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