Steinhatchee and the Big Bend area are the best places to find scallops!
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) set the 2020 bay scallop season in Gulf County (including St. Joseph Bay) via Executive Order.
Florida’s bay scallop season runs from June to late September on the West Coast. Scallops may be spotted on or at the bottom of seagrass beds. They can mostly be found in nearshore seagrass beds from Tarpon Springs to Port St. Joe. You can catch up to 2 gallons of scallops per person per day, according to the
Scallops are not very easy to find as their natural coloring provides camouflage within the sea grasses. Most of the time their shells are open to feed and breathe, revealing vibrant blue “eyes,” but if they sense danger, they slam their shells shut and can swim backwards or up by clapping their shell halves together.
The Florida bay scallop is a bivalve mollusk – otherwise known as a type of shellfish. Florida scallops are smaller than sea scallops. Sea scallops are up to three times larger in size than bay scallops. Florida scallops live in seagrass beds in shallow water, usually 4 to 10 feet deep, all along the central and northern west coast of Florida.
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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission regulates harvesting of scallops, like it does all of Florida’s fisheries. The 2020 recreational bay scallop harvest season begins Wednesday July 1, 2020.
The daily limit is two gallons of whole bay scallops in shell, or one pint of bay scallop meat per person; maximum of 10 gallons of whole bay scallops in shell, or half a gallon bay scallop meat per vessel.
Scallops can only be found in a few locations along the Gulf coast. Crystal River’s pristine waters are a prime location. The route to the scallops is fool-proof. It requires little to no experience. The challenge of scalloping this area is what makes it popular. Before you embark on a scalloping trip, make sure you are familiar with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) regulations. You must follow the guidelines and stay within limits.
Going scalloping on your own can be expensive since you have to purchase all the equipment and go through the long process of acquiring a fishing license. Lucky for you, My Fishing Buddy Charters includes all of the above. For more information about Buddy’s Scalloping Charters just click here or give us a a Call Now (352) 812-3318!
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