someone take me to school on scallops

[mbweimar]

i want to learn as much as i can about them, as i will most likely go to st marks this weekend to try scalloping for the first time.

first, to be legal one must have a dive flag and a saltwater license, correct?

also, what kind of habitat do they like? depth, bottom type, current, etc. any info would be great, i googled it already but didnt find a whole lot. thanks fellas!

[Joe]

Due to Debbie, you are going to have to leave the surface and swim along the bottom to see them. Head left to the second wood piling along the st.marks refuge stake line. Head to the shoreline until you reach 5 foot of water. Clean your catch on the boat so you stay in touch with your limit. Otherwise you will be at home wondering why you kept so many.

[bman]

Go really slow from the buoy line into the shallows. There are a lot of rocks.
They like the area because there is little current/freshwater flow.

Yes to the dive flag and saltwater license

We have found them as shallow as 3 feet and as deep as 8
They will be on top of the turtle grass.

Here are some photos from StJoe a few years back
http://www.bigbendfishing.net/phpBB3/vi ... 3&p=190458

and there is a ton of info here
http://flseagrant.org/index.php?option= ... &Itemid=99

[woopty]

I like to toss a long rope off the back of the boat and drift.
Scallopers can grab it and cover more ground with less effort.

We call the technique "trollin' for tigers"

[silverking]

Haven't scalloped in years, but if I'm not mistaken a dive flag must be displayed on the boat with another one towed in the water. check myfwc.com for the regs. If nothing else, having one with you in the water alerts other boaters. No need to take unnecessary chances on getting hurt.

[DEMON]

Personally, I'm going to wait until the water clears a bit. No telling what is in those brown flood waters. Like sticking your face in a septic tank. Still plenty of time left in the season to let them grow bigger and come in to the shallows. But, when they do come in, start looking in 3' of water & move out deeper til you find them. The shallower the water the more picked over they become. If you and your party are good swimmers, deeper has always been better for me. Use a long handled dip net to make things easier. You don't have to dive all the way to the bottom for each scallop and can mostly just snorkle on top of the water and reach them.

[DEMON]

Haven't scalloped in years, but if I'm not mistaken a dive flag must be displayed on the boat with another one towed in the water. check myfwc.com for the regs. If nothing else, having one with you in the water alerts other boaters. No need to take unnecessary chances on getting hurt.

A dive flag on the boat is required. A towed one isn't required if boat requirement is met, but like Silverking said, it's not a bad idea to tow one as well. Here's a link to dive flags on the FWC site: http://www.dive-flag.com/Florida.html

[wevans]

We like to tow a person "or two" behind the boat slowly "in the deeper water", with snorkels on and stop when those being towed signal that they see scallops

[mbweimar]

Good info guys thanks a bunch! I'm psyched about going. Visibility does have me a little worried though.

[big bend gyrene]

Add another vote for the tow rope method. Love that you get to see lots of different territory/sights. Don't own a drift sock, but friend brought one with him last year and we used it -- made it considerably easier keeping up with the boat after diving down for multiple scallops.
Also add me to the group waiting a bit for the water to clear (and crowd of loonies to thin ).

[Rhettley]

When you find the first live scallop gather everyone around and lay it in the grass to give everyone an idea of what they are looking for. I find that makes spotting them easier. I usually do best in mixed grass and sandy spots.

[mjsigns]

My .02 Ditto on the rope(s) on the stern. Waterproof Sunscreen is your friend. Tee shirts and old blue jeans will also keep you from getting fried. Take along a sharp knife (like a survival knife) in a sheath so you can cut off stuff in the water, abandoned nylon rope, loose fishing line, tore-up cast nets, a knife is more handy than a screw driver. (please collect any trash you come across and return it to the ramp. (There are several trash cans at the ramp at the Fort). A good quality mask snorkel and fins will be worth the expense and will last 2-3x longer than cheap outfit you bought on clearance at Walmart. Water visibility is vital to success.. wait a few weeks and let all the silt and dirt settle. Turn every thing that makes noise (on the boat off).... Listen for the tell-tale "click's" (yes they make this noise when they are trying to swim or attract a mate) ... Keep one person on board for "shark-watch". Most sharks you meet are usually looking for an easy meal and will abruptly turn and leave before you even see them.. Take turns, collecting scallops can and will physically wear you out .. Each person should have a mesh collection bag attached at the waist for easy access. To keep the scallops alive longer, hang another larger (laundry-sized) submerged mesh bag suspended under the boat till it is time to clean them.. Once the collection bag under the boat is full (2-4 gallons) anchor your boat and take about 12-20 from the bag and put them in the top of a square/rectangular cake Tupperware container with seawater. When one starts to "peek" -open- insert your sharpened dollar store spoon into the opening and scrape one of the insides clean, the muscle and guts will be stuck to the side you didn't scrape. Use your fingers to remove the guts, and with your spoon, scrape the muscle or "plug" from the side of the shell into a zip-lock bag on ICE. Be sure to sling the guts overboard and away from your boat as they will really stick to everything on your boat. Some scallops might not open easily. If you put them on ice, they might open yet others remain tightly closed. If you have enough in your submerged bag, set free the ones you can't open and keep and clean the ones that open for you. If a scallop is small return it to the waters to mature. Once you've cleaned your limit keep them iced-down for the trip home. FYI... Take a few (2 quarts minimum per person) of Poweraid (the strawberry-lemonade flavor is the best). Stay hydrated while you take breaks on-board. Take some fried chicken wings to eat (scalloping can make you awfully hungry, and for me, "cold fried chicken" on the water is my personal favorite. That is about all I can say about collecting scallops.

[lonesouth]

Be courteous to other scallopers and do not clean your scallops where you have just been looking for them. I personally appreciate people not chumming the water I'm swimming in. Also, the shells tossed overboard can make is more difficult and frustrating for anyone searching the area after you leave. Better to go about 1/2 mile or mile out from the crowd to clean them.

[lonesouth]

Be courteous to other scallopers and do not clean your scallops where you have just been looking for them. I personally appreciate people not chumming the water I'm swimming in. Also, the shells tossed overboard can make is more difficult and frustrating for anyone searching the area after you leave. Better to go about 1/2 mile or mile out from the crowd to clean them.

[Rhettley]

This if one of those DO NOT rules-
Do NOT forget a mesh bag and decide the mesh bag in your swim trunks will hold a a dozen or so until you can get back to the boat! When they try to swim free that "clicking" of the shell referred to earlier can prove very painful.