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Clam Watch and Crab Watch provides the latest information available on local clam digging and crabbing conditions on the Oregon Coast to facilitate planning your crabbing and clam digging adventures. Crabbing Recreational crabbing in the Ocean has been great since the season opened on 12/01 but rough ocean conditions have kept most crabbers at home. Dungeness Crabs are common to areas of the ocean with a sandy bottom and in areas with extensive eel grass beds. Crabbing conditions inside of Oregon’s estuaries this spring have been less than ideal with the continuous rainfall keeping river levels high and the estuaries full of freshwater, but conditions are changing. Crabbing conditions in Oregon’s Bays have begun to improve with some keeper sized male Dungeness crabs moving into the bays, but the males have begun to molt. Crabs grow by molting and the crabs this spring that where just a little too short to keep this Spring will molt into the crabs you can keep this Fall. Look for crabbing to continue to improve as we move through the summer months and with the arrival of fall we look forward to some great crabbing inside of Oregon’s estuaries. I would like to take this opportunity to discuss the common practice of retaining softshell male crabs. Even though the retention of legal sized softshell male crabs is allowed we ask you to be a better crabber and return softshell crabs to the water. Keeper sized softshell crabs contain very little meat when compared to hard shelled crabs. If every crabber released softshell crabs we all would have more hard shelled crabs to keep when it really counts in September, October and November. Raise the bar and set the standard for all to fallow by releasing softshell crabs.
CURRENT MOON
We provide Internet links to following websites for the latest information available on local clam digging and crabbing conditions on the Oregon Coast. Click on NOAA Tides and Currents to link to the tide tables for the Oregon Coast; then scroll down and click on the location of interest. Click on the following link to the Coast Guard Jettycam real time views of the bar crossing of Oregon's Bays and follow the instructions. Click on NOAA Regional Weather Forecast to view the 7 day weather forecast for your area of interest. Click on the pink colored portion of the map for your area of interest. Click on the area of the map between the coastline and the blue line defining the weather forecast 10 miles to sea. Move the cursor over your area of interest and click for a detailed 7 day weather forecast. Click on the NOAA Website, Marine Digital Point Forecast Matrix Interface.to view a detailed weather and surf forecast for the Oregon Coast. Position the cursor over the location of interest on the Oregon Coast and left click. A check of the Northwest River Forecast shows river levels for all of Oregon's rivers are below bankfull and flood levels. River levels should rise with continued rainfall. Crabbing improves first in Netarts and Coos Bays before improving in Oregon's other bays following periods of heavy seasonal rainfall. Dockside Crabbing    Folding crab traps are a recent innovation that is changing the face of crabbing from crab docks. Crabbing with the Crab Max from Moe's Pier in Siletz Bay. The jumbo Dungeness crab in the bucket was the only keeper caught in the strong tidal surge. A crabber tosses his crab ring into Alsea Bay from the end of one of two crabbing piers operated by the Port of Alsea. I took these Dungeness crabs from the Coast Guard dock in Winchester Bay using one Crab Max folding crab trap. The three Dungeness shown below provided just enough sweet succulent crab meat to make a Crab Louie for me and my wife. Crabbing from the Coast Guard dock was so good I could have easily limited out, but three crabs were just enough crab to fulfill my immediate needs.
Clamming and Crabbing Reports Lower Columbia River Crabbing: Gene from Tackle Time Charters reports: Tackle Time Charters is closed for the season. Hello, Crabbing on the lower Columbia River has been very good. Most have nice hard shells now. And limits are common. A limit of crab is 12 per person. They are catching crab just off of buoy 20 and buoy 21. The crabbing is done by boat just off the river beach. We don't have any piers or docks out far enough into the river to do any crabbing without a boat. Unless, you have a crab catcher that is attached to your fishing pole. And if you do, you can catch crab with your crab catcher. It's a fun thing to do! And you can get some good crab too! Also, they are fishing for Salmon from the river beach and doing very well !! For those of you who do not know where the river beach is. It is located near Fort Stevens State Park. You'll see signs saying: To Jetties. The first parking lot will be a look out tower that over looks the ocean. The third parking lot is where you can access the river beach. Come Join The Fun!!!! Any questions, Please call us at (503) 861-3693 or check out our web site at http://www.tackletime.net/, Have a Great Day, Linda. On 08/24 Linda reports: crabbing in the lower river is still slow but improving with a high percentage of soft shell crabs making up the catch. On 06/15 Tackle Time Charters is open for the season and fishing for sturegon daily as the season permits. Gene said the river has more freshwater coming downstream than he can remember for this time of year and does not expect to crabbing to imporve untili. late July or August............ Internet links of Interest for the Lower Columbia River Estuary and Clatsop Spit: We have submitted request to NOAA to update the tidal projections on a monthly basis rather than the 12 month calendar year beginning in January. Doing so would allow users a forward look of eleven months into the future rather than a declining number of months as the calendar year progresses. This is the reason we reference 2 years of tidal projections for clam diggers and crabbers.. Click HERE to see the navigation hazards crossing the Columbia River Bay. Click 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tidal projections at the North Jetty at the entrance to the Columbia River Bar. Click 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tidal projections at Hammond, Oregon. Scroll down the desired month. Click on the Northwest River Levels to view the height of the river level for the Columbia River. Click HERE to view the Marine Forecast for the northern Oregon Coast. Click HERE for the ten day weather forecast for Astoria. Always call the shellfish Hotline at (503) 986-4728 or 1-800-448-2474 toll free outside of
