We were on Sanibel last week.  The dredging has been done to open Blind Pass.
However....we found very little!

Bobbi

Jan Alexander wrote:

> We were at Sanibel in December of 1999 and the channel under Blind Pass
> bridge has completely filled in with sand.  We were told it was going to be
> dredged back out so that the mangroves in the area behind it would still
> have access to the water at high tide.  We were back in December 0f 2000 and
> it had not been dredged.  So, the shelling is not as good as it used to be
> because the pass no longer exists.  I agree that the sand ledge along the
> pass was a wonderful place to explore in the past but it no longer exists.
> It is still fun to go there though.
>
> Walk out in the water at Blind Pass or Bowman's beach and let your feet do
> your shelling for you.  Two members of our family have found great shells
> that way.  One was a huge horse conch that was in pretty good shape even
> though it was dead - just the tip of it was sticking out of the sand.
> Another was a large whelk.
>
> The way I look at it, a bad day of shelling always beats a day at the office
> any way you want to shake it!
>
> Have fun - Sanibel is a great place to visit.
>
> Jan
>
> Jan
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joe Scharle" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2001 10:35 PM
> Subject: Re: New Subcriber with Question
>
> > Hi Mindy,
> > When you get to your hotel check the tourist literature or ask the desk
> > clerk. There are several people that take folks out on the type of
> > expedition you're describing, and they advertise quite a bit. The best
> > shelling in Sanibel occurs during the winter months when currents pull
> > toward the island. During the spring and summer months, the currents go in
> > the opposite direction.The best shelling spot on the island is under the
> > bridge between Sanibel and Captiva Islands called Blind Pass. During low
> > tide one can wade out into this shallow channel and literally scoop masses
> > of shells from the bottom mud. I also found some excellent specimens while
> > digging in the softened sand at the edges of this channel. Observing live
> > specimens is part of the fun, but even though you may be tempted, please
> > observe the rules. With the traffic that Sanibel gets, the ecology of the
> > area would be seriously compromised if live specimens were taken.
> > Enjoy!
> > Joe Scharle
> > Joe Scharle
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Bobbi Cordy" <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2001 9:41 PM
> > Subject: Re: New Subcriber with Question
> >
> >
> > > Hi Mindy:
> > >
> > > We just spent 6 days on Sanibel last week.      As you probably know,
> > > you cannot take any live shells on Sanibel.  The only thing on the
> > > beaches was dead kitten paws and jingle shells.
> > > We even checked the lighthouse and no wentletraps either.  BUT this wind
> > > might blow something in.
> > >
> > > Bobbi
> > >
> > > Miranda Cox wrote:
> > >
> > > > Hi all.  I'm a graduate student at Wake Forest
> > > > University, working on a Master's in math. I've been
> > > > collecting shells for about eight years or so, but I'm
> > > > from western North Carolina so I don't get to go
> > > > shelling as often as I'd like.  However, spring break
> > > > is coming up next week, and I'm heading down to St.
> > > > Pete with a friend.  We're also planning to go down to
> > > > Sanibel for a couple of days.  Here's my question:
> > > > Last time I was on Sanibel (4 years ago) a "Captain
> > > > Julie" took me out to some mangrove islands to look
> > > > for shells.  I would like to do something like this
> > > > again but I don't remember her last name or know
> > > > anyone else with a boat who takes people shelling.  I
> > > > want to go squishing around in the mud, not
> > > > beachcombing.  Any information you can provide would
> > > > be great!  Thanks,
> > > >
> > > > Mindy Cox
> > > >
> > > > __________________________________________________
> > > > Do You Yahoo!?
> > > > Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail.
> > > > http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/
> > >
> >