I love to scallop. In fact, I like to scallop so much that during the season (October to March) I have endured great cold and pain. Pain from frozen hands that hurt so much as they thaw, that I have been known to cry as I walk up and down the beach shaking my hands to enhance my blood flow. This is insane. But I love scallops. And, I love to scallop.

The only place I have successfully scalloped is Nantucket Island. I fish on Nantucket for scallops because they have not been anywhere else in great supply.

Nantucket bay scallops are held in reverence in gourmet restaurants throughout the world. When you catch, clean and eat them without soaking them in water they are very dense and very sweet. When you buy scallops in a market, they often are soaking in water to preserve them or to increase their weight. Nantucket bay scallops retail locally on the Cape for about $30/lb. They have been sold on line (frozen) for over $100/lb.

Before I share how to catch bay scallops you should know that Greenwich Bay once was the scallop capital of Rhode Island. But this is not the case today. Scallops eggs need to attach to sea grass. It gets them off the bottom as they are one of the few filter-feeding bivalves that do not live buried in the mud or sand like quahogs. They live on the bottom and feed off organisms feeding off the sea grass.

So no sea grass, no scallops. We have very little sea grass in the Bay today. In fact, Save the Bay has an annual sea grass transplant project which has met with good success. Scallops are also very sensitive to pollution , shoreline development and fertilizer run off. So someday, I hope Greenwich and Narragansett Bays will host a scallop population.

Commercial bay scallop fishermen use small boats (about 20’) and dredge though sea grass. Anything in front of the dredge as it is pulled though the water goes into the net. After a run they pull up the dredge and sort though their catch on a culling board saving the scallops and tossing everything else. Bay scallops live for a couple of years and it is illegal to take first year scallops that have not spat (or reproduced). Like trees scallops have growth rings (on their shells). If it is a one year old scallop it has reproduced already and will have a growth ring. If there is no growth ring on the shell it cannot be taken.

I have never had a commercial scallop license, but have had a residential or recreational license. You cannot use mechanical means to catch scallops with a recreational license. There are three common ways to get them…. skin diving, walking in the water with a view box and picking up the scallops you see with a small net, or using a push rake (I use this method).

A push rake is a 12’ long wooden pole with a steel rectangular frame on the end with a net attached to it. The idea is to get in the water with waders and push the rake though the water in front of you. The pole is 12’ long so you do not cast a shadow over the scallops as they are sensitive to light and dark and will actually move. After walking twenty-five to fifty paces through water that has sea grass you lift the rake and sort out the scallops and put them in a basket in a tire float that is tied to your waist (similar to a quahog basket).

You are allowed to take a bushel of scallops per week with a recreational license. A bushel of scallops nets about seven to eight pounds of scallop meat. It takes me about an hour to shuck or clean a half bushel of scallops. It takes a professional about 25 minutes to shuck or clean a bushel. This year resident recreational licenses on Nantucket are $25 (need a Nantucket address on your license), non-resident recreational licenses are $100.

State fishing license veto

Last week’s column on the salt water fishing bill vetoed by Governor Carcieri received both pro and con comments. One letter was sent by Jim Hutchinson, president of the Recreational Fishing Alliance in New Jersey (this is a national group that advocates for the fishing and boating industry, their web site lists 14 chapters with no chapter in RI). They advocate for no government intrusion into fishing. Jim sited New York's saltwater fishing law that required fishermen to register twice in one year during implementation and its $10 fee. He also alluded to the fact that in New York the money raised by the license fees is not spent on enhancing the salt water fishery or access. The New York law was poorly implemented and as Jim related fishermen had input but no one listened to them. No safeguards for fishermen.

The bill the Governor vetoed in RI was not written in a vacuum. RI fisherman helped draft this legislation and as the bill relates the “fisheries council” in RI (made up of fishermen) not only reviews expenditures each year but are required by law to express their opinion on how funds are being spent and air this at a public hearing. Our freshwater fishing license fees have in part helped provide a good fishery here with state government managing, protecting and stocking rivers, ponds and lakes. Our fresh water fishery has delighted old and young on opening day and throughout the season. My hope is that not only would this bill fulfill federal saltwater requirements and help to effectively manage the fishery, but would also provide resources to enhance access and the fishery ensuring that our grandchildren’s grandchildren would have access to saltwater and be able to fish. State funds for protecting and enhancing fishing and access are just not there, and will not likely be available in the future. This bill provides funding to enhance the fishery with tight controls to make sure funds are spent properly. This is what Governor Carcieri vetoed.

Where’s the bite

Tautog bite was good in sheltered areas with structure in the Bay where anglers were able to fish during bad weather last week. Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle reports that some cod fish have been caught locally off Newport by tautog fishermen.

Striped bass bite is fair. Some fish being taken in the Providence River with small bass being taken off southern Rhode Island coastal beaches. Angler Pete Nilsen took four small bass in the Narrow River and fifteen shad. He said the shad fought surprisingly well using light fly tackle. Dave Henault said the squid run is on at Martha’s Vineyard so he hopes we may get a fall run of striped bass after all.

Captain Dave Monti has been fishing and shell fishing on Narragansett Bay for over 40 years. He holds a captain’s master license and a charter fishing license. Your fishing stories, comments and questions are welcome… there’s more than one way to catch a fish so e-mail Captain Dave at ¬¬¬dmontifish@verizon.net .