Razor Clam Digging on Clatsop Spit Beaches: Razor clam season closes on July 15th through September 30th on Clatsop Spit beaches. Razor clam digging from the Clatsop Spit beaches resumes on October 1st but the first series of low Spring tides occur at night from Octoberr 7th through October 11th as posted below. Pacific Standard Time resumes on Sunday 7 November 2010 2am local time. 10/07 07:00PM LDT -0.7 L Thu Razor clam digging is often unproductive during periods of heavy tidal surge. I stay home if the offshore long ocean swells exceed 6.0 feet or a combination of wine chop and long ocean swells exceed 8 ft.....Razor clams are reluctant to show during periods of heavy surf. We provide a link to Oregon Surf Check to view the height and interval of the long ocean swells. We recommend digging bay clams during periods of moderate to heavy surf. Remember, clam digging is most productive during periods of Spring tides and crabbing is most productive during periods of Neap tides. View the NOAA tide tables to see the predicted height of the low tide for your bay of interest. Digging for razor clams on Clatsop Spit Beaches resumes on 10/01/09. Always call the shellfish Hotline at (503) 986-4728 or 1-800-448-2474 toll free outside of
Annual Razor Clam Assessment 2010: In February 2010 I spoke to Matt Hunter the Razor Clam Project Shellfish Leader reports a great razor clam assessment of approximately 7 million clams, but there has been a late development. The density of razor clams north of Sunset Beach has declined for some reason. The digging for razor clams should be more productive on the beaches south of Sunset Beach. My take on this follows. That does not mean there are not plenty of razor clams north of Sunset Beach to the South Jetty of the Columbia River. The clams you dig to the north should be larger average size than those dug to south of Sunset Beach. On 06/15 Jerry reports: We are returning to 1/4 mile south of the entrance at the Peter Iredale. The Razors are 5-5.5 inches and necking like crazy. -Jerry On 06/01 Jerry reports that John and I got two nice limits of razors at the Peter Iredale shipwreck site yesterday a.m. The clams there are HUGE. take care my friend, do not let that guy you are targeting (Gaper Raper) find out who you are. -jerry. Jerry - That's great! But the reason you dug large clams is not so great. Last year there was another great year for the razor clam set on Clatsop Spit, but for some unknown reason the clams that set on the northern section of the spit disappeared. The clams that are visible to diggers are the older clams. Thanks for you concern but I don't worry about it. If I did I would not be doing my Job. On second thought, anyone who is willing to embrace clam digging ethics is welcome in the CDAO. Hopefully this digger will realize how many clams he is killing by the poor choices he has made and will embrace clam digging ethics. Thanks Bill On 06/01 the Eugene Register Guard reported the death of an Oregon Man who was digging razor clams at Fort Stevens. The clam digger was digging in the surf when he was sucked under the waves and drowned. On 05/28/10 Jerry and his friend John have been busy digging limits at the Cove in Seaside.
On 05/02/10 for a change of pace clam diggers Jerry Lynch and John Lim were going to dig gaper clams in Netarts Bay but the lure of yesterday's success was too great and they both dug limits of mostly 3 and 4 year old razor clams at the Cove at Seaside. On 05/01/10 clam digger Jerry Lynch and John Lim dug razor clams from the Cove at Seaside. Jerry dug a limit while John who is 75 only dug 9 clams. Most of the clams were 2 year old clams. Association member Casey writes: Hi Bill, We hade a great time at seaside and got our limits of razors! It was our first time digging razors so we cracked some shells and got some small ones but we kept em all. We fried them up and they were delicious. I noticed that they have a similar flavor to abalone (I used to be a diver in Ca). Great fun and we can’t wait till next time. I've included some pics of my wife Sonja and our limits and my nephew Brandon and his small one. Casey Brisbin
Association member George shown below reports: we clammed at the end of (U) street most everyone got their limit in our party. and we seen many walking out with their limit.. we got there a little late...
Necanicum River at Seaside: Like the Salmon River Estuary the Necanicum River is dominated by freshwater and crabbing productivity is limited to periods of extended clear weather. The most productive crabbing is from boats and from the 12th Ave Bridge. The Necanicum Rivne has been running high and crabbing from the 12th street bridge has been slow. The river level is up. No crabs. Not even little ones. Bill Necanicum River Estuary clam digging is limited to softshell clams.. Click 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tidal projections at the 12th Street Bridge over the Necanicum River. Scroll down the desired month. Click HERE for the 10 day weather forecast for Seaside. Last summer clam digger Sparkypaul reported: I went down the day I got to seaside, on a 1.7 tide just while waiting for my wife(shopping) just to see if I could see any "shows" , and ended up digging a dozen softshell clams with my bare hands. I went to gearhart, parked at the end of wellington, 100 foot trail to bay. where I found them was up against the edge of the bay, gearhart side to the east. they were smaller2.5 to 3.5", but quite a few. I also noticed a few varnish clam shells laying around, so that might be worth investigating the next time I'm up. Good Morning Sparkypaul, Bill here. Thanks for the heads up. Clam Diggers Association member Jerry and his friend John raked crabs in the Necanicum several months ago. They only managed to rake one legal crab, but they described finding purple varnish clam shells as lage as the palm of Jerry's hand. I am looking forward to digging some of the giant purple varnish clams this summer; that is if I can tear myself away from the razors. Bill Cannon Beach Under consideration Nehalem Bay: 09/02 Jim from the Wheeler Marina reports: Crabbing in the bay has been been mixed with some boats limiting out while others are not doing as well................... Wheeler Marina is located just south of Nehalem on US 101 in the historic town of Wheeler, Oregon. We are right in the center of Wheeler with plenty of parking, kayaks for sale/rent, crab boat rentals, licenses, mooring, a crab cooker, snacks, tackle, and friendly advice on what to see & how to do it. Internet links of Interest for Nehalem Bay: Click 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tidal projections at Brighton, Nehalem Bay. Scroll down the desired month. Click HERE for the 10 day weather forecast for Nehalem Bay. Click HERE to see the navigation hazards for crossing the bar at Nehalem Bay. Click HERE to view the Marine Forecast for the northern Oregon Coast. Click on the Northwest River Levels to view the height of the river level for the Nehalem River. Clam digging in Nehalem Bay is very good but limited to softshell clams, purple varnish clams and butter clams. Tillamook Bay is Oregon's second largest bay and recreationally friendly. Avoid boating in the lower bay and jetty channel during the outgoing tide. Disabled boats are easily swept into the waves generated at the bar. We recommend staying at 1) the Barview County Campground and R/v Park or at 2) the Harborview Inn on the waterfront in Garibaldi The north jetty is under construction and the number of spaces at the Barview County Park is limited, so call early for a reservation. Camping