Scallop Boats

[Mako22]

With all these reports of Bluefin down south, my head is skipping right past the spring rockfish season and going straight to the tuna...

Does any one know when the delmarva area opens back up to the overnight scallop boats?

Several years ago we had a blast fishing for BFT behind the scallopers (hambone, etc.), but it died when they closed the area to the overnight scallopers - - my memory is that the area was going to be closed for several years. Just wondering if this might be the year it reopens...

[TerpHeels]

I would like to know if it's not the scallop boats that have ruined the fishery. Raped the bottom of life, no sand eels, no chain of life. We'll see I guess. We remarked the other day how it was a given to hit the NSSSS and get your 100lb class bft. When was the last time a fish was caught at the place?

[Mako22]

Yeah - but my recollection was that last year we had plenty of bait, just no tuna (inshore).

It has also been about 4 years since the scallopers were in the area. I do remeber days of seeing 8-10 scallopers methodically working the area - hard to believe many scallops could have survived, but it has been a while.