Great Scalloping article in Gainesville Sun

Matt Stamey/The Gainesville Sun

In this June 28, 2014 file photo, Heather Hamilton, then 11, carries a handful of scallops back to her boat after picking them from the grassy bottoms during the first day of scallop season ioff the coast of Steinhatchee.

Here is a very informative article from the Gainesville Sun about 9 must haves for Scallop Season.

Going scalloping? 9 must-haves

“I’m “going scalloping” is about to become a familiar refrain for those who are aficionados of the tasty mollusks and love to snorkel in shallow bay waters.

This year’s season runs from June 27 to Sept. 24.

The bay scallop zone is from the Pasco-Hernando County line to the west bank of the Mexico Beach Canal in Bay County. The best scalloping spots in our area typically include Crystal River, Homosassa, Cedar Key and Steinhatchee.

Here’s what you need to participate in the annual fun event that some refer to as an underwater Easter egg hunt:

1) A salt water fishing license. Fees range from $17 for one year up to lifetime options. Go to http://myfwc.com/license/recreational/saltwater-fishing/

2) A boat. Scalloping is done near shore, but you still need a vessel to get out to the seagrass beds. Buy one, borrow one or rent one, at, for example, http://seahag.com/rental-fleet/

3) Diver down flag. This is not an option; it’s the law.

4) Snorkel/mask and fins. You become one with the giant aquarium this way.

5) Mesh bag. As you swim, you need a way to collect the scallops you find, which remain alive in the open fabric.

6) Dipper net. This is for people with a short reach or who might not want to touch the seagrass.

7) Spoon/knife/quart container. Choose a thin knife (curve the blade a bit) for separating the scallop from one shell; use the spoon to scoop the meat off the other shell; put the meat in the quart container.

8) Ice. Scallops are seafood collected in the sun and heat; keep them cold!

9) Food/beverages and sunscreen. You’ll work up an appetite and a thirst while scalloping — and the sun is merciless.

There are limits to how many scallops a person can harvest, and other rules as well. For the official scoop, go to http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/bay-scallops. You can learn even more at www.flseagrant.org/fisheries/scalloping.”

— By Susan Smiley-Height

The Florida that time forgot - Travel - The Boston Globe

Recently an article about 5 places in Florida that time for got was published in the Boston Globe. Here is what they had to say about Steinhatchee.

“STEINHATCHEE: Woods and water

Never heard of Steinhatchee? Neither have most Floridians. Located in the wild, river-laced forests of north central Florida, also known as the “nature coast,” this village of 1,600 folks is incredibly quiet — until scallop season, from July to mid-September, when the population swells and the Sea Hag Marina (352-498-3008, www.seahag.com) is abuzz with activity.

Anyone with a Florida saltwater fishing license (easily obtainable) can be a scalloper, and it’s a blast. You don a mask, snorkel, and fins, carry a mesh bag to hold your scallops, and head out in a boat through the Steinhatchee channel to the gulf, and then go north or south for several miles until the inshore waters become clear. Then you look for scallops hiding in the sea grass. They move by snapping their shells and spitting water out — kind of a sandy spurt — and propel themselves in a zigzag motion. Local restaurants, like Roy’s (352-498-5000, www.roys-restaurant.com), will cook your cleaned catch.

Other pursuits are equally outdoorsy, lsuch as paddling the Steinhatchee River and hiking the trails at (totally unimpressive, but interesting) Steinhatchee Falls, following in the footsteps of Timucuan Indians, Spanish explorers, and Civil War troops. Things get a little crazy during the annual Fiddler Crab Festival, held on President’s Day weekend, when everyone turns out for events like the fiddler crab races.

There’s nothing posh about this place, and that’s just the way the locals like it. “Our fine mall is the dollar store,” says Dean Fowler, owner of Steinhatchee Landing Resort. Designed to resemble a typical north Florida community from the early 1900s, Steinhatchee Landing (352-498-3513, www.steinhatcheelanding.com, from $140) is the best place to stay in this fishing village.

The nearest airport, Gainesville Regional, is nearly two hours away, so there’s no danger that Steinhatchee will change anytime soon. “This is the anti-Orlando,” says resident Kevin Kizer. “It’s the country side of Florida, a real blast from the past.””

— By Diane Bair and Pamela Wright

Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition Takes Trip Back in Time to Steinhatchee

Credit Steve Newborn / WUSF News

Ever wonder what there is to do around Steinhatchee besides Fishing, Hunting and summertime Scalloping? Our area is fantastic for Kayaking and Wildlife viewing.

Recently the Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition traveled through Steinhatchee and WUSF was there to write about what the group saw. Click the link below to read the full article.

http://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/post/florida-wildlife-corridor-expedition-takes-trip-back-time-steinhatchee?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

“WUSF is following the Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition as they bike, hike and kayak from Central Florida through the Panhandle to the Alabama state line. The three conservationists recently visited the coastal hamlet of Steinhatchee, deep in the Nature Coast. We paddled with them down the Steinhatchee River, fording some falls and getting a lesson in how much preserving the lands can spark Florida’s economy.”

— http://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/post/florida-wildlife-corridor-expedition-takes-trip-back-time-steinhatchee?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Light from above greets Edwin McCook of the Suwannee River Water Management District

Credit Steve Newborn / WUSF News

“Expedition member Joe Guthrie recounted a side trip to Hagen’s Cove, an isolated spot along the Gulf coast.

