Scalloping on Florida’s Adventure Coast
One of the most delightful ways to enjoy Florida’s Adventure Coast, Brooksville-Weeki Wachee, is spending a day off a boat, off the beach, and in the water snorkeling for your supper. Scallop season runs from the first of July – in time for a Fourth of July grilled scallop feast – through late September. There is no commercial scallop industry along this stretch of water. If you want fresh scallops while you’re in town, you’re it! With Boat Captains to help you clean your scallops and restaurants offering “You Hook–We Cook” dinners, you can have the diving fun and the dining fun with minimal effort.
At the southern end of the Gulf Coast scallop harvest zone, Florida’s Adventure Coast boasts 250,000 acres of seagrass beds. Home to scallops and many other creatures, seagrasses grow submerged in shallow, sunlit marine waters and help to create a stable shoreline protected from storm surges and erosion. Providing spawning grounds and nurseries for sportfish, and food for marine mammals like manatees and dolphins, turtles, and wading birds, seagrasses are one of the most ecologically important habitat types in the world. Having this amazing resource at our doorstep makes Florida’s Adventure Coast one of the best places anywhere for a day of enjoying the water, the wildlife, and, of course, diving for scallops.
Scalloping requires a snorkel, a license, and something in which to stash your haul. Most commercial fishing charters hold scalloping licenses and already have gear on board. So, if you’re tired of catching one big fish after another and are ready for something else, ask your guide to take you to the scalloping grounds for a breather.
Scallops tuck themselves into the seagrass beds where they filter feed on microorganisms. Often found in loose groups and relatively easy to spot, they can be plucked from the sandy sea bottom by hand. Feistier scallops may jet backward in an attempt to escape, but you’ll collect your limit in no time.
While anyone with a boat can access the nearshore seagrass beds, scalloping is much like getting on the big fish when you’re in a new location. The best way to find the hot spot is to go with a trusted local guide who’s familiar with Florida waters. Not only do they know the secret spots, but they also know which areas have not been recently harvested. Luckily, the Adventure Coast has some world-class guides and launches from Hernando Beach, Bayport and Weeki Wachee.
A US Coast Guard Master Captain Jamie Smith of Adventure Coast Charters has been fresh- and saltwater fishing in Florida since boyhood. Known for his scalloping adventures, Captain Jamie has extensive experience and local knowledge about the water and seasonal fishing opportunities. He loves to share the wild world and his passion for fishing.
Captain Lowell Bebout of BeBout Fishin’ Time is a second-generation fishing guide on Florida’s Adventure Coast. Growing up fishing with his dad, Captain Lowell inherited an encyclopedic knowledge of fishing and splits his time between Florida and late-season Alaska fishing around Bristol Bay. Captain Lowell knows the places and seasons for the best fishing experiences. He guides the flats and back waters but loves the addictive family adventure of scalloping.
An International Game and Fish Administration certified captain, Steven Soults of Angling Adventures Deep Sea Charter has been a full-time fishing guide for 20 years. A US Coast Guard licensed fishing guide and member of the Florida Guides Association, Captain Steven loves to share his experience with clients. Working the inshore flats, the deep-sea bottom, and the scalloping beds, he has the skill and enthusiasm necessary to create a family fun day on the water.
Captain Ozzie Winchester of Light Lines & Good Times runs trips to both the secret backwater fishing holes and coastal waters. With an airboat that can get you into seriously skinny waters for a tour of the hidden coast, he will also show you the wildlife and scenery this coast is known for. Running boats on here since childhood, he wants to share the love. And when you’re ready to get in the water, Captain Ozzie knows where the scallops hide.
We all know Florida’s Adventure Coast, Brooksville-Weeki Wachee offers the best of all things fishing: fly fishing and light tackle, freshwater and saltwater, seagrass beds and oyster bars (before they become on-the-half shell shooters), grouper, tarpon, redfish, sea trout, snook, and sea bass. The list goes on. Now it’s time to discover the delight of scalloping and all the seagrass swimming adventure that it offers.
