Clam digging on Long Beach!

[HEADSHOT]

Post your picks of the dig here! Cranberry has been producing decent. Beards hallow area not bad! Best areasare mid sections between the beach access's! Where " no diggers go and the all 10"....hahahaheheheh.... Cant wait for the up coming dig! I live 2.5 mi's from cranberry and we get 3 limits everytime... Plus the fam and friends that come down. The only hard thing about clamming is cleaning em.... Good luck everyone!

[ICEMAN]

Just a heads up on the dig:

January 21, 2010

Contact:  Dan Ayres, (360) 249-4628 ext. 209

Marine toxin clouds razor clam dig,
prevents opening at Long Beach

OLYMPIA - Rising marine toxin levels have prompted the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to cancel a razor clam dig scheduled at Long Beach and delay final decisions about digs at Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks beaches until next week.

Olympic National Park will also wait until next week to decide on a dig at Kalaloch Beach, pending the results of further biotoxin testing.

Previous plans for a dig starting late next week were put on hold after routine testing found elevated levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in clams collected on coastal beaches, said Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager. 

PSP is a marine toxin produced by a certain type of algae that can cause paralysis and even death if consumed in sufficient quantities.

Ayres said toxin levels in clams dug this week at Long Beach violate health standards established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, ruling out an opening at that beach.  Early next week, WDFW will conduct additional tests on clams collected at the other beaches, where PSP levels also appear to be on the rise. 

"It’s always disappointing to cancel a razor clam dig, and we hate to make people wait for answers on the other beaches," Ayres said.  "But public safety comes first, which is why we test razor clams before every public dig."

Ayres said final decisions on a revised razor-clam opening will be announced by Thursday, Jan. 28.  Unless it is canceled, the dig at Twin Harbors will be delayed, since it was originally scheduled to open Jan. 27, Ayres said. 

Updates on the razor clam dig scheduled for next week will be posted on WDFW’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/razorclm/season.htm .

Frank Cox, marine biotoxin coordinator for the Washington Department of Health, said he suspects PSP is moving northward from the Oregon coast, where beaches have been closed to razor clam digging since December.

"There are a lot of uncertainties about how this will affect Washington beaches, which is why we recommend erring on the side of caution," he said.

Cox noted that the PSP toxin cannot be removed by cooking or freezing.  Although no human fatalities from PSP have been reported in Washington since 1942, people still get sick every few years - usually after eating toxic shellfish collected from closed beaches, Cox said. 

No coastal beaches have been closed to razor-clam digging because of elevated PSP levels since 1993, Ayres said.  A different marine toxin, domoic acid, prompted a season-long closure in 2002-03.

[Shootmoore]

Good info Iceman, lord knows I can eat razor clams in "sufficient" quantity to kill 2 people.

Shootmoore

[Tony 270WSM]

Don't dig off LB, but do go off Warrenton down to Seaside. Haven't gone in a while though, need to look up the regs. Are tasty.

[the shootist]

hey guy's!

Anybody know where the closest, and best butter clam digging is from spokane? We went years ago and would like to take my kids for a quick trip, as well as the experiance BUT WHERE TO GO>>>>>

[HEADSHOT]

Driving directions: From Raymond/South Bend, follow US 101 south towards Long Beach to Pickernell Creek (at milepost38.3)

Access: The Nemah site may be accessed by boat or by land at Pickernell Creek off Highway 101. The gravel turnout on the west side of Highway 101 just south of Pickernell Creek (at milepost 38.3 may be used for parking.

Location: Second class tidelands lying in front of, adjacent to, or abutting upon Government Lots 5, 6, and 7, Section 3, and Government Lots 1, 2, and 3, Section 4 Township 12 north, Range 10 west, W.M.: Government Lots 1, 2, 3, and 4, Section 34, Section 27, and Lots 1, 2, 3, and 4 Section 28, Township 13 north Range 10 west, W.M. lying easterly of the Nemah Oyster Reserve and easterly of privately owned tidelands tracts. The southern boundary of this public tideland area starts near Pickernell Creek and continues to the north approximately 3-1/2 miles.

Boundaries: From mean high water out to the east boundary of private tidelands tracts and the Nemah Oyster Reserve. Some private tideland boundaries fall very close to the shoreline, especially near the southern boundary of these public tidelands. In this area the adjacent landowner has marked their privately owned shellfish bed with white plastic stakes. Please respect private property.

