Crystal River Scalloping
 

Any SeaCrafters going partake in the annual 4th of July madness? I haven't been in 3 years but have some friends up that are insisting on being out there.... on my sled of course.

I actually enjoy amature season and all there is to see and laugh about as long as no one gets hurt. Part of my enjoyment is the ramp as well but I have the luxury of utilizing a remote ramp if the tide is right.

Scallop Marauders
 

Ken, The Dredge Marshtackie will be in the general neighborhood on the 4th. We're going up on the 2nd to try to "wack" some gags and pick up some hogfish, offshore on Wednesday and Thursday. I'll be down in Bayport on the southern regions of the crazyness, but I'll point it toward the Smoke Stacks and try to find you in that mess of boats.
You'er right, it is nuts in Crystal River about 3:30 PM. They are three wide in the turns like Daytona - a 24' pontoon boat with 12 people on it, a 34' SeaVee with triple Verados and a 10 aluminum Jon boat sandwiched in between 'em. It's almost as bad as opening day of Sportsman's Season in Big Pine Channel!
Did you ever think about running down from Yankeetown?

The barge canal is almost vacant during scallop season and as long as the tide is good I have plenty of water to unload and load up my sled. I'll probably pick up and runout after we get our limit and knock out a load of gags while I have a half a dozen deck swabbers on the boat.

Haven't tried the barge canal, but we've used the ramp behind the Day's Inn and it hasn't been too crowded. Haven't tried it on the weekend of the 4th, though. We usually wait until a week or two into the season before we venture out. Yahoos and overzealous law enforcement are out in abundance for the season opener. The barge canal sounds like a good strategy for avoiding both.

Ken, Would you have a mutiny board the Suzuki Sidewinder if you ran offshore first then headed for the beach in the afternoon when the big cumulus Godzillas rise up in Brooksville and try to turn your tee top into Ropa Vila? If one of those catches you offshore you got to do a lot of "crosstie walkin" to get home. The Scepter will take it, but it's hard on your cerebellum and other important "on board" components.

Dave, if you want to run as far south as Bayport and if you need a place to tie up, use the power, showers and vacuum bagger you are welcome to tie up at our place in Weeki Wachee. We'er just west of the bridge at Shoal-Line Blvd.

I'll talk to my friends who live in Ozello to see where the scallops are the thickest.

Terry, that is the fun part! Nothing keeps family and their friends that don't ever help for gas and expenses from asking for free, all enclusive scallop trips and grouper fillets than having to dodge water spouts and hail storms on the way in. It is worth the sacrifice to maintain my "Crazy Brother in law" status as well!

Bench Racers
 

Kenny, I remember the "C-B-i-L" walnut and silver plaque being right in the center of your office wall at eye level. Seems like the 55 gallon Drum Blood Donor award, Hurricane Response Team Leader Governor's Citation, the 10 Year Commemoration Volunteer Firefighter and the Girl Scout Cookie Wholesale Distributor Certification were all in the peripheral.

So I called "Obie", mayor of Ozello today to see what I could find out about the scallop situation. He couldn't talk because he owns a boat and was working on the Hydraulic steering! the First Lady of Ozello, Jeannie told me they were going out this weekend and would let me know what was happen'in. Normally I don't like to pull this political muscle but you see one time when we all were in a bar in Applachacola the band started playing Willie and the Hand Jive, so Marsha taught 'em all the moves and now they are indebted to me. (Of course I always get mixed up when you switch from hitch-hik'in to that deal where you do your hands back and forth with the palms down so actually we'er all indebted to Marsha!) It was crazy. She had all the "Oyster Tongers" and the "Mullet Fishermen danc'in in their white boots. The oysters and the mullet were safe the next day!

So Kenny, if we were on the Bayliner Site, I'd be afraid to post the report about where the scallops are because those guys have guts and they go out and use their boats and get blood in 'em. You see, they don't worry about water spots on their windshields or what kind of fuzzy dice to hang around the edges of their Tee Tops, and if their bathing suit matches their boot stripe and stuff like these CSC "Bench Racers" worry about. There ain't but about seven on here that know SeaCrafts are just the best race proven "Fishing Platforms" there are. They just want to pose with their SeaCraft and they don't really want to look in the rear view mirror, try to hitch up to it and then tow it to the water and put it in. A lot of them are busy "Saving" their Seacrafts for someone else, I guess.

Kenny, I'll be up there on the Fourth with ya'. I'll be easy to spot - I don't have a stink'in windshield or a tee top but I will have coating of Hogfish slime, Grouper snot and Scallop glick on most horizontal surfaces. When I get done with this '67 Moesly I'll be like Jake and Elwood Blues sliding into Cook County Courthouse - that is if it don't wear me out first!

