Scalloping

[MacGyver]

I'll post this here because it's where it seems to fit best, since it is "hunting" in a primitive sense, and there is the occasional spear gun involved.

With the economy the way it is, and everyone being scared about oil washing up on the Gulf beaches, here is a gem of a vacation, on the cheap that might interest a lot of people on here.

For the last 10 years or so, my dad, some friends and I have gone a couple of times a year down to Keaton Beach, Florida (basically right where the panhandle turns south) to go scalloping. Taylor County is one of two counties in the US that have an actual scallop season.

Scalloping is pretty simple. This whole area is grass flats - for miles offshore. You use your boat to get out, but the water is so shallow that a john boat is really just as at home as a bigger boat. You get your snorkeling gear on, grab a mesh bag and start looking for scallops, that are generally sitting right on top of the grass. You're never in more than about 6 feet of water, so it's just a leisurely as can be. We tell people who haven't gone with us before that if they get in trouble, to just stand up. The only time you are in more than 10 feet of water is if you specifically search it out.

The limit on scallops is 2 gallons per day/per person or 10 gallons per boat in the shell. Our first trip this year - a couple of weeks ago was great. We dove for three days, and limited out within two hours all three days. The rest of the time, we all grabbed gigs or spear guns and went looking for flounder - which conveniently really like to hang out in the grass flats.

Keaton Beach is the last bastion of 'cracker Florida'. The best way I can describe it is to say that it is 100 miles and a 100 years from Destin. If you went to Destin in the 70's, this isn't too far off. It is a fishing village through and through. The grass flats mean that there really aren't really any of the white sand beaches like they have further west. If you are going to Keaton Beach, you are going to fish or scallop. Period.

The Keaton Beach Marina also runs the motel - which has about 10 rooms around the marina that rent for ~$60/night. Nothing fancy, but they are fine. They'll lift your boat in for you so you don't have to put your trailer in the salt water. Eating is limited to the Hot Dog Stand (which is a full service restaurant run by a family of women down by the pier) or the Gas 'n Go which has snacks and sandwiches. The Hot Dog Stand generally gets our money 2 meals a day, as it's both good food, and cheap.

If you are into canoeing or kayaking, there are some great trails in the Big Bend area.

There is NOTHING else to do in Keaton Beach if you don't want to drive the 19 miles into Perry. You can occasionally get a cell signal out on the pier if you hold your breath and the weather is just right, but that's part of the appeal. If you go down here for a couple of days, you are really getting away from it all - by force.

If you've never had the experience, it is a great time. We have never taken someone with us who hasn't come back in following years. It's a ton of fun to gather the scallops, not quite as much fun to clean them (even though a small shop vac does make it a ton easier), but skewered on the grill wrapped in bacon may just be a little piece of heaven.

I'd love to hear anyone else's experiences with this, and if you are looking to get away for a few days without breaking the bank, I highly recommend it.

[ncomarc]

PM'd ya for more info......

[MacGyver]

Sent you one back. Feel free to give me a call if you have questions.

[KahrMan]

Sounds like a great time.

[Guest Billetproof]

Sounds too cool. I have friends in the Callaway area Tyndall AFB). Love going down there, Especially to Gene's Oyster bar, looks like he converted a garage but the oysters are great. Makes me want to plan a trip south!

[TNrifleman]

Keaton beach is about all thats left of old Florida. I have family that live close to there and use to spend the summers down there. Steinhatchee (spelling off im sure) is the closest thing to a town. The resturant there is good and those waters are some of the best trout and red fish fishing anywhere in the state. Its still remote enough that not many tourist go there. Just remember that beach isnt like a Panama city beach when the tide goes out it goes way out..

[MacGyver]

Yeah, Roy's in Steinhatchee is pretty good. I'm sure there are a few more accommodations and places to rent a boat if you need to as well. I've just never spent that much time there.

Keaton beach really is like stepping back in time

[StPatrick]

I'm a diver more than a snorkeler, but this sounds absolutely awesome. If you ever want one more, holler my way. I'd love to try spearfishing as well, and flounder are mighty tasty. Either way, congrats on finding a place to get away.

[LngRngShtr]

Grew up in New England,.. scalloped the shores of Martha's Vineyard for blue eyed bay scallops during the day shucked em in the afternoon and grilled them for dinner with a beer in the winter,.. Quahogs were another treat along with the occasional cookout on South Beach They have a season also think it is late fall until springtime.. will always remember the shuck bowl of scallops all wiggling around

[Guest Billetproof]

Any pics? Love scallops and wondered what they look like. How do you clean them?

[memphismason]

sounds fun

[MacGyver]

Any pics? Love scallops and wondered what they look like. How do you clean them?

I'll see if I can't find some of the pics from trips in years past. One of the guys we dive with usually has a camera.

Here's a general pic. That classic fan shaped sea shell that you always see is usually a scallop.

Cleaning scallops isn't hard, just tedious. You turn the shell so that the pale side is up. Then, run a small, blunt knife up under the shell, along the inside top of the shell. This removes the muscle from the top part of the shell, and let's you discard that piece of the shell. From there, you are left with the muscle, surrounded by a bunch of guts. You take the knife and scrape around the other side of the shell and if you do it right, just pull out all the guts with the blade of the knife leaving the scallop alone in the shell. From there, you just scrape along the bottom of the shell to remove the meat. There is another way that we see a lot of people do with a small shop vac. After opening the shells, they just hit the whole thing with the hose of the shop vac. This sucks out all the guts cleanly, and leaves the meat. I've never done it this way, as I don't want to have to clean my shop vac afterwards.

[Guest Billetproof]

Cool, thanks, would like to try that sometime. Sounds like shucking an oyster, done alot of that down in Florida.