# how to catch scallops



## lizanderica (May 27, 2009)

can any one tell me how to catch scallops and where a goo place to find them are. i never tried to catch scallops before.


----------



## flipjohnson (Apr 14, 2008)

yeah what he said. Also fun to catch the horseshoe crabs


----------



## welldoya (Oct 5, 2007)

Get a string bag and just snorkel along in 3' - 5' of water. St. Joe Bay is famous for scallops but back in the late 80s there were more scallops at Fort McCree than I ever found at St. Joe.

Don't know if that's still the case. I'm guessing not.


----------



## Jack Hexter (Oct 2, 2007)

I do my scalloping out of Homosassa, so I cannot help you as to the where. Catching them is like an Easter egg hunt with a snorkel. You need a mask snorkel, fins and a mesh bag, like a chum bag. (Don't forget the "divers down" flag) Kids love it. You are allowed 2 gallons, in the shell, per person, max 10 gallons per boat. Season is July 1 thru Sept 10. 



Now after you get your limit, cleaning them can be a bitch. If you put them on ice, the shell will start to open. I use an oyster knife to cut the muscle near the top shell, then break it off, leaving the muscle and guts in the bottom shell. I then use a shop vac to suck the guts out, leaving the muscle attached to the shell. It's an easy task to cut it off and into a bowl.


----------



## welldoya (Oct 5, 2007)

Back when I was doing a lot of scalloping, the limit was a half gallon shucked per person. I had a 14' McKee Craft back then. A couple of buddies and I would launch at Rod and Reel Marina and run over to the lagoon by Fort McCree. We usually got there about 7:00 am.

We would jump in, haveour bags filled in 10 minutes, get in the boat, pop a beer and start shucking. We would be back at the house by noon with our limit shucked.

Getyourself some scallop knives (thinner and more flexible than an oyster knife). I used to pry the shell open and stickmy thumb in there to hold it open, then cut the muscle on top. With the shell open, the gunk on the bottom comes out easily. Then cut the meat and put it in a tupperware dish. Get another one and start the process again.

I always took some waterproof medical tape. That wayI could wrap the places onmyfingers that got roughed up while shucking.


----------



## fromthedepths (Nov 21, 2008)

one word ,homosassa .best place in the world for scallops.at least in my eyes!


----------



## Fairwaterfishing (Mar 17, 2009)

Make damn sure you take along a dive flag or it will cost you over $50 bucks. Or so Im told. LOL


----------



## BentStraight (Dec 27, 2008)

The scallop crop in the lagoon behind Ft. McRea seems to vary in some sort of cycle over the years, perhaps salinity or turbidity may be factors. Snorkeling works great, but if they are thick you can even walk around and feel them with your feet.


----------



## ShaneLane (Aug 3, 2008)

Best place for me was the St. Marks flats. Also it seemed the saltier the water the more were there. GOOD Luck


----------



## welldoya (Oct 5, 2007)

I had thought about going on a couple of years ago but when I saw the limit I decided against it. It's not really worth the trip for a pint of scallops.


----------



## Razzorduck (Oct 22, 2007)

Back in the late 60's and early 70's we used to scallop in St Andrews bay on the bay side of Shell Island. The kids (me) would snorkle and mom and dad would sit in the boat and shuck. 

Later we would pull up on the island, build a small driftwoof fire and saute those bad boys in butter. YUUUMMMMMMMM. Yes I had a rough childhood!


----------



## welldoya (Oct 5, 2007)

No, it would have been later than that. I was scalloping at Fort McCrea in '86 and '87. A lot of people were.

I remember the year because my boat was a 1985 and it was a last year's leftover when I bought it.


----------



## FLbeachbum (Jul 17, 2008)

We used to drag on a rope behind a boat bumped up just above idol using a mask and bag. Slowly looking for the glowing eyes of the scallop. Effective and lots of fun.


----------



## User1265 (Oct 15, 2007)

It looks like '95. I got this from this website:

http://www.flseagrant.org/program_areas/fisheries/scalloping/index.htm

<SPAN class=body_text>"To monitor bay scallop populations in the state and maintain an abundant breeding population, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) annually reviews the status of the fishery. In July, 2002, FWC re-opened an area between the mouth of the Suwannee River and the Pasco/ Hernando county line. This area had been closed for seven years due to the limited number of scallops in that region."

<SPAN class=body_text>


----------

