Scallop Season Calls

Out of the way, sure, but Steinhatchee is also
out of this world when it comes to scallops.

It could have been famous as Florida’s oldest city, but it’s not. The earliest residents didn’t build cities, and the first Europeans to see the locale that is now Steinhatchee were just passing through.
“I thought I’d been all over Florida, but I never heard of that place,” a friend said recently. That’s not a big surprise. Steinhatchee—the town—is more than 75 miles from an Interstate highway and didn’t even go by that name until 1931. That was the year the locals got tired of living in a town named after a deceased former postmaster. Fortunately, instead of reverting to the name that had been on maps since the early 1500s—Deadman Bay—they decided to name it for the river flowing along its shores, or at least the English approximation of it. Native Americans long ago named it Esteen Hatchee, meaning river (hatchee) of man (esteen).
Although this part of the Florida peninsula has been inhabited for 10,000 years, those early inhabitants—hunter-gatherers—were few and far between. Because of a natural limestone rock formation called Steinhatchee Falls, there was a lone portage opportunity about seven miles upriver from the Gulf of Mexico. The earliest Spanish explorers, Panfilo de Narvaez and Hernado DeSoto, learned of this rock crossing from their encounters with the natives in Tampa Bay. This portage point, just a three-foot falls at low water, served as a natural crossroads for those “esteen”  of the north traveling south for sponges or coontie, ancient plants with cones that were ground to make a substance like flour. More recently, armies passed over the falls during the Seminole and Civil Wars so often that wagon ruts can still be seen in the stones.

Admired for its undeveloped landscape, the coastal region of Taylor County offers endless opportunities to get up-close with nature. More than 80 percent of this portion of Florida’s Nature Coast is protected and remains in its natural state. The Steinhatchee is one of several rivers emptying into Apalachee Bay along Florida’s Big Bend and one of the cleanest. Rich sediments deposited over millennia have formed a rich, productive ecosystem. The slope of the Gulf bottom is very gradual, making the water shallow for vast distances, and fertile grass flats support a variety of fish and shellfish, making for an incredibly exciting fishing ground. In fact, trout fishing on the grass flats has brought Steinhatchee international fame.
Life here is time-warp slow and revolves around the water with sleepy fishing camps in the shade of mossy oaks. The full-time population of the area, which includes the small town of Jena on the other side of the river, is about 1,200 people, and most visitors are interested in the fishing. Summer is scallop season and Steinhatchee is the best place in the U.S. for catching bay scallops. The season is typically open from July 1 to September 10, however, this year, fear that oil could impact the harvest and thus the area’s economy caused the governor to open the season two weeks early.
Once you find them, scallops are easy to catch. The only equipment you need is a mask, snorkel, fins, a dip net, and a mesh bag to hold the scallops. Scallops prefer areas of bottom covered by the thin, round-bladed type of sea grass. Patches of brown algae are also a favorite. Recreational harvesters are limited to two gallons of whole bay scallops in the shell, or one pint of bay scallop meat, per day during the open season. No vessel may possess more than 10 gallons of whole bay scallops in the shell at any time. If you’ve never scalloped before, you should hire a guide who’ll put you right on the critters and show you how to keep them from getting away. Old-timers can catch their quota in about an hour and deposit their bags at a shucking station before lunch.
Most of the waterfront is tidy but no-frills and both Sea Hag Marina and Gulf Stream Motel and Marina  generally have dockage. For a unique experience, however, Steinhatchee Landing Resort just three miles upriver from the Gulf, presents a luxurious surprise with charming one- to four-bedroom cottages allowing multiple families or multiple generations to share accommodations.  Nine of the cottages are pet-friendly. These handsome “Cracker-style” buildings have rocking chair verandahs, hardwood floors and fine linens. There are tennis, volleyball and basketball courts scattered around the 35-acre property, a pool and fitness center, and children’s playground, plus several boat slips and the Landing’s cottages provide full kitchens for cooking up a fresh day’s catch.
For the record, the Big Bend area has yet to see evidence of crude and it is hoped that the broad flats here will deflect currents from reaching the shore. A web portal called Florida by Water (floridabywater.com) will give you updates on Steinhatchee’s conditions as well as those of the state’s entire 1,200 mile coastline.