is also available at the Keliches River County Park and the Trash River County Park. Crabbing Tillamook Bay: Visiting the Tillamook Bay, Netarts Bay area stop by Tillamook Sporting Goods at 503 842 4334. Dan and his staff can provide all the equipment necessary for your recreational needs ...... On 09/01 Jeff from the Garibaldi Marina at 503 322 3312 or 800 383 3828 reports: Crabbing is good in the bay and the quality of the crabs is improving. The crabs are 1/2 to 3/4 full, but crabbers are having to work through a lot of females to take a limit. Crabber Randy Fish reports they are taking limits when they can get across the bar.... Click on the following link to view the real time up to the minute report on crabbing and fishing in Tillamook Bay. Remember crabbing is best during Neap Tides. When I visited Jeff the first thing I noticed that everything was neat and stowed where it belonged. Jeff rents everything you need to make you trip a success. Boat rentals are reasonable priced and by reservation only. Boats are only rented during the incoming tide so consult the tide table for Tillamook Bay to plan your trip. Ring rentals are $5.00 all day, bait is $2.50 each and it cost $4.50 per limit to have your crabs cooked........... As shown below late last summer Association member Jerry reports excellent crabbing yesterday at Garibaldi. However, the crab are not completely "full" yet; most are at about 80% solid. Still very good eating, especially when hot and fresh right out of the "cooker". Look below the crab in the "fish box"; you can partially see the three 8 lb. cohos we caught prior to pulling up the crab traps.
Internet links of Interest for the Port of Garibaldi: Click HERE for the 10 day weather forecast for Garibaldi. Click 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tidal projections at the Barview Jetty. Click 2009 or 2010 to view the tide table at Garibaldi. Scroll down the desired month. Click HERE to see the navigation hazards for crossing the Tillamook Bay Bar. Click HERE to view the Marine Forecast for the northern Oregon Coast. Click on the Northwest River Levels to view the height of the river level for the rivers of Tillamook Bay. Click HERE to view the Tillamook County Park at Barview. Click HERE to view the Tillamook County Park website.. Always call the shellfish Hotline at (503) 986-4728 or 1-800-448-2474 toll free outside of
Clam Digging Tillamook Bay: Tillamook Bay clam digging at Garibaldi is one of the most popular digging areas found in any of Oregon’s Bays. Public access is limited to the Garibaldi tidal flats, but the most productive digging is on the large tidal flat adjacent to the Bay Ocean Peninsula Road just south of Crab Harbor. The easiest access to the Garibaldi tidal flats is via 12th street parking lot or via the scenic walkway located behind the Harborview Inn and RV Park conveniently located on the bay at Garibaldi. The Port of Garibaldi offers crabbing and/or fishing from the public dock at the intersection of 7th and Commercial and from the Pier's End crabbing dock at 12th Street. If you plan to visit Netarts Bay, Garibaldi or Nehalem Bay stop by Tillamook Sporting Goods. They have the equipment to take care of your crabbing, fishing and clam digging needs. Clam Clinic Tillamook 2009 was a success. Approximately 25 persons attended the lecture and the clam dig. Most of the participants went home with clams. The gaper clams we dug from the Garibaldi tidal flat ranged in size from small to medium. Tillamook Bay clam digging at Garibaldi is one of the most popular digging areas found in any of Oregon’s Bays. Gaper clams and cockles are located sandy substrate east of the 12th ST.fishing pier at Bay LN.. Butter clams, gaper clams as well as some cockles are located in the tidal flats dominated by gravel substrate west of the fishing pier. Use a potato fork with a shovel to dig the calms from the gravely substrate. The lower half of the bay offers all species of bay clams. Using a boat is the best way to access the more productive isolated clam beds in the bay. The upper bay is home to softshell clams Avoid areas with soft mud. Dig only in areas with solid footing. Some razor clams are dug from the north end of the island in the lower reach of the bay and from the beach on the Bayocean Peninsula.
The librarian counterd120 clam diggers attending Clam Clinic 2010 at Garibaldi at the Tillamook County Library located at 1716 3rd St in the City of Tillamook on Saturday afternoon June 12th. The response was so great we had to have two lectures. The lectures began at 3:00 pm and 4:00 before ending at 05:30 pm.
Above are some of the participants that met the following morning Sunday June 13th at 06:30 am at the Pier's End Crabbing Dock on the Garibaldi Tidal Flat to dig for gaper clams. Low tide occurs at 08:06 am PDT with a -2.05 foot low tide. Unfortunately the gaper clams failed to show and for the first time we have been holding clam digs diggers went home disappointed. Netarts Bay is one of the pearls of the Three Capes Scenic Loop. The bay, Oregon's sixth largest, is more like a tidal basin than a bay because it receives a limited amount of freshwater from the small streams flowing into it. With the exception of logging and the absence of a large river flowing into it the isolation of the bay has limited the effects of human development that have degraded the water quality of Oregon' other large bays. Oysters grown in the bay are renowned for their quality and flavor because of the high quality of the water. The freshwater entering the bay has minimal effect on the salinity of the saltwater in the bay and for this reason the bay is noted more for the excellent crabbing and clam digging than for fishing. It is dangerous to attempt to cross the bar at Netarts Bay at anytime. Use caution when boating in the lower bay. The high velocity of the outgoing tide can pull a small boat across the bar into the surf. When visiting the Netarts Bay area stop by Tillamook Sporting Goods at 503 842 4334. Dan and his staff can provide all the equipment necessary for your recreational needs ....... Crabbing Netarts Bay: on 08/23 Paul from the Big Spruce RV Park and Boat Rental reports crabbing has been excellent....... Al and Lorna not only rent boats and all the gear for crabbing they run a first class operation with full hookups and pull thrus. Call I 503 842 7443 or toll free 1 877 651 9342 for information or reservations. Click 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tidal projections at Netarts Bay and sroll down the desired month. Click HERE for the 10 day weather forecast Netarts. Always call the shellfish Hotline at (503) 986-4728 or 1-800-448-2474 toll free outside of
Clam Digging Netarts Bay: Clam digging in Netarts Bay is renowned for all species of clams. All species of clams, gaper clams, cockles, butter clams, softhsell clams, steamer clams, razor clams and geoduck clams, are dug from the tidal flats of Netarts Bay. Netarts Bay is one of two Oregon's Bays that have a verified population of geoduck clams. Clam digger Jim knew what he was looking at when he saw the neck of the geoduck.
