It’s a good year for scallops

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It’s a good year for scallops

From the Gainesville Sun:

Following a couple of weeks of open bay scallop season in the Steinhatchee area, it’s clear that the shellfish stocks there are healthy.

Guiding out of Steinhatchee, Capt. Bobbi Cannon confirms that it’s a good year for scallops — in some ways, better than last year. “The scallop meats are running from 5 to 6 pounds per 10-gallons of scallops in the shell. That’s definitely better than early in the season last year.” She added, “More people are asking to mix hook-and-line fishing with shellfishing. The other day, the Gunn family from Fleming Island caught 3 trout, 2 flounder, and a redfish to go with ten gallons of scallops...and we were back at the dock at 12:30.”

Dale Melms also had an interesting mixed bag. The High Springs angler visited us at the shop late Wednesday after spending the day out of Steinhatchee. Fishing alone, he started the morning casting a DOA shrimp just north of the river and was surprised to hook a nice sized snook along with a slew of ladyfish. After releasing the 24-inch fish, he ran north — all the way past Keaton Beach. Visually scouting for scallops while easing along in the shallows, he stopped to cast a sandy spot. Here, his DOA lure produced four redfish, a few smallish trout, and two odd, seldom-seen ‘lookdown’ fish. A little while later, Melms found a spot well-populated with scallops and picked up a gallon bucket full. “I really didn’t want to clean more than that”, he said.

The pressure on the Steinhatchee-area shallows might ease up a bit starting Sunday, when bay scallop season opens in the rest of our Big Bend waters on July 1. Crystal River and Homosassa are especially-popular scalloping destinations, and if scallops turn out to be as abundant there as they are in the Steinhatchee stretch of coast, shellfishing fans will gain many more good miles of snorkeling water.

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2018 Scallop Season Opens Saturday June 16th in Steinhatchee

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2018 Scallop Season Opens Saturday June 16th in Steinhatchee

The 2018 recreational bay scallop season for Dixie County and a portion of Taylor County opens June 16 and will remain open through Sept. 10. This includes all state waters from the Suwannee River to the Fenholloway River.

Gov. Rick Scott said, “Each summer, thousands of Floridians and visitors come to our coastal communities for the world’s best scalloping. With the opening of scallop season along with Florida’s abundant fishing opportunities, I am encouraging everyone to experience for themselves why Florida is the Fishing Capital of the World. This is a great time to get outside and enjoy the Gulf Coast’s beautiful waters, pristine beaches and world-class seafood.”

“Harvesting bay scallops is a fun outdoor activity for the whole family,” said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Chairman Bo Rivard. “The conservation of this species is important for recreation and the economics of these coastal areas.”

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