We are not a non-profit institution. Donations are directed to our general fund to keep the website maintained and administrated. Please be aware that this is not tax deductible but we appreciate your contribution.
Welcome to FishRag.com, Your Ultimate Fishing Community! Sign up now and enjoy an online fly tying database, online fishing log and become part of an online fishing community where you can share your pictures, your experiences and that big one that you landed last weekend.
Razor Clamming
Written by Administrator
Tuesday, 20 October 2009 01:01
Dene and I went clamming this Saturday at Kalaloch beach on the Washington State coast. The Washington state department of fish and wildlife opened up a couple of beaches this weekend for Razor clamming and Kalaloch was one of them. We went to Kalaloch last year and loved the place so we chose this beach to go Razor clamming. Dene gets the supplemental reports from the Department of Fish and Game and their report also made it sound like there were really good populations at Kalaloch so that also made the decision easy.
We made reservations at Kalaloch lodge since and loved it there. Its an expensive place though so we decided to only stay one night and since the clamming didn't start till afternoon we figured it would be plenty of time to get up and get there from Seattle. This worked out great because low tide was at 6:30 and good clamming wouldn't start till about 3 or 4 PM while the tide was going out. We even had time to scope out a couple of different beaches and decided the one just north of the campground would be ideal.
At first we started hiking away from all the other clammers but then decided the other people out there were not a bad thing as they actually knew what they were doing while we were newbies who were expecting a spout of water coming out of the sand. When this wasn't happening we were wondering how the heck are these people finding these clams? I saw a bunch of people taking their shovels and tapping the ground. I was wondering what the hell does that do? I finally asked someone what this did and she said that the clams would spit up if they were they. So I started mimicking this behavior to see if I could see something different in the sand. I saw nothing. No spitting clams and I couldn't see where they were and Dene was just as frustrated. When I was a kid and went clamming with my parents, I remember the clams spitting up out of the sand. These razor clams were a bit different.
So I finally asked someone who had just dug up a clam, what are you looking for. He told me there is a small indentation in the sand about the size of a dime. Look for that. Then a kid told me here look there are three of them right here and then I saw what they were all looking for and it all became clear. I relayed that information to Dene and we started looking for these indentations. It took awhile but we finally figured out what to look for and started bringing up clams.
As we were growing more and more tired we happend upon this family who was doing quite well and started digging near them. They didn't seem to mind and in fact said there were more clams there than they could ever dig up and they were right. We found most of our clams in this spot and then after we had dug up about 7 or 8 a peice decided we were completely exhausted and were ready to quit. Thanks to all those people who were nice to us and helped us out. Now we have a much better idea about what we are doing and are talking about going for Gooey Duck next.
That night in spite of our exhaustion I cleaned the razor clams and was pleasantly surprised to see how much meat we got from them. The limit was 15 a peice and we got about half that. If we had gotten our limit we would have had enough for several meals for sure. Once cleaned I put them in the little refrigerator we had. We iced them up for the way home and then put them in the freezer right away when we arrived.
Should be an excellent chowder and we looking forward to it.
Living on or near the ocean many people enjoy the opportunities and bounties that the sea provides. Being such a person, I am no different and since I love to fish I also enjoy crabbing for dungeness and red rock crab that are abundant in this area.
It is very important that first and foremost you get your fishing license and read the fishing regulations for your area. Knowing the rules around what you are fishing for can save you a lot of head ache and possibly a large fine.
Now prepare your crab bait. I like to use chicken for bait as it seems to catch a lot of crab. In fact the older and stinkier the chicken the better. I'll often get the chicken out a day or two ahead of my trip to let it sit out and get a little rancid. If you have a crab bait holder you might want to put it in as you are taking out the chicken so you don't have to handle it as much once it goes bad. Another good bait to use is claims as this is what the crab naturally feed on or fish guts work well too. In any case, I like to put the bait in the bait holder and toss it into a plastic bag to reduce handling.
When you are ready to start crabbing, tie your rope to the crab pot, making sure you have enough rope for the depth you are going. Then tie the bait to the net.
If you are fishing from a boat you will also need a buoy to tie the net to if you plan on leaving it for a while to pursue other activities. Check your regulations around the rules for this. Another boating option is that you can leave the net tied to your boat if you plan to stay with the net. If you are fishing from a dock you can just tie the rope to the dock.
Let the crab pot soak for a while. It is important to let the net or pot soak for at least an hour before you check it. Moving it around too much may scare off the crab. The best way to catch anything is to get it in the water as long as possible.
When you are ready to check it just pull up the net. If you have crab be sure to measure them as in most areas you can only keep crab that are a certain size. Refer to your fishing regulations for the specific size in your area. If you have any keepers then toss them in a bucket or cooler and try to keep them alive as long as you can. The fresher the meat the better.
Drop the net again and repeat the soak for more crab fishing.
Cleaning and cooking your crab
So now that you have been crabbing and have come home with a nice catch. Now what do you do? Well now is the time to clean and cook your crab. Hopefully you were able to keep your crab alive till you got it home. If that is the case then you have to deal with how to kill them. There is a lot of controversy about boiling crab alive as many people consider this cruel. The other method is to knock them out before you boil them. The other thing you can do is stick them in the freezer. It is said that putting the crab in the freezer before you boil them makes them dormant and they are also easier to handle at that point. To knock the crab out just take a large chef knife and give them a good bonk on the back of their shell. Which ever method you choose is up to you. Also some people like to cook the crab and then clean them others clean them and then cook them. Again this is your choice as it really doesn't matter which comes first.
Here are some items you will need.
* A good chopping knife * A large stock pot to cook the crab * Sink and faucet.
Here are the steps to cleaning the crab.
* Pull of the back shell of the crab. This isn't that hard really just grab the side of the crab at the base and hold down the rest of the body as you pull the shell up. Its should lift right off. * On the back side of the crab pull off the triangle flap on its belly. * Now turn the crab over again and clean out the gills and any intestine. The intestine runs down the middle of the back. Some people also like to clean away the yellow mushy stuff in the crab. Others find this a delicacy and you can find recipes for them if you chose to keep it. * Now break or cut the crab in half and chop off the head. * Chop off the legs and rinse the crab once again.
Now its ready for eating. You can grab a mallet and some pliers or kitchen scissors and dig right in to the crab. If you would like to eat the crab legs as is then its often best served with a little garlic butter and lemon but you can implement your favorite crab recipe from here. Bon Appetit!
MidCurrent will be blogging live from the International Fly Tackle Dealer show in Denver, Colorado next week. The show runs Thursday through Saturday, September 9 through 11 at the Colrado Convention Center, and the fact that this will be the first retailer show run soley by AFFTA should make it an interesting event.
Mark your calendars and be sure to check in for our comments and photos (and perhaps even a video or two) on interesting new products landing on retailers' shelves in coming months.
Robert Merrill, and guide for the Three Rivers Ranch Orvis Fly Shop in Driggs, Idaho, is still missing two days after he and his clients were tossed from their driftboat on the South Fork of the Snake River Wednesday night. According to the story by Cory Hatch of the Jackson Hole Daily, "The clients escaped the river near the accident, but Merrill continued downstream.... 'They were up against the bank where [the river] goes right next to the road and hit a ... tree and capsized,' said Sgt. Karl Casperson, a member of the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office Aquatic Rescue Team."
MidCurrent will be blogging live from the