Last summer Clam Diggers Association members, Walt, Jerry and John and I met at Netarts Bay to dig clams and do some crabbing. Butter clams were my objective but it was difficult to ignore the large gaper clams and my favorite clam, littleneck clams. The shell fo the littleneck clam with the hole in it as shown in the photo below was the victim of a Moon snail. Crabbing productivity plunged with the strong currents of the low Spring tides. We caught lots of short males and very large female crabs. I spoke to one crabber who left his pots all night and failed to take a legal crab. Association member Jerry's scored theses big boys in Netarts.
On 08/22 clam digger Fish-On Fred shares his clam digging adventure at Netarts Bay with us. By sharing you success with us you are inspiring other digger to share theirs. Thanks, Bill "Hi ya diggers.....Went to Netarts on 8-11-10, and walked in to dig. Usually bring my boat but not this time. Went out to where I usually go and got 11 Gapers and 1 Geoduck. Headed back and finished my limit with Cockles. A very good morning and hardly anyone was digging' that day. It must be better when you dig during the week rather than the weekend. I love Netarts Bay. But do not tell anyone that it is so good, we will have all the yahoos over. Later, Fish-On Fred" Sand Lake Recreational Area:is a multifunctional use area for off road vehicle use, hiking, fishing, crabbing and clam digging. The Sandlake Recreation Area on the north shore is popular and busy with off-highway vehicles especially on weekends. There are 3 developed campgrounds: Sandbeach (101 sites), East Dunes (51 sites), and West Winds (20 sites). Day use parking at North Winds. The Sand Lake County Park at Whalen Island is where the crabbers, clam diggers and fishermen camp. The county park at Whelan Island is closed for camping from December 1st to May 1st but is open on the honor payment system in the open area next the boat launch. For the latest information call the Camp Host at 503 965 6085. The campground is scheduled to close on 12/01. Sand Lake Crabbing ranges from fair to good for most of the year inside the entrance to the tidal basin south and to the west of Whalen Island. Crabs are taken by crabbers from the bridge to Whalen Island on the incoming tide. The crabbing is consistent because rainfall has little effect on the salinity of the water because the basin does not have a large continuous source of freshwater. Sand Lake clam digging is limited to purple varnish clams and a small population of cockles. Raking for cockles in the cockle beds located in the south channel has declined, but the purple varnish clams in the tidal flats associated with the north channel are abundant. We suggest raking cockles at Netarts Bay rather than Sand Lake. Click 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tidal projections at the entrance to Nestucca Bay. We use the time and tide for Nestucca Bay because there no location listed for the Sand Lake Tidal Basin. Scroll down the desired month. Click HERE for the 10 day weather forecast for Pacific City. Nestucca Bay: On 09/02 Mitchell's Shell and Bait Shop at 503-965-0031 Pacific City reports the crabbing has been good, "They are gettin um in the lower bay".... This Spring crabber Steve and two other crabbers drove down the beach on the Nestucca Bay Spit and crabbed near the Jaws on the inside of the bay and did not catch a crab. The three crabbed using 8 Crab Max folding crab traps and did not catch a single crab. Steve crabbed here in June taking limits of crabs. Mitchell's offers an innovative incentive way of selling sand shrimp. The customer gets to select their own sand shrimp filling a 16 oz cup. The result is 2 dozen plus sand shrimp for 4 bucks and with their punch card you get every 12th purchase free. Speaking of incentives, economical R/V and tent space accomodations in the Three Capes Scenic Loop are extremely limited. There are low cost alternatives to the high priced RV parks in Woods and Pacific City for R/V ers and tent campers. The Webb County RV Park is located just north of the high priced Cape Kiwanda R/V Park and the Woods Campground and County Park is another low cost option for campers located nearby in Woods.
Clam digging in Nestucca Bay is limited to the harvest of softshell and purple varnish clams. Click 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tidal projections at the entrance to Nestucca Bay and scroll down the desired month. Click HERE for the 10 day weather forecast for Pacific City. Click on the Northwest River Levels to view the height of the river level for the Nestucca River.