Elwood: It's a hundred and six miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarrettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses.

Jake: Hit it.

Not the penguin.

Curtis: "Boys, you gotta learn not to talk to Nuns that way"

Ellwood: $hit.

Jake: What?

Ellwood: Rollers.

Jake: No.

Ellwood: Yeah.

Jake: $hit.

Dang Dave, You are a bigger "mess" than Sandy and me. I'm on a 12' step ladder, 16th floor, wing seven, room 13B, isle 54, in the back of file cabinet L-7, Red folder trying to remember this shit. You'd make Archie Bell and Drells "Tighten Up".
Are you hunt'in the blue eyed mollusks with Kenny and I over the Fourth or are you polish'in the bow rail and study'in your windshield water spots like the rest of these dead beat, bench racers?
We can have a meaningful conversation about the water spots on our dive masks, drink some wine and listen to Every Mother's Son "big single" played real loud! (the "whipper snappers" they think we're Navaho Code Talkers!)

Dave: Don't worry guys - its a Seafari 25. She can take it...

If we come down to Crystal River, it'll be a day trip. What do you guys have planned? Friday? Saturday? Meet where? What time?

Seacraft 25 Bowrider
 

A DAY TRIP !
Gee Willicers Dave, you might as well borrow afishin82's saw-zall and cut that cabin off and make a bowrider out of that Safari! A nice split windshield, with comphy seating around the bow and maybe a cool fiberglass radar arch so you look Bad Azz - perfect for DAY TRIPS!
Don't drag the boat all the way down from Tallahassee for a day trip, just come on and go with us. I have a SeaCraft bowrider that looks a lot like SeaCraft "Panga" now, since I got a saw-zall too!

Yer gettin' old and fergetful, Terry. I'm in the vicinity of Hogtown, not Tally. About an hour and a half from Crystal River. And I've got a 20SF for day trips, so no worries.

If there's a plan for Crystal River over the holiday weekend, we might be in. Otherwise, we may wait until the scallop reports come in and the crowd dies down before we go.

Dave

Scallop report
 

Dave, nice of you to swing by and give us a broadside (4 posts in 20 minutes!)

I talked to the mayor's wife in OZ (Ozello). Nothing popping up there yet or C.R. or HO. Reports are the ones that have come up are around the Chaz. marker and south to P.I. I'm trying to go up to B.P. by next Wednesday and will swing by on the way back in from a grouper and hog run offshore to take a look see. I'll call you or PM you on what I see on Wednesday night or Thursday night and we'll come up with a plan to meet up with Kenny and his brother-in-law he can't seem to shake, "Barnacle". I got one too that's like hav'in a dang walrus "wallowing" around in the boat. (that's marginally different that "wallering" out the screws in the gas tank, so pay attention to these here grammatical-colloquial nuances us scallopers employ, regularly)

In any case, be ready for the Le Mans start when I drop the green flag!!!!

Sorry Guys, I've been out the Gulf for few+ days making sure there is an ample supply of grouper sandwiches for the non-fishing restaurant anglers in the state. Plans are open for the Mrs. and me. We have one couple riding with us and have room for more and an available bedroom if needed. My plan is to get an early start out of the barge canal ramp if the tide is good or at the mouth of the Withlacoochee if not. Either is a pretty good ride to the CR scalloping fiasco but you don't have to deal with the ramps near the action at the end of the day.
Dave, if you want to meet up in Dunnellon that morning or come down 75 and get off on 40 and meet at the house. Either way is fine and if you want to just ride with us that is fine as well. Just let me know.
All in all my hopes are not real high this early in the season but it will be fun to get out there and see a few of the gang.

Scallop Marauders
 

[QUOTE=kmoose;228680
All in all my hopes are not real high this early in the season but it will be fun to get out there and see a few of the gang.[/QUOTE]

Are you think'in Friday or Saturday? Let me know where and I'll get up there Kenny. If I get to scout it out on Wednesday or Thursday "down south" I'll get you and Dave a report. I'll have to talk real loud to Dave though 'cause he is old and has hair grow'in out of his ears and stuff like that.

I think we're going on Friday. Either way we are going and if it's slow I have lots of interesting wrecks and bottom in 6 to 8 feet we can let folks snorkel and enjoy. Some of them can also provide dinner if you have a pole spear.

Running out of Crystal River tomorrow to scout for the blue eyed wonders. Will report back on where I find them.

Well, I went to go scouting today and found out it was opening day! More boats than I have ever seen in the water at one time. Found a slow pick near the bird rack but they were pretty hard to find. Everybody seemed to be behaving well but didn't here anybody happy on what they found... Also lots of jellies but not enough to keep you out of the water.

