More Razor Clam Digs Planned on Washington Coast

If you need a break from the mountains, drive out to the coast and dig for clams.
You might be thinking - really? clams? Yes! Clams!

Pacific Razor Clams vary from three to six inches in length, but some can reach up to a foot, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has opened up more than two dozen dates to take home your own clams.

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These little buggers are perfect for breading and pan frying into clam fritters, making a clam chowder for the cold winter days ahead, or even just dipping in some melted butter.

Here's a tip from personal experience: look for divets and quartersize holes in the ground. That's where the razor clams are hiding. Investing in a clam gun, a hollow one-foot deep and six inch in diameter piece of metal or PVC pipe with a handle on it, will save a world of effort. Only the most experienced razor clam diggers attempt to dig for them with a shovel, because they dig at over a foot per minute. For a clam, that's lightning fast!

Pacific Razor Clams can be prone to Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP) due to the accumulation of domoic acid - a marine toxin that collects in most types of shellfish. WDFW regularly tests for domoic acid. The Department of Fish and Wildlife is tenatively forecasting shellfish consumption safety for the following dates.

March 8, Saturday, 2:13 p.m.; 0.6 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
(Change to daylight savings time)
March 9, Sunday, 4:18 p.m.; 0.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
March 10, Monday, 5:10 p.m.; 0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
March 11, Tuesday, 5:52 p.m.; 0.1 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
March 12, Wednesday, 6:28 p.m.; 0.2 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Mocrocks
March 13, Thursday, 7:00 p.m.; 0.4 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis
March 14, Friday, 7:30 p.m.; 0.7 feet; Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis

As you're walking along the coast, you may notice water spewing from those divets. That means the clam has started its escape. That's when you put your clam gun over the sand and push down, removing the wet sand and, hopefully, the clam.

There are more tentative dates (as conditions for the edibility of razor clams can change rapidly) listed on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website.