Yaquina Bay Clam Diggigng:
Salmon River Estuary: Like the Necanicum River the Salmon River Estuary is dominated by freshwater and Crabbing productivity is limited to periods of extended clear weather. There is no local source for crabbing or clam digging information available. All crabbing is from boats. Historically crabbing ranges from poor to fair from May through July and is good during August and September in the lower estuary. Salmon River Estuary clam digging is limited to the harvest of softshell and purple varnish clams. Click 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tidal projections at the entrance to Nestucca Bay. We use the time and tide for Nestucca Bay because there no location listed for the Salmon River Estuary. Scroll down the desired month. Click HERE for the 10 day weather forecast for Otis. Siletz Bay Crabbing: On 09/02 Steve from Moe's crabbing dock reports crabbing has been great. Steve from Moe's crabbing dock reports crabbing from Moe's dock is based on the height of the incoming tide. The Crab Max trap has to clear the lip of the berm otherwise the trap hangs up and buries in the sand. Crab off of Moe's Dock only when the height of the tide exceeds 7.0 feet; otherwise crab of off the sandy beach when the height of the incoming tide is lower than 5.0 feet. Crabbing from the sandy beach when the incoming tide is between 5.0 and 7.0 feet requires the crabber to wade into the water to caste or retrieve the Crab Max over the berm. Crabbing has been mixed for crabbers using a Crab Max. Steve uses a Crab Max baited with mussels.. . Crabbing with a crab max crab traps is the type of crab gear most often used to take crabs from Moe's crab dock.... On 09/02 Siletz Moorage (541) 996-3671 reports crabbing is great for Dungness crabs with some jumbo crabs in the mix. Siletz River Estuary clam digging is limited to the harvest of softshell and purple varnish clams. Click 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tidal projections at Taft and scroll down the desired month. Click HERE for the 10 day weather forecast for Lincoln City. Click on the Northwest River Levels to view the height of the river level for the Siletz River. Siletz Bay CLam Digging:Always call the shellfish Hotline at (503) 986-4728 or 1-800-448-2474 toll free outside of
On 05/23 clam digger nofaultwalt and I put together a little vido to answer your questions about indentifying purple varnsh clams. Remember each digger must dig their own clams. I have a disabled clam diggers license and Walt often helps dig my clams. On 05/19 nearly 50 participants of Clam Clinic 2010 Siletz Bay digging for puprle varnish clams. Happily everyone went home with limits of clams. Click on the 4 icons on the bottom right corner of the video to play full screen. Mimi Cogswell and twin 4 1/2 year old sons shared their great clam digging adventure to the coast with us. I have posted her enthusiastic account of their adventure below. See the Discussion Forum for the complete text of her adventure. "Dear Bill: I wanted to thank you for your web site and books on clamming, that made it accessible for my 4.5 year old twins and I this weekend, at Siletz Bay, to catch our limit of purple varnish clams!
So, I totally have the clamming bug now and can't wait to come back. Would you consider doing an extra clinic on Mother's Day weekend? This is what I want for Mother's Day now, to go clamming (am copying to my husband, hint, hint!) Thank you Bill, for all your work to spread the knowledge on the thrill of this hobby. And, I just ate those clams and they were delicious! Mimi" Yaquina Bay Crabbing: On 09/02 Dion from Sawyer's Landing (541) 265-3907 reports crabbing is mixed with some crabbers taking limits and others not doing so well......... Sawyer's Landing cooks crabs for a six dollar minimum charge for 12 or fewer crabs. On 08/30 crabbing from the docks in Yaquina Bay is giving up mixed results ranging from poor to excellent. The high count over the weekend was the Port Terminals and the low count was the crabbing dock at the Embarcadero. Internet links of interest:
Stonewall Bank Buoy Reports
National Buoy Data Center observation reports for buoys off the Oregon Coast. Sunrise and Sunset tables for Yaquina Bay. Ten day weather forecast for the central coastal area at Yaquina Bay. Navigational hazards for crossing the bar at Yaquina Bay. Marine Forecast for the northern Oregon Coast. OSU Links of Interest to view weather, buoy observations and other links of interest. Click 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tide tables at the bar of Yaquina Bay. Click 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tidal projections at Southbeach and scroll down the desired month. Always call the shellfish Hotline at (503) 986-4728 or 1-800-448-2474 toll free outside of
On 05/15 CDAO members from left to right Sandi and Dave Randleman with their friend Sara pose with their limits of gaper clams they dug from the tidal flats of Yaquina Bay. Click on gaper clam to view the one of the more productive methods for taking gaper clams.
On 05/04 In the photo below and to the right clam digger Kevin shares a limit of mixed limit of bay clams he and his son along with his brother and two friends dug from tidal flats behind the Marine Science Center at Yaquina Bay on Saturday.
On 04/16 In the above photo on the left clam digger Kevin shares a limit of mixed gaper clams he dug from tidal flats behind the Marine Science Center at Yaquina Bay during a minus .08 tide. On 01/29 My 87 year old buddy Dutch and I launched his canoe at Port Dock 7 under the critical eye of one of the Port officials. The height of the predicted low tide was not nearly as low as predicted and we dug clams in the wet sand. I have been working on some new recipes for gaper clams that are really great. This coming year we are going to produce some video clips and digging, cleaning and cooking Bay Clams. Always check the Shellfish Hotline Before digging clams or taking mussels or call (503) 986-4728 or 1-800-448-2474 toll free outside of Oregon. Digging razor clams at Agate Beach and the North and South Jetties at Newport: Always check the Shellfish Hotline Before digging clams or taking mussels or call (503) 986-4728 or 1-800-448-2474 toll free outside of Oregon. Razor clam digging is often unproductive during periods of heavy tidal surge. Click HERE for surf conditions along the Oregon Coast. I stay home if the offshore long ocean swells exceed 6.0 feet. On 06/14 ODFW report digging at the South Jetty and Agate Beach has improved and diggers are taking some limits of razor clams. On 05/13 Bill Morris and his son in law dug 10 razor clams apiece from Agate Beach. The surf was down but the interval between the long swells was at 5 seconds making it difficult to spot the shows. The clams were not showing well and Bill had to pound in the wet to force the clams to show. On 05/12 Bill Morris struck out at the North Jetty. No clams showed and surf conditions were fairly good.
