Scalloping 7/11
Posted: July 12th, 2008, 7:06 am
A friend and I took or daughters, 14 and 7, scalloping east of St. Marks Lighthouse yesterday.
Launched the boat about 1 pm with a big rain storm off to the southwest. Both Dads were thinking we should call it off and go another time, but neither of us wanted to say it. We briefly discussed the storm and decided it would most likely slide by us off to the west for where we were going.
As we were running west across the bay we started keeping an eye on a much smaller, but more powerful, storm to the north. Briefly talked about that one and decided that, given the normal weather pattern for this time of year, it would stay north on us and move on to the northeast.
Got almost to where we wanted to go when it started raining on us. Not hard, just a drizzle, but big, fat drops from storm to the north. So we ran a couple miles back to the west to see what it would do and wait it out.
While we were waiting we put on masks and jumped in just to see if it would be worth it. Got two, swam around a little longer, then decided to move on.
Got to where we originally wanted to go and there were scallops everywhere. You could see them from the boat. In shallower water you wouldn't have to dive for them, you wouldn't even have to get out ot the boat. Just scoop them up with a long handle dipnet. None of them big, but it's still early in the season and we limited out in about 15 minutes.
Back in the boat we took a break, ate sandwiches, drank sodas, and discussed what to do next. We could move on in search of speckled trout, we could troll for Spanish mackerel and bluefish, or we could head toward shore, up in the shallower water for redfish. I had a couple spearguns along for spearfishing around the rocks, but we were so close to low tide that the rocks were exposed, and I have never done well spearfishing over there with the water that low.
Redfish won by unanimous decision so were headed further inshore to sight cast for tailing reds in less than two feet of water with a Rapala Skitterwalk and a MirrOlure She Dog.
Did pretty well there. They were hungry, but scattered. Kept a limit, released a few, released a small shark. Had a 3' bonnethead follow my friends Skitterwalk right up to the boat.
Got up this morning to sausage, scallop scrambled eggs and banana pancakes. Yum, yum.
Launched the boat about 1 pm with a big rain storm off to the southwest. Both Dads were thinking we should call it off and go another time, but neither of us wanted to say it. We briefly discussed the storm and decided it would most likely slide by us off to the west for where we were going.
As we were running west across the bay we started keeping an eye on a much smaller, but more powerful, storm to the north. Briefly talked about that one and decided that, given the normal weather pattern for this time of year, it would stay north on us and move on to the northeast.
Got almost to where we wanted to go when it started raining on us. Not hard, just a drizzle, but big, fat drops from storm to the north. So we ran a couple miles back to the west to see what it would do and wait it out.
While we were waiting we put on masks and jumped in just to see if it would be worth it. Got two, swam around a little longer, then decided to move on.
Got to where we originally wanted to go and there were scallops everywhere. You could see them from the boat. In shallower water you wouldn't have to dive for them, you wouldn't even have to get out ot the boat. Just scoop them up with a long handle dipnet. None of them big, but it's still early in the season and we limited out in about 15 minutes.
Back in the boat we took a break, ate sandwiches, drank sodas, and discussed what to do next. We could move on in search of speckled trout, we could troll for Spanish mackerel and bluefish, or we could head toward shore, up in the shallower water for redfish. I had a couple spearguns along for spearfishing around the rocks, but we were so close to low tide that the rocks were exposed, and I have never done well spearfishing over there with the water that low.
Redfish won by unanimous decision so were headed further inshore to sight cast for tailing reds in less than two feet of water with a Rapala Skitterwalk and a MirrOlure She Dog.
Did pretty well there. They were hungry, but scattered. Kept a limit, released a few, released a small shark. Had a 3' bonnethead follow my friends Skitterwalk right up to the boat.
Got up this morning to sausage, scallop scrambled eggs and banana pancakes. Yum, yum.
