A unique website dedicated to fishing information from Florida's Northern Big Bend. This includes the area from the Econfina River west to the Apalachicola River
Use this area to post inshore fishing reports from the area. Please try to include relevant information such as:
Location, date, time, water conditions, weather conditions, baits, techniques, species caught, etc.
Took my wife, son and neice today to St Marks. Got to the ramp at 6:00 and found only 2 trucks already there. Headed out to fish and was treated to a beautiful sunrise.
Uploaded with ImageShack.usNot a lot happening on the flats this morning. Caught a couple short trout and 1 keeper. Had a pin floating behind the boat the whole time and was rewarded with a nice spanish.
Uploaded with ImageShack.usA little while later another pin got this shark for my niece.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us We were fishing in the area we intended to scallop and the boats were packing in all around us so we figured it was time to get in the water. The water was really clear and the scallops were easy to spot. Nothing to spear today but I di catch this little guy.
Uploaded with ImageShack.usThe boats out there were way more numerous than is usually at Keaton. And there were the higher than normal amount of idiots as well.
Uploaded with ImageShack.usIt took a little while but we got our limit of scallops. As far as people saying that they are to small yet, the meats were huge. We shucked our 1/2 gallon of meat from 7 gallons of scallops. Most of the shells were medium sized but the meats in them averaged the size of half your thumb.
You are not kidding about the number of boats and idiots. I fish around the rock garden area lots throughout the year and I have never seen so many scallopers. I would be surprised if there were any left(scallops that is, not idiots, we will never run out of those).
If this trip had not been my niece's graduation present I might have turned and gone to the hill.
FF
Yes. Lots and lots of boats out there today. I agree on all counts (size of scallops, size of meat, and of course the idiots). We limited out in about 2 hrs. Just 3 of us swimming, harvesting for 4 people. I'd say most people were pretty courteous and well behaved except of course for that jack wagon who came screaming through the outskirts of the flotilla at around 20-25 mph. smh.
jebiford29 wrote:Yes. Lots and lots of boats out there today. I agree on all counts (size of scallops, size of meat, and of course the idiots). We limited out in about 2 hrs. Just 3 of us swimming, harvesting for 4 people. I'd say most people were pretty courteous and well behaved except of course for that jack wagon who came screaming through the outskirts of the flotilla at around 20-25 mph. smh.
The fool with the pirate flag? Everyone I talked to at the ramp did not do so well.
jebiford29 wrote:Yes. Lots and lots of boats out there today. I agree on all counts (size of scallops, size of meat, and of course the idiots). We limited out in about 2 hrs. Just 3 of us swimming, harvesting for 4 people. I'd say most people were pretty courteous and well behaved except of course for that jack wagon who came screaming through the outskirts of the flotilla at around 20-25 mph. smh.
The fool with the pirate flag? Everyone I talked to at the ramp did not do so well.
No pirate flag for this guy. It was an Angler center console. Had a tube tied to the t-top. We ended up moving 3-4 times, further east each time, to limit. We didn't get all too close to the rock garden.
Hey everyone! New to this site and currently live in Valdosta. Plan on going out scalloping on Sat morning with a couple locals that have been before. Question though, where is the Rock Garden?
You'll see the reference to the "Rock Garden". Easy to find this time of year. Go past the lighthouse to the tripod (marking the sand bar) turn left and look for all of the boats. If you are going in your boat and are unfamiliar with the area, stay in the St Marks River channel until you pass the tripod then stay on the outside of the stake line (poles and white bouys) until you want to turn into the rock garden (towards land). At that point, get off plane and slowly move in. They don't call it the rock garden for nothing. There are probably more lower ends there than scallops.
The sand bar is the green blob (s) on east & west side of the channel out from the lighthouse. The red mark (+) between the two green blobs is the tripod. The piles are telephone poles standing upright that are referred to as the stakes and they are spaced in a line that runs somewhat parallel to the coast (east & west) with the white bouys in between.
Yes, 5,6&7 is the Rock Garden. There are rocks scattered all over between the stake line and the land so watch out.
Took my wife, son and neice today to St Marks. Got to the ramp at 6:00 and found only 2 trucks already there. Headed out to fish and was treated to a beautiful sunrise.