On 04/29 The CDAO had the pleasure of assisting Greg Harlow instruct the Toledo Outdoor School kids to dig razor clam at South Beach during a minus 1.8 foot tide. The rough surf conditions kept the clams from showing. I found one razor clam necking in about a foot of water and when I attempted to dig it the surf rolled me over. Greg found a razor clam necking and dug it. The kids gathered around Greag to get a good look at his prize. The kids returned to looking with renewed interest and shortly thereafter one young man dug his first razor clam. On 04/28 renown razor clam digger and Board Member of the CDAO, Bill Morris reports: that diggers success has be sporadic at all three loctions. Bill cites poor surf conditions at the cause of the low productivity. On 04/17 Clam digger Craig reported: Made it out yesterday at Agate - got a nice limit of some big clams. One clam was a solid 5 1/2 inches and was the widest one I had ever dug. Did you make it out? On 04/07 Local razor clam diggers report digging productivity at the Agate Beach the beaches at North and South Jetty has be very poor this spring. Newport Port Commissioner, Dean Fleck is an avid razor clam digger and he like a lot of other razor clam diggers are asking, "What has happened to the razor clams? They are gone." Well the day I went to the North Jetty of Yaquina Bay the 6 experienced diggers only managed 4 clams between them by the time i packed it in and headed for home. The ODFW biologists did not have an answer either. I suspect the rough ocean conditions are part of the problem in combination with the sever beach erosion caused by El Nino on area beaches.. Alsea Bay Crabbing: on 09/02 Bill from the Dock of the Bay at (541) 563-2003 reports crabbing is great in the lower bay and good from the port docks with some large dinner plate sized crabs measuring 7 and 8 inches accross in the catch .......... The Dock of the Bay cooks crabs for a nominal charge. Internet links of interest: Click 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tidal projections at Waldport and scroll down the desired month. Click HERE for the 10 day weather forecast at Waldport. Click on Northwest Rivers Forecast to view the height of the river levels for the Alsea River. Alsea Bay Clam Digging: Alsea Bay is renowned for the high population of softshell clams common to the upper bay. Cockles and gaper clam (Tresus Capax) are common in the lower bay On beautiful sunny morning my buddy Dutch and I visited the south shore of Alsea Bay to dig for the oversized gaper clams once fairly common. We both managed to dig 1 oversized gaper clam apiece. The two we dug were the only ones we were able to find. Dutch dug a total of 8 gaper clams while I dug 4 gaper clams. We spent several hours looking for the big boys but all of the shows we observed were from small gaper clams. The clam diggers raking cockles we observed did poorly taking very few cockles for the time spent raking. We did observe diggers raking for cockles in the Bayshore channel on the north side of the bay but we were too far away to see how well they were doing.. Florence at the Siuslaw River Estuary on 09/01 Ken from the Port of Siuslaw Campground at the water's edge on the bay reports crabbing in the lower bay has been good as we head into the Labor Day weekend. Rough ocean conditions have kept the bar closed for the last 10 days. Crabbing from the City Docks ranges to fair in late summer and fall with lots of juvenile crabs in the mix. The crabbing from Siuslaw Bay public crabbing dock located at the end of the South Jetty Road is excellent from late spring until the freshwater from winter rains force the crabs out into the ocean Jay at the BridgePort Market rents crab rings and pots. Jay also carries fishing tackle and clam shovels. They also make a mean deli sandwitch. Jay is a clam digger and crabber. He can answer your clam digging and crabbing questions you may have concerning the Siuslaw River Estuary. The BridgePort Market is located on the bayfront next to the Port of Siuslaw Campground............ Internet links of interest for the Siuslaw River Estuary: Click 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tide tables for entrance to the bar at the Siuslaw River and scroll down to the desired month. Click 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tidal projections at the City Docks at Florence and scroll down to the desired month. Click HERE for the 10 day weather forecast at Florence. Click HERE to see the navigation hazards for crossing the Siuslaw River bar. Click on Northwest Rivers Forecast to view the height of the river level for the Siuslaw River. Clam Digging Siuslaw River Estuary: Softshell clams are the primary clams of interest in the Siuslaw River Estuary. Piddocks clams are dug from the exposed tidal flats on the north side of the channel some distance from the Harbor Vista R/V Park. Some cockles are raked and some gaper clams are dug on the tidal flats below the Harbor Vista R/V Park Winchester Bay on the UmpquaRiver: The Crab Watch Report is provided by the outdoor reporter and outdoor writer, Pete Heley at the Stockade Market. Crabbing: On 09/01 Pete Heley reports: Crabbers from boats in the lower bay are taking limits of crabs. Crabbing from docks in the lower bay are also taking their share of crabs. Click on Winchester Bay Crabbing Video to view crabbing action from the Coast Guard Pier. Crabbing for legal sized males was slow with the catch comprized of mostly females, small males and a few legal sized crabs but my grandsons and I had a great time. Late last summer, I took 3 nice sized Dungeness crabs using a Crab Max folding crab trap from the old Coast Guard dock. Three crabs were just enough for my wife and I to enjoy a great Crab Louie. Crabbers from boats are doing very well with limits or near limits.. Boat crabbers should be aware of dangerous tidal conditions in the jetty channel. Sudden ocean swells can easily lift and leave a boat up onto the rocks of the north jetty... Click on the Umpqua Post to view Pete's Outdoor Report. Click HERE to see Pete's books about Bass Fishing (for both large and small mouth bass and striped bass) on the OregonCoast. The Stockade Market carries a complete line of fishing and crabbing equipment. Internet links of interest for the Umpqua River Estuary: Click 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tidal projections at entrance to the bar at the Umpqua River. Click 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tidal projections at Gardiner and scroll down the desired month. Click HERE to see the 10 day weather forecast at Reedsport. Click on Northwest Rivers Forecast to view the height of the river level for the Umpqua River. Click HERE to see the navigation hazards for crossing the Umpqua River bar. The navigational hazards posted for crossing the bar at Winchester Bay, Coos Bay and the Coquille and Chetco River Estuaries are displayed as PDF files. Print them out and refer to