No camping allowed at this site.

There are no sanitary facilities provided at or near this site. Think ahead.

Nearest boat launch is located at Palix River or Bay Center.

For additional information call WDFW Region 6 headquarters (360) 249-4628 or Pacific County Department of Community Development (360) 875-9356

[carpsniperg2]

we dig for them in seaside when we can get down there and they are open

[huntnphool]

With long beach closed we decided to dig ocean shores, we got our three limits in about an hour, time to hit the camp fire and crack the crown.

[MuleyMadness]

is it still open?

[huntnphool]

no, was only open for the weekend.

[HEADSHOT]

anyone digging this opener? i am going tomorrow!!!!

[ICEMAN]

TSUNAMI ADVISORY POSTED FOR THE WASHINGTON COAST FOR TODAY, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH FOR 2:57 PM.

GUYS, CONSIDERING THE EARTHQUAKE IN CHILE TODAY, PLUS THIS ADVISORY, I RECOMMEND CHANGING YOUR SATURDAY CLAM DIGGING PLAN TO SUNDAY.

NOTHING WILL PROBABLY HAPPEN TODAY....BUT ALWAYS BETTER TO STAY SAFE.

[HEADSHOT]

tHE ONLY PROBLEM WITH TODAY? The fact you had to drive home! Got off the beach there was 10 of us "in our group", either way great night for a dig!!!   at the beach "only 2mi's from home" we dug 150 razors in 1.5 hrs... yes now we gotta clean em...

[ICEMAN]

No fair, you were supposed to stay away from the beach and leave them for us!!!

[HEADSHOT]

  kinda hard when you live there!!! hehehehe you dig today? thats an angry face! you should come with me sometime

[ICEMAN]

Headshot, we decided to alter our plan and dig Sunday.... I better bring my ibuprofen cause I will have three kids in tow this dig ( two of mine plus an extra we found...) ...plus the wife..I should be pretty damned busy...

Yeah, I sort of figured that the big wave would be about an inch or two...but ya never know...

We will be digging today out at ocean shores or copalis. Would love to hit Mocrocks but havent been up there in a few years...where you at?

[HEADSHOT]

I live .5 mi's north of cranberry rd. on the long beach pen..... had church all day sunday so wasnt able to dig....

[NRA4LIFE]

We hit Ocean Shores Friday and Saturday.  Unbelievable.  Friday we dug 3 limits as fast as we could get them out of the sand.  They were everywhere.  saturday the surf was definitely up a bit but still got 3 more limits in a little over an hour.

Iceman, I tried your recipe for smoked clams.  Excellent, thanks.

[Viszla]

We braved the tsunami and hit grayland on Sat.  Limited out quick.  The clams were small however.

[ICEMAN]

Headshot, we love Longbeach and come down to visit a couple of times of year, a really special place for sure.

NRA4Life, glad you liked the smoked clam recipe...

We hit Ocean shores for 75 clams in an hour and a half...they were there, but the sand was packed hard where we were and you had to thump the beach pretty hard and watch for the "shows"....  Not many folks diggin on Sunday...

[HEADSHOT]

Secret clam thump-er! Take HEAVY PVC PIPE or Metal fence pipe and fill it with lead"round weights" work great then cap the end with caps and pound away! I should make them and sell them because my model works great!

[HEADSHOT]

I took my 8 yr old daughter and 6 year old son clam digging near the house 2 days ago. taught em how to find them and they kept busy stomping and digging. We dug 45 in a few minutes it was great. Yesterday we did point a few out to a friend of jeff monyacks "trails end taxidermy" dayton wa. And he dug is first ever! But I was quickly reminded kids cant do everything. My Daughter says with tears on her face I hit my foot with your clam gun! Ouch as I relized yes you did! My good buddy Officer Chadwick with WDFW stopped by to give me pooh about my surf shorts and muck boot combo I was wearing and also confirmed "I would take her to the doc" He say's/ We were in the truck and on our way! Middle toe got 7 stitches. And were were still back in time to host our GSP VS. HARDY fight! By 6 pm.... So my statement is, good shoe's will get ya 45 clams as worn the day before! No shoe's will get ya no clam's 7 stitches and missing the tide! I still feel bad but in fashion told her atleast you will be a week late for basketball and you can tell your friends it was a shark!  I am going by my self today!