Enjoying the view of Steinhatchee
Enjoying the view of Steinhatchee
Credit Steve Newborn / WUSF News
”And there were thousands of shorebirds, all standing in water that was about two inches deep - just a plane of them, as far as you could see,” he says. “I mean they were even out of sight. It was really neat.””

— http://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/post/florida-wildlife-corridor-expedition-takes-trip-back-time-steinhatchee?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition Takes Trip Back in Time to Steinhatchee http://t.co/HnJb2gjWay via @WLRN

— WLRN Public Media (@WLRN) February 13, 2015

Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition Takes Trip Back in Time to Steinhatchee: WUSF is following the Florida… http://t.co/k6j3sgaf8i

— Change Miami (@CHNGMiami) February 13, 2015

RT @nature_florida: RT @CFTampaBay Check out this week's update on the #Glades2Gulf trek by @FL_WildCorridor on @wusf http://t.co/hptFhII9YP

— NRCS Florida (@NRCS_FL) February 12, 2015

RT @CFTampaBay Check out this week's update on the #Glades2Gulf trek by @FL_WildCorridor on @wusf http://t.co/sTSUOHkmIX

— NatureConservancy_FL (@Nature_Florida) February 12, 2015

Check out this week's update on the #Glades2Gulf trek by @FL_WildCorridor on @wusf http://t.co/RKlWrQLSMO

— CF Tampa Bay (@CFTampaBay) February 11, 2015

Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition Takes Trip Back in Time to Steinhatchee http://t.co/gdIuABLEOm

— WUSF (@wusf) February 11, 2015

More music to the ears of inshore anglers | Gainesville.com

The trout are hot right now in Steinhatchee

From the Gainesville Sun:

By Gary Simpson
Fishing columnist

For fishers, nothing much has changed during December. Salty gulf shallows remain dependably excellent, while area lakes remain less productive than it seems they should be. This report might sound like a broken record, but at least it's a nice tune for the inshore saltwater enthusiast.

A serious wad of speckled trout invaded the Steinhatchee River several days ago, and they have offered folks casting jigs and suspending lures fairly easy pickins most days since then. Captains Rick Davidson and Tommy Thompson have long enjoyed casting Paul Brown Devil lures, and these soft-bodied lures are again producing for the well-known guides.

It took Capt. Tommy and his fishing partner all of 15 minutes to fill their combined 10-fish limit one morning early this week, and all were nice 19-inch fish. Though the multitudinous trout are undeniably easy to access in the deep river, a number of knowledgeable cold-weather trout seekers say they are finding bigger fish, on average, still in the shallows well outside the river and creeks.

Late last Friday, Joey Landreneau found a bunch of sizable fish in water two-feet deep on a rocky point not far from Steinhatchee. In two hours, the big-trout specialist hauled in and released seven good ones. The largest weighed 4.5-pounds and the smallest was a stout three-pounder.

A couple of nice redfish, too, found Landreneau's prototype suspending lure irresistible.

While scores of boats were congregated at the mouth of the Steinhatchee Saturday, Dan Rhine and Julie Burke located their quality speckled trout on the nearby grass flats. Casting Sebile lures, they bagged limits of trout up to 4.5-pounds and added three nice reds.

Capt. Jesse Wooten and Troy Charles have spent several recent days sniffing out fish in the Steinhatchee area, and have pulled in big numbers of trout. But it's not the numbers that are most impressive. While many folks are happy with filling limits of barely legal fish, these guys are nailing some hefty specimens. Casting Live Target lures, Livingston topwaters, and Mirrodines, Wooten and Charles have boated around 50 trout at least 20 inches long, and up to 28 inches.

Sunday afternoon, Tanner Meadows, Andy Stark, and Jeffrey Dealmeida fished out of Horseshoe Beach. The Gainesville trio first ran up the coast to the flats near Pepperfish Keys, where they cast live shrimp and Stinky Fingers lures to bag a few trout and two redfish.

When the tide rose sufficiently, they headed back south and eased into a tidal creek near Shired Island. Adding gold spoons to their lure arsenal, they worked deeper pockets in the creek's bends.

The young trio caught lots of fish — sometimes doubles and triples — until the fading light forced them back to the launch site. Of 60-plus fish, they harvested five nice reds and a dozen legal trout.

Fishing Suwannee on Sunday, Mike Davis and a pair of his fishing buddies located tons of fish. The Gainesville angler was one of a few to come in early this week saying something like: “The Suwannee fishing is ridiculous.” Working the river's East Pass and several creeks near its mouth, the three fishermen caught around 60 trout and 40 redfish. At one point, 14 straight casts yielded 14 reds.

Most were sublegal, but plenty reached the keeper marks (15 inches for trout and 18 inches for reds) to fill limits. The reds, Davis said, went for jigs, while the trout were higher in the water column and the best producers for them were Rapala X-Rap lures.

The oddly slow December speckled perch fishing in the lakes nearest Gainesville hasn't improved much.

Wednesday, Curtis Wright of Melrose did manage an impressive box of Lake Santa Fe slabs. Wright fished minnows near the bottom in water 18- to 20-feet deep just off the north end of big Santa Fe. He finished the day with 17 fish, and every one of them was plenty big enough to fillet.

Some serious local crappie fishers say they've had to hit the road in order to find fish in pleasing size and numbers. Several have found the smaller lakes just upriver from Lake George to be the nearest specking hotspots. Just south of Astor, Lakes Woodruff and Dexter have produced excellent speck catches for a few weeks now — the kind of action fishers continue to hope for in lakes closer to home.

Gary Simpson, a veteran tournament angler, operates Gary's Tackle Box at L & S Auto Trim.