The first thing about catching a lobster is don't be too afraid of it. Small lobsters - restaurant-sized 1-2 pounders - are not strong enough to really hurt you. Wear a good heavy pair of gloves, and their pinch may be painful, but not damaging. Larger lobsters deserve more respect, because they certainly can hurt you. Really big ones could even break bones. I had a big one once bite me so hard it gave me nerve damage in my thumb. I boiled him personally, and the numbness and swelling went away after a few weeks.