Official Scallop Thread - 2016

[bman]

Scallop Season opens up Saturday -

I've heard good reports from St Marks and Lanark before the tropical storm.
I know folks want to know if they are still out there!!

Please post your reports up here....

[Hit-n-Miss]

If my trailer gets here I'll post up a report with pics like this. .


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[MudDucker]

What, opening on my birthday! I don't know that I have a crew for this weekend.

[ScaleUp]

Looking for a boat for me and m'lady to hop on tomorrow morning for scalloping - gas and beverages on us. Message me if you're looking for company - otherwise you'll see us in kayaks!

[Hit-n-Miss]

Since this a scallop report thread I'll put one on here. Went today to Keaton and got our 3 man limit of scallops in an hour. What a way to spend the fourth. .


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[silverking]

FL Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission's annual scallop assessment and link to harvest survey:

http://www.thefishingwire.com/story/379248

[DEMON]

We've been to St Marks 3 times now & are killing em. Limits in an hour or less. I think St. Marks is much better this year than the survey indicates.

[rondirooboo]

Demon, how far is Shell Point from St. Marks? My family is going up there to scallop the last week in July and have never been there before. Any advice on where to go would be much appreciated. Thanks so much! Ronda

[fishdux]

Demon, how far is Shell Point from St. Marks? My family is going up there to scallop the last week in July and have never been there before. Any advice on where to go would be much appreciated. Thanks so much! Ronda

St Marks is only a few miles to the East of Shell point. Its a quick trip by water or by road.

[lonesouth]

Grey Mare rock is 7.4 miles E from the channel at st marks, and 13 miles east from the channel at shell point. Head that way and you'll see the flotilla of boats.

Grey Mare/Rock garden is where we have always gone in the past. Are people finding them closer to st marks this year?

[Hiljun]

I am heading to Keaton beach Friday with some friends and will be on foot. Any advice is welcome. I have been there a few years back on foot and did OK are things still the same. Wade straight out till you find grass then start gathering.

[Hit-n-Miss]

I am heading to Keaton beach Friday with some friends and will be on foot. Any advice is welcome. I have been there a few years back on foot and did OK are things still the same. Wade straight out till you find grass then start gathering.

. Check pm.


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[Hiljun]

Well we sat the alarm for 5am and loaded the truck for scallops. The next morning dark and early two little boys wake me up saying " dad its time to go". My first thought was why didn't my alarm go off. Then a few minutes later I hear a voice say sorry its 4:04 can we take a shower and get ready. So just after 5am we start the 4 1/2 trip to Hagons cove and pickup a few friends on the way. We get to the water about 11:30 and its still low tide. We waded out about 3 hundred yards and started to find them in the short green grass. The boys had a blast till the tide came in and they had to put on there life jackets. About 3 pm FWC checked us and informed us we where very near our limit of ten gallons so we started back to shore picking up a few on the way. We got home about 10. I cleaned the scallops the next morning with the shop vac method. It was ok but i lost a few scallops to the vac.

[Hit-n-Miss]

Well we sat the alarm for 5am and loaded the truck for scallops. The next morning dark and early two little boys wake me up saying " dad its time to go". My first thought was why didn't my alarm go off. Then a few minutes later I hear a voice say sorry its 4:04 can we take a shower and get ready. So just after 5am we start the 4 1/2 trip to Hagons cove and pickup a few friends on the way. We get to the water about 11:30 and its still low tide. We waded out about 3 hundred yards and started to find them in the short green grass. The boys had a blast till the tide came in and they had to put on there life jackets. About 3 pm FWC checked us and informed us we where very near our limit of ten gallons so we started back to shore picking up a few on the way. We got home about 10. I cleaned the scallops the next morning with the shop vac method. It was ok but i lost a few scallops to the vac.

. Good job and report.


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[lonesouth]

went out yesterday with my son, dad, brother and two nephew. Put in at the fort around 930, headed out toward the rock garden. We ended up about a .5-1 mile east of there when we finally got in. First thing I did was stick my home made stick it pin and promptly pull the t-handle off but I think that actually set us up for an easier day. Not sure if it was here or another forum, but someone had mentioned drifting from spot to spot instead of motoring to a new spot. This worked PERFECTLY! I was able to lift the anchor and tie it off without having to haul the whole thing aboard. This allowed me to stay in the water much more, definitely the way to go.

We only had my brother, older nephew(9), and myself actively getting scallops. The younger boys, both 6, donned life jackets and floated around us for most of the day. Dad tended the boat and let the kids catch some pins. Scallops were more plentiful than I have seen for a while. I was able to pick up 2-3 at a time on multiple dives. Not as big as I remember, but that could also be a cloudy memory. We headed in around 1:30 with nearly a limit. We didn't measure, but I'm guessing about 1lb shucked weight. Depth was about 6-7'. The tide was incoming the whole time we were in the water and the current was rather stiff. This helped with the drifting, but made returning from down current when anchored tiresome, even with fins, and moreso when draggin a 6 year old.

I think everyone had a great time. The boat ran well except for a minute on the way in where it dropped power and felt like it was running 1 or 2 cylinders down(johnson v4). After about a minute it jumped back up and ran without issue. I'm hoping it was just some trash blocked a jet and nothing more serious. I feel like I dodged a bullet because I forgot to renew my SeaTow on saturday.