them before crossing the bar. Clam Digging Umpqua River Estuary: Clam Diggers complained about the danger posed to boaters at the Gardiner boat ramp. A clam digger who used the ramp this week as a meeting point for his family and friends brought the threat that the build up of soft sediment poses to boaters and children to the attention of the CDAO. The Clam Diggers Association questions the safety of the boat ramp at Gardiner. The boat launch at Gardiner is unusable at low tide. The amount of silt built up at the boat is a threat to the safety to those who use the boat ramp. Conditions at the Gardiner boat ramp notwithstanding, clam digging in Umpqua River Estuary is renowned for some of the largest softshell clams found in any of Oregon's bays. The most productive clam beds are associated with Bolon and Steamboat Islands from the communities of Reedsport and Gardiner down river to The Point. ODFW’s map of the softshell clam beds show a population of softshell clams on the north shore of the river located below The Point, however, the population has declined and the clams are no longer common this area. In addition to softshell clams the sand beach within the triangle produces the largest gaper clams dug in any of Oregon's bays but a clam die off occurs when excessive rainfall floods the area for an extended period of time. Coos Bay Crabbing: Oregon's largest bay is a salt water dominated bay that holds crabs longer than any other of Oregon's Bays........Crabbing in the ocean resumes on 12/01. Crabbing in the ocean now is open from December 1st of the current year thru October 15 of the following year. Be sure to double check the opening and closing dates in the synopsis. Dungeness Crabs are common to areas of the ocean with a sandy bottom and in areas with extensive eel grass beds. The month of August saw crabbing improve in Coos Bay for those crabbing from boats in the lower bay taking limits of crabs. Look for crabbing continue to improve through September and into the Fall months.. On 09/01/10 Joe from the Bites On located at 750 Newmark Ave in Empire or (541) 888-4015 reports: crabbing from boats in inside the channel to Crab Island is giving up limits for those crabbing from boats. Crabbing in the ocean has improved to limits the rule. When crabbing gets going in side the bay, crabbing is hot all to up above Empire. Crabbing from the docks has been slow with red rock crabs dominating the catch. Joe made the point to remind crabbers to move to another location if crabbing is unproductive...... Joe rents rings for 5.00 a day and sells crab bait for a 1.50 a pop. On 09/01/10 ODFW reports Recreational crab harvest inside the bay is good for those crabbing from boats and slow for those crabbing from the docks. Red rock crabs are the main harvest at Carleston and Empire docks with a few legal Dungeness crabs in the mix. Charleston docks and Empire docks has been slow with catches of mostly red rock crabs and occassional Dungeness crab in the mix. In Charleston the best crabbing docks have been the B/C and D/E docks in Charleston. The best baits for crabbing are fish, chicken or turkey legs. The best time to crab is three hours before high tide 1/2 hour after. Crabbing like all other salt water related activity in the bays is dependent on the tides. The most productive crabbing tides occur during the series of Neap tides followed by the minor tidal exchange of Spring tides. The most productive crabbing in Oregon's Bays occurs in the larger salt water dominated bays during periods of slack tide and during periods of diurnal inequality between the low high tide and high low tide of the daily tidal cycle. Crabbing is not as productive during the high velocity tidal current generated during the major tidal exchange of spring tides or during the outgoing tide. The crabs bury themselves in the sand to escape the increased current velocity of the outgoing tide. Remember crabbing in the bays is best during periods of neap tides. Internet links of interest for Coos Bay: Click HERE for the 10 day weather forecast at Coos Bay. Click HERE for the latest marine forecast and small craft advisories from Florence to Cape Blanco. Click on Northwest Rivers Forecast to view the height of the river level for the Coos River. Click HERE to see the navigation hazards for crossing the bar at Coos Bay. Click on .2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tidal projections for Charleston and scroll down the desired month Always call the shellfish Hotline at (503) 986-4728 or 1-800-448-2474 toll free outside of
Coos Bay clam digging offers the most productive clam digging for all species of clams found in any of Oregon’s Bays. Click HERE to view a video clip of cockles being raked in South Slough. The harvest of empire/gaper clams has been good at the North Spit and Clam Island. North Beach on the North Spit is the southern boarder of the Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area and is located just north of the entrance to Coos Bay and below Horsfall Beach but is administered by the BLM. The best harvest areas for the average clam digger without 4 wheel drive trucks are from the Empire/Charleston tidal flats along Cape Arago Highway , and within Charleston , north and south of the Charleston Bridge . Butter, gaper, and cockle clams are abundant in these areas. Digging for razor clams in the Coos Bay area Spring 2010 has been mediocre. Early last Spring limits of razor clams came from Charleston Boat Basin Sand Spit, North Spit, Bastendorff, and to the northern section of the Seven Devils Wayside beaches. Hopefully digging conditions for razor clams will improve as ocean conditions lay down during sunny weather. Click 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tide tables for Charleston and scroll down the desired month. ODFW reports limits of bay clams are the rule for digger in Coos Bay over the latest series of Spring tides. Digging for gaper clams on the Charleston Triangle usually produces clam that are smaller than the average sized gaper clams dug from other locations in Coos Bay. Junkyard Jim Had a very productive weekend out on the mud flats. The lowest tide of the weekend was .7, but the clams are thick if you walk a half mile north of the parking area. Sunny and 70! Gapers stacked on top of gapers, and we had the whole place to ourselves! I tried Bill's trick of icing them down immediately after digging, and boy does that make a big difference in the ease of cleaning and the flavor! It was less than 2 hours from the mud to the pot, and the texture/flavor was exceptional! They looked so nice while I was cleaning them, I ate some of the adductor muscles raw. Very tasty sashimi. Although gapers are too much work for my 8 year old boy, he still loves to go out and find cockles and crabs. He also gets to bury my holes! We limited out on trout Sunday, fishing at Arizona pond. My son's first limit. A green wedding ring with half a crawler, retrieved slowly, seems to work