're going to give us for them. That's just how it is."

Buyers set the price, and buyers respond to supply. Last season shows how much that can move things. In a December 5, 2025 market analysis, SeafoodNews reported that landings had picked up and the wholesale benchmark for colossal claws had dropped to $30 a pound. That was the lowest for that time of year since 2020.

This year's early signs point toward a good supply. Collins expected "a pretty good season" for production. Kelly Kirk of the Florida Stone Crabbers Association described "a beautiful summer. No big storms. The water quality is outstanding right now." Kirk also passed along an old Everglades City saying that bad mosquito seasons mean plenty of stone crabs, and said she expected it to hold true this year.

So supply looks strong, fuel costs more, and the people pulling traps don't set the price. That makes the businesses with their own line to the boats the most interesting part of Naples' stone crab scene.

The Restaurants That Own Their Supply Line

Two of the city's most family-friendly stone crab spots are connected to the water behind them, not just to a distributor.

Kelly's Fish House has been on the Gordon River since the early 1950s. The family behind it also runs Combs Fish Company, which supplies stone crab to the restaurant and to other buyers. When a restaurant buys from its own boats, it is also a seller in the market that sets the price.

Pinchers at Tin City runs a bigger version of the same setup. Locally owned Phelan Family Brands partnered with the Haugland family of Island Crab Company on Pine Island, which ties the restaurant group straight to the boats harvesting its seafood. That link showed up at the 16th annual Naples Stone Crab Festival at Tin City, October 23 through 25. Marketing and advertising director Kevin Rooney told WINK News that Pinchers works closely with local crab trappers to bring in thousands of stone crabs for the event. Admission was free, and donations went to Honor Flight, which helps veterans visit memorials in Washington, D.C.

One Step Closer, Buying From the Fisherman

If the restaurant-owned boat is one shortcut, buying from the person who pulled the trap removes the restaurant too. Two Naples operations make that easy, as long as you plan around their schedules.

• Big Jimmy's Seafood. A family operation run by Jimmy Lee Perry. Its opening-week pickup ran on the Friday after opening day, from noon to 6 p.m., first come, first served, while supplies lasted. New customers get the pickup address by sending a message on Facebook, which is also the place to ask about current pickup times. In mid-October the family announced plans for Seafood Saturdays with stone crab, blue crabs, smoked mullet and seafood boils.
• Dilly's Fish Co. Sells its catch on Fridays in the parking lot of Mike's Bait House on Danford Street, and also supplies local restaurants. What's for sale depends on that week's haul, so check their Facebook page to see whether stone crab is available before you drive over.

Both setups work on the fishery's own timing. Big Jimmy's said it would post prices only after opening-day market pricing was set, and the prices on the chalkboard in its photo are from an earlier season. Ask for the current week's price before you go.

The Market Counter, Where You Choose the Grade

Next up the ladder are two places that are both seafood markets and restaurants. You can take claws home or sit down and eat them there.

Swan River Seafood has run the market-and-restaurant combination for decades and carries a wide selection of stone crab in season. Captain & Krewe, just off Cambier Park, has a more contemporary setup with a raw bar, cold-water oysters and a strong stone crab selection during the season. The Naples Current describes both as known for quality, with prices that reflect it.

At a market counter you see the size grades side by side, and the price gap between them is the same supply-and-demand math the crabbers deal with at the dock.

The Tables Where the Setting Is the Point

At the top of the ladder are the meals where you're paying as much for the room or the view as for the claw.

Truluck's has a dark dining room, live piano and a menu built around stone crab. The Turtle Club serves claws on Vanderbilt Beach, with tables practically on the sand. The Naples Current suggests checking on this season's stone crab availability at the Turtle Club before going specifically for claws. That's good advice at any restaurant without its own boat, because a busy weekend can run through a supplier's stock.

The Rules That Decide What Reaches Any of These Places

Every claw on this list, from Dilly's parking lot to a Turtle Club platter, comes from the same fishery under the same rules. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, only claws may be harvested, a claw must measure at least 2⅞ inches, and the state-water season runs October 15 through May 1, closing May 2.

Some of those rules are fairly new. FWC's rule history shows that a rule effective October 1, 2020, raised the minimum claw size to 2⅞ inches and moved the season's close to May 1. If you remember eating claws in mid-May, the May 15 date you have in mind is gone. The same rule package added a 2 3/16-inch escape ring requirement for plastic and wood traps. FWC's rule history and its current commercial regulations page list different seasons for when the ring rule kicked in, but both say it is in effect now.

The fishery's appeal rests on the fact that claws are taken and the crab goes back into the Gulf, where it can grow them back. FWC allows both legal-size claws to be harvested, and The Naples Current notes that leaving one claw intact helps the crab feed and defend itself while the other regrows. If you'd like to pull a trap off your own dock, FWC requires recreational fishers 16 and older to complete a free crab-trap registration before using stone crab or blue crab traps. Treat this as general information, not legal advice, and check FWC's current rules for your situation before setting a trap.

Where to Find the Pinchers Network Next

The Island Crab Company group shows up again on November 14. The USA TODAY Naples Wine & Food Experience runs from noon to 4 p.m. at Paradise Coast Sports Complex. Pinchers and Deep Lagoon are among the listed participants, along with Oar & Iron and The Hampton Social. Tickets are $75 and go up to $80 on November 13.

The season runs through May 1, so there's time to work your way up the ladder. Start with a Friday stop at Dilly's or a message to Big Jimmy's, take the kids to Kelly's on the Gordon River, and save Truluck's or the Turtle Club for an occasion. When you're ready to talk about life in Naples beyond stone crab season, Adam Papish and the team are glad to share what we know about the community.