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Hernando Today

Seafood Lovers Sell It All

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By TONY HOLT, Hernando Today

Published: February 11, 2008

HERNANDO BEACH - Maryland is not the only place to buy the best blue crabs - although it may take a couple of Maryland natives to know where to find them.

Mostly everything stocked inside David and Stacy Ross' store comes from the nearby Gulf, but they get their blue crabs from as far as Cocoa Beach and Pensacola Bay.

"It's hectic ... It's a challenge," said David Ross, who bought the former Captain Brad's with his wife and turned it into Trader Bay Seafood. The store has been open since April 2007.

The bright blue walls have been covered by wood and the fence outside has been torn down. They opened soon after they purchased the business, so renovations have come along slowly.

The next big project will be to build a deck so that members can sit and eat whatever they buy. That includes oysters, clams, fish, shrimp - and of course, crabs. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, members may also eat chicken and ribs with sides of baked beans and potato salad.

The couple refer to customers as "members" because they do not want to be known as a restaurant. Anyone can buy seafood at Trader Bay, but to eat there, one must purchase a membership card. The owners said they will likely sell them for $1 apiece.

For such a small price, club members also would find out about all the available specials well in advance.

"I'd come over and I'd buy blue crabs every weekend," recalled Ross, who did network designs before buying the business. "I saw the 'for sale' sign and said, 'I'll buy it.'"

The owner did not take him seriously in the beginning, but after a month or so, Ross convinced him and the paperwork was signed.

Within a month after it reopened under Trader Bay, the store was burglarized. So far, that has been the only bad omen.

"People who come in now have embraced us," Ross said. "We're the only fresh fish market in town."
Hernando Beach is a coastal area with lots of avid fishermen and boaters. Residents in the area love to eat grouper, scallops and other seafood. Those who moved to the area from the Northeast still love their crabs and clams. So why don't more businesses exist in the area like Trader Bay?

"There is a lot of wholesaling that goes on here," Ross said. "Lots of fish that come from here go elsewhere."

Ross sells stone crabs, mussels, clams, oysters, hog snapper, mangrove snapper, groupers, mullets, scallops, tilapia, flounder, tuna, salmon and other seafood varieties.

He has partnerships with many of the local fishermen who bring him the freshest seafood by the pound. He even has an underwater diver who spears hog snapper because it is not a "hook and line" fish.

Blue crab is still king. He sells approximately 1,500 pounds every weekend.

An older man came into the store Friday afternoon and wanted to buy some grouper. Ross held up a fillet that weighed a little more than a pound.

The man wanted something bigger. He walked to the back of the store and came out with fillets weighing up to four pounds.

Another man came in later asking for mullet, a popular option for bait - at least among the serious fishermen.

A shipment was coming in late that day. The store closed at 6 p.m., but Ross volunteered to call the man after hours to let him know when to pick up the mullet. He didn't mind doing a little extra for his customer.

The customers themselves also are willing to do more than is necessary. For those who want to savor Ross' blue crabs, distance is not an issue. He has some who travel from the far end of Lake County. The drive takes at least two hours.

"I try to remind them to call first," Ross said.

Biz at a glance:

Name of biz: Trader Bay Seafood

Owners: David and Stacy Ross

What it is: Seafood store (crabs, oysters, fish, shrimp, etc.)

Where it is: 4006 Shoal Line Blvd.

Hours of operation: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday

Get in touch: 352-597-5170.

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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