Captain’s Corner: Cool scallops
What’s hot: The best way to cool off in July and August is to go scalloping, an underwater Easter egg hunt. The most popular places are in Homosassa and Steinhatchee, in depths from 2-12 feet. Look for a sea grass bed with sand holes, and shorter, thinner grass. A scallop has a dark top shell and a white bottom with 24 little blue eyes. Typically they have the darker side up when they’re in the grass and lighter side up in the sand.
Tips: The regulations are two gallons whole bay scallops in shell, or a pint of bay scallop meat per person with a maximum of 10 gallons in shell, or half a gallon scallop meat per vessel. The boundary line is the waters from the Pasco-Hernando line near Aripeka to Beach Canal in Bay County. The season runs until Sept. 24.
Technique: All you need is a mask, snorkel, fins, and a catch bag. Look at the tides and dive the last part of the outgoing tide and the first part of the incoming tide and you can hit those deeper spots.
Capt. Jim Lemke
813 917 4989
http://www.homosassascallopingcharters.com
