The tents at Tin City came down on Sunday, Oct. 25, after three days of claws, live music and waterfront crowds at 1200 Fifth Avenue South. The weekend opened Friday with the ceremonial cracking of the first claw. The season itself had opened on Oct. 15, and in Florida state waters it runs through May 1. That leaves about six months of claws, and the two best-known places to get them sit where Fifth Avenue South reaches the Gordon River.
The Claws Start Their Trip in Everglades City
The boats that supply those claws were sent off in Everglades City twelve days before the opener. On Oct. 3, the Florida Stone Crabbers Association held its annual Blessing of the Stone Crab Fleet at Camellia Street Grill. Faith leaders blessed about 20 boats as crabbers' families and captains gathered for the 17-year-old tradition, Naples Press reported. The Naples Daily News photo gallery from the same morning counted about 18.
These are family operations. Macbeth "Mackie" Collins has crabbed for more than three decades, and Naples Press quoted him on what the work means across generations:
"I'm a third-generation stone crabber. My son, 'Lil' Mac,' he's a fourth-generation stone crabber, and my grandfather was pretty much a pioneer in this industry … It's nice to be able to keep passing that torch on down."
Before the opener, the industry's outlook was good. Kelly Kirk of the Florida Stone Crabbers Association told Naples Press the fleet was going into the season after a beautiful summer, no big storms and excellent water quality. She added a sign from local tradition: "The old-timers used to say that when the mosquitoes were really bad, we expected a lot of stone crabs, and I think that that's going to hold true this year."
The cost side looked less comfortable. WINK News reported before the season that one Everglades City fisherman was starting with fuel costs double what he paid a year earlier, though he still expected a potentially good production season. All of these comments came before Oct. 15, so they describe what the fleet expected going in.
Two Addresses at the Foot of Fifth Avenue South
Those Everglades City boats explain why the Fifth Avenue South waterfront matters here. The two best-documented places to get claws near Aqualane Shores sit a block apart on the same avenue, where it meets the river.
- Kelly's Fish House Dining Room, 1302 Fifth Avenue South. The restaurant sits on the Gordon River and advertises "fresh-caught stone crabs" for an Oct. 15 to May 1 season. Its website lists dinner hours of 4:30 to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
- Pinchers at Tin City, 1200 Fifth Avenue South. The chain's Naples location page lists the Tin City address, phone and email. Pinchers is the link between the docks and the festival. WINK reported that it works with local trappers to bring thousands of crabs to the event, where visitors could buy claws in several sizes.
The festival claws and the November claws come through the same Tin City kitchen. Kelly's dining room hours shape when you can go. It serves dinner six nights a week and is closed on Sundays, so a Sunday claw craving means Tin City. For a household that boats, both addresses sit on the Gordon River side of Naples Bay, the same water many Aqualane Shores canals lead to. Before taking the boat, call ahead about docking.
The Date to Keep Is May 1
The best-known local mistake about stone crab season is when it ends.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission moved the closing date from May 15 to May 1. The rule took effect Oct. 1, 2020, according to the FWC's July 22, 2020 announcement. The agency said the fishery had seen a long-term decline in harvest and was likely being overfished, and it described the changes as a way to rebuild the population and make the fishery more resilient. The same package raised the minimum claw size from 2¾ inches to 2⅞ inches. It also required escape rings in plastic and wood traps before the 2023/2024 season, so smaller crabs can get out.
The FWC's stone crab rules page is clear: the season opens Oct. 15 and runs through May 1, closing May 2. Only claws may be harvested, never the whole crab.
Six years later, the old date still turns up. The caption on this month's Naples Daily News blessing gallery gives the season as Oct. 15 to May 15, and at least one longtime Naples seafood restaurant's website still lists the same window. If you're planning a spring dinner for visitors around the last claws of the year, use May 1. Kelly's own calendar already does.
Here are the season's key dates, from the first blessing to the closing day:
- Oct. 3, 2026: The Everglades City fleet blessing at Camellia Street Grill
- Oct. 15, 2026: The season opens in state waters
- Oct. 23 to 25, 2026: The Naples Stone Crab Festival at Tin City
- May 1, 2027: The last day of harvest
- May 2, 2027: The season is closed
What the Opening Prices Looked Like on the Other Coast
The Fifth Avenue South kitchens have not posted per-pound prices for this season online. The clearest early numbers come from Southeast Florida. On Oct. 19, 2026, the South Florida Sun Sentinel published opening-week prices from Broward and Palm Beach county suppliers. They are not Naples prices, but they show how far apart two sellers in the same market can be:
Claw size | Vinny's Stone Crab & Seafood | Triar Seafood |
|---|---|---|
Medium | $22/lb | $39/lb |
Large | $32/lb | $49/lb |
Jumbo | $45/lb | $69/lb |
Colossal | $50/lb | $79/lb |
The gap between the two sellers runs from $17 a pound on mediums to $29 a pound on colossals. The same report said opening supplies were generally strong, medium claws were somewhat scarce, and diesel was still expensive.
On the Gulf side, Mackie Collins told Naples Press he would not raise his prices to cover higher fuel costs, because buyers set the price they are willing to pay. Taken together with WINK's report on doubled fuel costs, the boats are absorbing more of this season's expense. That makes the size and condition of the catch over the next few months the thing to watch. A strong haul spreads those costs over more claws. Supply will also shift through a six-month season, so the price on Fifth Avenue South in early November may not be the price in March. When you order or call ahead, ask for the market price by size.
Six Months on the Same Stretch of River
The season's calendar is the practical takeaway. The blessing in Everglades City sent the boats out. The Oct. 15 opener and the Tin City festival brought the claws to Naples. Kelly's and Pinchers will keep serving them from the foot of Fifth Avenue South until the FWC closes the season after May 1. Collier's crabbers went in expecting a good year. Neither the cost of getting the crabs to the dock nor the number they bring in is settled yet, and both will show up in what a pound of claws costs on the Gordon River this winter.
At The Beachfront Team, we follow Aqualane Shores the way our families always have, from the canals to the kitchens on the river. If you'd like to talk over your plans for this season, we'd welcome the chance. Experience the Beachfront Difference and schedule a confidential consultation.