We went out today in st. Joe bay.. Found two scallops was out for 6 hours. There was definitely a large crowd of boats... Still very early for us.. They usually start showing up in a couple weeks...

Ok Terry-I'm still in the hunt to be in the hunt for scallops......went to church tonight, and then decided to link and sinc my ocean runner after church. I figured the big man was pleased with me, and I needed a miracle to get the motor idling properly. Dropped the boat in the water at 9pm, it idled well! Decided to grab a beer at the local dive on the water and cruise back home. Got back at 11 and I can't stop thinking about scallops/lobster/grouper tonight!:eek: Let's do this!

We had scallop carbonara last night and it was incredible.

Scallop Marauders
 

Danny, just r-e-l-a-x, There are always more scallops at the end of the season (Mid-September) than at the beginning, even with all the pressure from the snorkelers. Skiblet (Merritt Island) and Dave S (Miami) are going to go the end of July or first part of August. Look at your calendar and "figger" out a weekend that works for the Wood family and we'll set it up and determine how to set up accommodations.

(PS - Danny, clear out your PM's on your "member site", it's full)

I will be in Weeki Wachee 8/2-8/6 going for scallops and a little fishing. We usually scallop in the morning then enjoy the River in the afternoon.

Weeki Wachee
 

[QUOTE=Skiblet;228757]I will be in Weeki Wachee 8/2-8/6 going for scallops and a little fishing. We usually scallop in the morning then enjoy the River in the afternoon.[/QUOTE

Jon, I was think'in just the other day that "Crystal River" has a much better "ring tone" to it than say Buzzard's Bay, Norm's Hole or even Boca Raton!
When you figger out that Weekii Wachee is Indian for "Cooler full of Gags in 25'" you got to axe yurself, why would you go to Steinhatchee which is Indian for "Prop eating rocks"?

Is anyone doing the mini gathering for scallops? Terry-September does sound good to me.

I just cleared 500 pm's out of the mailbox. I'm good for another yr or 2!

Hernado County
 

Was wondering if anyone had any intel on scalloping out of Bayport? Thought I'd combine a visit with the folks and some scalloping.

Only one data point, but...

http://forums.floridasportsman.com/s...-Scallops-6-30

Got a wild hair this morning and took a road trip to Homosassa to try out a cajun restaurant I saw on the web and then went over to MacRae's. Had a few brews and watched people clean scallops and checked out some of the scenery (fat ugly women should NOT wear two piece bathing suits and show off tattoos). Everyone we saw cleaning had quite a few, kinda small though.

Donny, The "pick up" line for babes in the Homosassa bars is - "Nice Tooth".

That's F'ing funny!!!! Nothing like a big fat babe with one yellow tooth and a big wad of nose hair!!!! :eek: :eek:

We used to go to steinhatchee every year because my high school friend owns the marina and we always had great intel. But the drive just got to be too long. So now we just drive straight across and hit weeki watchee or homosassa.

Would love to get into the shallow water grouper while I'm there. We would do another trip if there is Seacraft gathering.

I have some friends in the Hatch and they have told me the scalloping has been terrible the last few years anyway. You'll do fine off Sassa.

Scallop report
 

We ran as far north as the northern edges of Chaz-whiskey Bay (it still sounds better than "Buzzard's") and worked our way back south. Pretty good patch a mile or so SW of the CZ marker then again 3 miles SW. Another big area off of Pine Island staring about two miles north of the Bayport channel marker.

The boys with the gray, green and orange stripes on their boats were out in force. Remember, they are there to ensure that you are out in your own boat, celebrating July 4 - "Freedom Day", whilst meeting all the requirements and decrees of the state and federal governments - a fascinating knundrum!

Plenty of easter eggs for the gang of Skiblet, John S, Danny's Troop and Donny, after he runs those grand kids off! I'm hopefull Kmoose and Dave did well up on the north end.

I spoke with Kmoose Thursday PM. His plans changed, so he's out today. He gave me a number off Gray Mare Pass, south of CR and we filled our limit of blue eyed bivalves close by.

http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/u...ps9d715746.jpg

They were kinda spread out, but the effort paid off. Many of them are quite plump this year.

http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/u...pse5decb34.jpg

The weather was beautiful, so it was a lovely day on/in the water.

Dave

Seafood A.D.D.
 

Dave, When it layed down so nicely on Saturday, I asked the motley crew of the Marshtackie If they wanted to go get some more scallops or see if we could find some groupers. 57 miles later we rounded up a few and some Hoggies and Mangos too..

That "Stinker" Marsha shot her limit of two and one of my limit of two!!!!! So much for chivalry, next time I'm jumpin' in on the good bait show.