on every cast. I hook 'em, and he lands them. Crabbing was slow at Charleston, with nets full of almost legal dungeness. Maybe next month will be better, but it's hard to beat clam guts as bait! Fossil Point is halfway between Charleston and Empire. Look for the Sanitation pump house, and park courteously, since the lot is small. Maybe I'll see you there next weekend. North Beach at Coos Bay. On 05/18/10 ODFW reports razor clam digger on the beach, but had no first hand information available on how well they did. Bastendorff Beach. Bastendorff Beach located between Coos Bay and Yoakum Point is listed by ODFW as a razor clam location. Last year 2009 Bastendorff Beach after years of no shows is once again yeilding limits of razors clams. Good news for Bastenforff diggers. Diggers were taking juvenile razor clams in 2010. Clam digging should be good in 2011 providing erosion does not wash the clams away. Whiskey Run Beach off of Seven Devils Road allows beach access by motor vehicles and is listed by ODFW as a location to dig for razor clams. The razor clam population at Whiskey Run Beach is aging. Diggers report an absence of juvenile razor clams and a declining population of aging razor clam. We need current information on digging productivity at Whiskey Run Beach and Southern Oregon Beaches. Share your experiences with us. Bill the Clamman. We need information on the current digging conditions for all of Oregon's Beaches. Share the news of your clam digging experience on the Discussion Board. In February ODFW reports: digging for razor clams has been slow at Whiskey Run Beach. Scott Growth works the are of the beach from the parking area north during the last series of low tides but the clams were no shows. Coquille Bay at the Port of Bandon: On 09/01 Tony from Tony's Crab Shack 541 347-2875 reports crabbing from Weber's Pier is, "On Fire!". Crabbers from boats in the lower bay are limiting out……....... Tony makes killer crab tacos. Read Tony's all encompassing Fishing Report in the Bandon Western World newspaper or the online edition at Bandon Western World. Tony's cooks crabs for 50 cents per crab and backs them for an additional 25 cents per crab. On 09/01 Diane at Bandon Bait and Tackle 541-347-3905 reports: and I quote, "Crabbing has been better than pretty darn good......… Bandon Bait is conveniently located next to the boat launch. Bandon Bait shop rents clam shovels, poles, and crab rings plus sells rods, reels, bait, tackle, and ice. Fishing gear repair services are available as well as professional guided trips on the Coquille, Sixes, and Elk Rivers. They also sell hamburgers, fish and chips, and fried prawns. Bandon usually remains productive until the bay blows out with turbid brown stained water. Softshell clams dominate the tidal flats of the Coquille River Estuary at Bandon. Internet links of interest for the Coquille River Estuary: Click 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tidal projections for the Port of Bandon and scroll down the desired month. Click HERE for the 10 day weather forecast at Bandon. Click on Northwest Rivers Forecast to view the height of the river level for the Coquille River. Click HERE to see the navigation hazards for crossing the bar at the Coquille River. Port Orford is the only port in Oregon that offers crabbing in the Ocean from a dock facility. Crabbing productivity varies from day to day and with the season. Recreational boaters crab in the ocean south of the port in 60 to 80 feet of water. Click on 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tidal projections at for Port Orford and scroll down the desired month. Click HERE to see the 10 day weather forecast at Port Orford. Click HERE to see the unfavorable harbor conditions at Port Orford. We have asked the good folks at Port Orford docks repeatedly for information about crabbing and fishing from their docks but with no response. Bill . The digging for littleneck clams at Rocky Point has declined because of a large scale die off late last year. The die off of littleneck clams has occurred in many areas along the ocean beaches of the Pacific Northwest. We need current up to date information on digging conditions at Rocky Point. Rocky Point Update: An association member had a lengthy discussion with a South coast digger who noted that the steamer clam population has indeed had a terrible drop on those coastal rocky reaches. The digger did note that a couple of years ago, he would get 8 or 10 steamers out of some of the spots, but this year he managed to get only 1 or 2. The positive aspect of this is that some of the steamers did survive. Razor clams in Southern Oregon: Click on Southern Oregon beaches to view the location of the best razor clam digging south of Seaside. We need input on the razor clam digging conditions in Sourthern Oregon. Do you part contribute by sharing your clam digging experiences with us qt williamlackner001@msn.com. Chetco Bay, Brookings: On 09/01 the Sporthaven Marina 541.469-3301 at the Port of Brookings Harbor: reports crabbing in the bay is good.. 09/01: A check of the river gauge shows the Chetco rose slightly over the last several days but not enough to chase the crabs out of the bay. The bay clams common to Oregon's Bay are not present in Brookings Harbor or in the Rogue River Estuary in large enough numbers to be of interest to recreational clam diggers. Click on 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tidal projections at for Bandon at Chetco Cove and scroll down the desired month. Click HERE for the 10 day weather forecast at Brookings. Click HERE to see the navigation hazards for crossing the bar of the Chetco River. Click on the Northwest River Levels to view the height of the river level for the Chetco River. 09/01: A check of the river gauge shows the Chetco rose slightly over the last several days but not enough to chase the crabs out of the bay. Rogue River Estuary at Gold Beach: No information available at this time. Meyers Beach Razor Clams: On 08/21 clam digger Ron reports that he has been digging razor clams at Meyer's Beach with his grandson without any competition from other diggers. Can you imagine digging razor clams with no one else around. Bill Click 2009 or 2010 to view the NOAA tidal projections at Wedderburn on the Rogue River Estuary. Click HERE to see the 10 day weather forecast at Wedderburn.. Click HERE to see the navigation hazards for cross the Rogue River bar. Click on the Northwest River Levels to view the height of the river level for the Rogue River. Email us with any suggestion how we can improve the information we provide at williamlackner001@msn.com. Return to Oregon's Razor Clams. Return to Oregon's Clams. Return to Oregon's Crabs Click HERE to link to ODFW Weekly Recreation Report for the Southwest Zone and HERE to link to the report for the Northwest Zone. For more information about the life cycle of Dungeness Crabs Click HERE. |
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