Home Tournaments Calendar Weather Merchandise Sponsors

Go Back   Spearboard.com - The World's Largest Spearfishing Diving Boating Social Media Forum > United States Geographical Locations > Florida Gulfcoast Spearfishing

Florida Gulfcoast Spearfishing Post here to discuss regional action or issues about spearing on Florida's Gulfcoast.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 07-07-2018, 07:04 AM   #1
reel_drag
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 113
Scallops: Clean on boat or clean back on shore?

I've only done scalloping once, and have always wondered if you get more meat by cleaning them on the boat to get the 1 pint per person or wait until you're back on shore to clean your 2 gallons whole. I figured someone has to have tested it. Ideally, they should yield the same.
reel_drag is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2018, 07:11 AM   #2
captadam123
Registered User
 
captadam123's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Largo Fl
Posts: 641
Re: Scallops: Clean on boat or clean back on shore?

Clean at the dock with a cooler of beer. You'll need it
captadam123 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2018, 08:36 AM   #3
Eibwen
Registered User
 
Eibwen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Dunedin
Posts: 190
Re: Scallops: Clean on boat or clean back on shore?

They're easier to clean after sitting under a bag of ice (I don't let them touch fresh water though) for awhile as it makes them open up enough to get a spoon in there. Add that to no rocking of the boat and cleaning them onshore is the better choice.
Eibwen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2018, 09:10 AM   #4
Thin man
Registered User
 
Thin man's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Homestead
Posts: 215
Re: Scallops: Clean on boat or clean back on shore?

Captadam is definitely correct. Beer must be involved. It’s a long process and you won’t really gain anything in having the meat vs whole. Do it at the dock and enjoy the experience.

We are headed to hernando beach next week. Any reports of how the season is going thus far?
Thin man is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2018, 11:49 AM   #5
Dbrown
Registered User
 
Dbrown's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: West Coast FL
Posts: 604
Re: Scallops: Clean on boat or clean back on shore?

If it's your boat, clean on shore. If it's a slow moving rented pontoon boat, clean on way in. Both scenarios involve beer and nothing sharper than a spoon with edge grinded into it. Best to start on those scallops once you ice them a bit and they start to open up. That's when it's easiest. If you are bold enough to save their entrails in a ziploc bag and freeze em........ bring that bag of disgustingness with you next dive. Let it defrost a bit and bring it down on your stringer. That way when you open it up and that black cloud of "here comes the fish" happens, the plastic bag will remain on your stringer and you can shoot away. Those entrails are quite the fish aphrodisiac!
Dbrown is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2018, 10:36 PM   #6
vertical limit
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: new smyrna bch. fl
Posts: 160
Re: Scallops: Clean on boat or clean back on shore?

Cleaning on boat early in season because they are small will yield more meat for sure.This requires a two person crew cleaning . You start half way thru the estimated time to get your limit. The other half of your crew is still scalloping . when you get your limit most will be cleaned and remainder of crew can help finish. Crew works better with liquid refreshments and music. Keep scallops alive till cleaning much easier to clean . we never ice before cleaning beacause if you lay them on the deck in shade 80 percent of them will open .if you ice them 80 percent of them you will have to crack open total pain.

Last edited by vertical limit; 07-07-2018 at 10:49 PM.
vertical limit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2018, 07:13 PM   #7
Jmac7469
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 7
Re: Scallops: Clean on boat or clean back on shore?

This time of year clean on boat. You get way more return. Late in year clean at dock. Trust me it's worth it. And DO NOT ice before cleaning it is way easier fresh out of the water
Jmac7469 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2018, 09:09 PM   #8
Russell stalk
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Tampa
Posts: 88
Re: Scallops: Clean on boat or clean back on shore?

We went out of bayport park ramp Saturday. We stopped just north of the chassowhitzkah... not much there. Then we went about a mile out and 2 miles north of homosassa channel marker in 6.5', and that's where they were. Thick! Small but thick! we limited out in 2 hours there. Found most of them in the sand patches. Good luck
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_5899.JPG
Views:	142
Size:	125.2 KB
ID:	238739  
Russell stalk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2018, 09:29 PM   #9
reel_drag
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 113
Re: Scallops: Clean on boat or clean back on shore?

Thanks everyone! We are waiting for the 10 days in Pasco to go. If we can't find them in Pasco we plan to run north. The boat is at a marina on the Anclote River with no trailer, so that been a hurdle with being able to go scalloping.
reel_drag is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2018, 05:47 PM   #10
Eibwen
Registered User
 
Eibwen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Dunedin
Posts: 190
Re: Scallops: Clean on boat or clean back on shore?

Quote:
Originally Posted by reel_drag View Post
If we can't find them in Pasco we plan to run north. The boat is at a marina on the Anclote River with no trailer, so that been a hurdle with being able to go scalloping.
Scallops are sensitive to water quality. I don't know if that starts to drop off as you get closer to major population centers (eg closer to Pinellas). If I was going out fishing in my boat that I had at Anclote river park I think I'd scout out some spots.

I'm renting a boat when my bro comes into town during the mini-season. We'll be cruising on an 18' pontoon. I have high hopes the scallops should be there. They've had over a decade to re-establish their #'s without a legal harvest season.
Eibwen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2018, 07:27 PM   #11
Marcus
Naval gazer extraordinair
 
Marcus's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 42,214
Re: Scallops: Clean on boat or clean back on shore?

Eyep, plan on finding comfortable sitting, shade, music, and beer in order that you're not miserable by the time you're done. It's tedious work. Also, prevent from getting element exposure...you'll need the remaining energy to finish the job. Plan for your comfort, it will be hot. You won't regret it. Also, I save the prettiest shells. They decorate my back porch. Sharpen your spoons. Some people might profess the use of a wet vac for sucking away the innards but I wasn't impressed vs. the clean up involved. They'll get stinky fast so keep them cool and contained until getting them in a freezer for chum/fishing otherwise you'll be dealing w/ another unnecessary mess.
__________________
“If the natural tendencies of mankind are so bad that it is not safe to permit people to be free, how is it that the tendencies of these organizers are always good? Do not the legislators and their appointed agents also belong to the human race? Or do they believe that they themselves are made of a finer clay than the rest of mankind?”
― Frederic Bastiat, The Law

Last edited by Marcus; 07-10-2018 at 07:39 PM.
Marcus is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:38 AM.


The World's Largest Spearfishing Diving Social Media Forum Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2002 - 2014 Spearboard.com